Topical Bible: Joy: God Gives

◄ Joy: God Gives ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Joy, as presented in the Bible, is a profound and enduring state of gladness and delight that is rooted in the divine nature and gifts of God. It transcends mere happiness, which is often dependent on external circumstances, and is instead a deep-seated sense of well-being and contentment that comes from a relationship with God.

Biblical Foundation of Joy

The Bible consistently portrays joy as a gift from God, integral to the life of a believer. In the Old Testament, joy is often associated with God's presence and His mighty acts. For instance, in Nehemiah 8:10, the people are reminded, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." This verse highlights the sustaining power of divine joy, which fortifies believers against life's challenges.

The Psalms frequently celebrate joy as a response to God's salvation and faithfulness. Psalm 16:11 declares, "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Here, joy is depicted as a natural outcome of being in God's presence, suggesting that true joy is found in communion with the Creator.

Joy in the New Testament

In the New Testament, joy is closely linked to the coming of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. The announcement of Jesus' birth was heralded as "good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10), signifying the arrival of the Savior as a source of profound joy for all people. Jesus Himself spoke of joy as a hallmark of His followers, saying in John 15:11, "I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."

The Apostle Paul frequently writes about joy in his epistles, emphasizing it as a fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22, joy is listed among the fruits of the Spirit, indicating that it is a natural product of a life lived in accordance with the Holy Spirit. Paul also exhorts believers to "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4), underscoring the idea that joy is a continual and deliberate choice rooted in faith.

Joy Amidst Trials

The Bible acknowledges that joy can coexist with trials and suffering. James 1:2-3 encourages believers to "consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." This perspective reveals that joy is not the absence of hardship but a steadfast assurance in God's purposes and promises.

The Apostle Peter also speaks to this paradox, writing in 1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." This joy is described as "inexpressible and glorious," rooted in the hope of salvation and the eternal promises of God.

Joy in Worship and Community

Joy is a central theme in the worship and communal life of the early church. Acts 2:46-47 describes the early believers as "continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." This passage illustrates how joy permeated their fellowship and worship, reflecting the joy of the Lord in their communal life.

In summary, joy in the biblical context is a divine gift that is deeply intertwined with the presence and work of God in the life of a believer. It is a fruit of the Spirit, a response to God's salvation, and a sustaining force through trials, manifesting in both personal devotion and communal worship.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ecclesiastes 2:26
For God gives to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 4:7
You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,. ... therefore, we hold faith to
be the knowledge of God's will toward ... we can receive faith only as he gives it ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

3874. paraklesis -- a calling to one's aid, ie encouragement ...
... a) exhortation, (b) entreaty, (c) encouragement, joy, gladness, (d ... evidence that
stands up in God's court ... intimate call" that someone personally gives to deliver ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3874.htm - 8k

Strong's Hebrew

3164b. Yachdiel -- "God gives joy," a Manassite
... 3164a, 3164b. Yachdiel. 3165 . "God gives joy," a Manassite. Transliteration:
Yachdiel Short Definition: Jahdiel. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/3164b.htm - 5k

Library

God the Joy-Bringer
... If God gives, surely we are bound to receive. ... experience in this generation was more
alive to the obligation and the blessedness of perpetual joy arising from ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/god the joy-bringer.htm

Of the Sovereign Praise which God Gives unto Himself, and How we ...
... OF THE SOVEREIGN PRAISE WHICH GOD GIVES UNTO HIMSELF, AND HOW WE EXERCISE BENEVOLENCE ...
O God! what complacency, what a joy to the soul who loves, when she has ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xii of the sovereign.htm

The Joy of the Lord
... It gives us, instead of the torpid conscience, or the angrily-stinging
conscience"a ... Gospel works joy, because the soul is at rest in God; joy, because every ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the joy of the lord.htm

"Now the God of Hope Fill You with all Joy and Peace in Believing ...
... which shows us, that the commandments of God do not so ... The scripture here gives us
a precedent, and often ... The joy promised in the preceding verse is elsewhere ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon ix now the god.htm

A Crown Op Pride or a Crown of Glory
... Communion with God gives power as well as gladness ... In the context it is promised
that God will be for strength to ... The life of joy in God issues, as all true joy ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/a crown op pride or.htm

How Sacred Love Contains the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost ...
... inspirations, which are, as it were, God's secret commandments ... As being a fruit,
it gives us an extreme ... which sacred lovers have more content, joy, glory and ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xix how sacred love.htm

Joy, a Duty
... in the waters in comparison with your joy in the Shepherd who gives you all. Let
us never make gods out of our goods; let us never allow what God gives us to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 41 1895/joy a duty.htm

Sorrow the Pledge of Joy.
... to the individuality she loves, and to the repossession of her joy in it, she ... God
gives in his children an analysis of himself, an analysis that will never be ...
/.../macdonald/hope of the gospel/sorrow the pledge of joy.htm

Zion's Joy and God's
... thought of a glad God might be a very awful thought; such an insight as this prophet
had gives a blessed meaning to it. We may think of the joy that belongs to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/zions joy and gods.htm

The Consecration of Joy
... John, who has preserved Christ's references, gives one of ... this tabernacle'; there,
in a 'building of God ... ... road; there, changeless but increasing joy will be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the consecration of joy.htm