Joy (5479) (chara) (and rejoice) is a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Joy is a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Joy in the NT is virtually always used to signify a feeling of "happiness" that is based on spiritual realities (and independent of what "happens"). Joy is an inner gladness; a deep seated pleasure. It is a depth of assurance and confidence that ignites a cheerful heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads to cheerful behavior. Joy is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances but is God’s gift to believers. Joy is a part of God’s very essence and as discussed below His Spirit manifests this supernatural joy in His children (Galatians 5:22-note, Acts 13:52, 1Th 1:6-note). Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. There is a chorus from an old spiritual song that is apropos... Happiness happens But joy abides Chara - 59x in 57v in the NAS - 10" class="scriptRef">Mt 2:10; 13.20" class="scriptRef">13:20, 44; 25.21" class="scriptRef">25:21, 23; 28:8; Mark 4:16; Luke 1:14; 2:10; 8:13; 10:17; 15:7, 10; 24.41" class="scriptRef">24:41, 52; 29" class="scriptRef">John 3:29 (2x); 11" class="scriptRef">Jn 15:11 (2x); Jn 16:20, 21, 22, 24; 17:13; Acts 8:8; 12:14; 13:52; 15:3; Rom 14:17; 15:13, 32; 2Cor 1:24; 2:3; 7:4, 13; 8:2; Gal 5:22; Phil 1:4, 25; 2:2, 29; 4:1; Col 1:11; 1Th 1:6; 2:19f; 3:9; 2 Tim 1:4; Philemon 1:7; Heb 10:34; 12:2, 11; 13:17; Jas 1:2; 4:9; 1 Pet 1:8; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 1:12; 3 John 1:4 NAS translates chara - greatly(1), joy(54), joyful(1), joyfully(1), joyously(1), rejoicing(1). Note the association of chara and pleroo (joy and filled) -John 3:29, 15:11, 16:24, 17:13, Acts 13:52, Ro 15:13, 2Cor 7:4, Php 2:2, 2Ti 1:4, 1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12. This repetitive association certainly suggests that God's desire for His children is fullness of joy! Alfred Plummer (commenting on 1Jn 1:4) writes that joy is "that serene happiness, which is the result of conscious union with God and good men, of conscious possession of eternal life…and which raises us above pain and sorrow and remorse." Donald Campbell writes that chara describes "a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (Jn 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things." Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that... in any definition we may give of New Testament joy, is that we do not go to a dictionary; we go to the New Testament instead. This is something quite peculiar which cannot be explained; it is a quality which belongs to the Christian life in its essence, so that in our definition of joy we must be very careful that it conforms to what we see in our Lord. The world has never seen anyone who knew joy as our Lord knew it, and yet He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” So our definition of joy must somehow correspond to that....Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this - There is only one thing that can give true joy and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire. He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete. Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Life in Christ Studies in 1 John by Martyn Lloyd-Jones) How can we as believers "maximize our joy? Repentance brings joy (Lk 15:7, 10). The hope (absolute assurance) of future glory brings joy (1Pe 4:13). The Lord's Word brings joy (John 15:11). Prayer brings joy (John 16:24). The presence and fellowship of believers brings joy (1Jn 1:3-4). Converts bring joy (Lk 15:5; Php 4:1; 1Th. 2:19-20) Hearing that those you have mentored are discipled are walking in the truth brings joy (3Jn 4). Giving brings joy (2Co 8:2; cp Heb 10:34). Fellowship with Father and Son brings joy - we need to "keep short accounts" by confessing our sins so that this fellowship is not adversely effected (1Jn 1:3, 4, 1Jn 1:9) Secular dictionaries define joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or the emotion evoked by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The world's definition of joy is synonymous with the definition of happiness, for both of these "emotions" are dependent on what "happens". Certainly there is a semblance of joy in human life, such as joy when one experiences a victory ("We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:5 Spurgeon's comment) or when one reaps a bountiful harvest (see Isaiah 9:3), but more often the Bible speaks of joy in a truly spiritual sense (as described above by Martyn Lloyd-Jones). For example, Nehemiah declared to the down in the mouth (not very filled with joy) Jews that "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh 8:10). Similarly, David pleaded with God to “restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12 Spurgeon's Comment). As an aside, it is not surprising that joy and rejoicing are found most frequently in the Psalms (about 80 references) and the Gospels (about 40 references). Play (and believe the words of) the old song by Twila Paris... THE JOY OF THE LORD Brother and sisters "Rejoice in the Lord and again I will say rejoice!" (Php 4:4-note) C. S. Lewis came a bit closer to the Biblical meaning of joy when he called it an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” That statement is a bit obtuse (to me) but Lewis then went on to add that joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure". Ultimately Lewis' experienced joy when he discovered that Jesus was the wellspring of all joy. Spiritual Joy then is not only an emotion that comes from favorable circumstances but paradoxically (supernaturally) can occur when circumstances are most difficult as Jesus taught His disciples declaring... Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you. (John 16:20, 21, 22) Believers of course have the Resident Source of joy within for as as Paul teaches the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-note) Compare other passages that associate the Holy Spirit with joy... And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52) Comment: Clearly one of the effects of being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18-note) is joy, a supernatural joy He gives us as we surrender our will to His control. (Paul to the Thessalonian believers who had just come to Christ out of pagan idolatry 1Th 1:9-note) You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation (thlipsis) with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1Th 1:6-note) Comment: Observe the juxtaposition of "joy" and "tribulation" once again affirming that the believer's joy is supernaturally given by the indwelling Spirit of Christ and thus is independent of the circumstances! Are your circumstances dire? The Bible teaches you can still have the Joy of Jesus! Does this truth not help us understand Nehemiah's well known declaration to those grieving that independent of their grief, "the joy of Jehovah is your strength." (Neh 8:10) God given inner joy is like a shield that deflects disappointments, like a spring deep within our soul, able to quench our thirst regardless of how dire are our circumstances. And in Acts we see a beautiful illustration of joy that abides, vividly contrasting with happiness that depends on what happens... So they (Peter and the apostles who had been imprisoned and flogged - Acts 5:28, 29, 40) went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing (chairo in the present tense = continually rejoicing) that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:41, 42) Comment: Note that the apostles' joy was independent of their uncomfortable, even painful circumstances but it was intimately linked with their proclamation of Jesus the Messiah (cp John's "these things we write so that our joy may be made complete"). Have you not had this supernatural joy in those times the Spirit has opened a door for you to proclaim Jesus to some lost soul? And doesn't this make sense...Jesus is the single most important Person in time and eternity and when we have the opportunity to share Him the joy we experience is simply unspeakable! May we pray for and be alert for more and more opportunities from God's Spirit to share His Son with those dead in their trespasses and sins and in desperate need for the Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The Christian life is to be a life of joy. It is founded on faith in Jesus, Whose life on earth began as "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10) and Whose last prayer was for His followers to have His joy made full in themselves (Jn 17:13). Joy from beginning to end and then without end (See our rejoicing in heaven in Revelation 19:7-note where rejoice is chairo). Augustine... There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, that of all those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art; and this is the happy life, to rejoice in Thee, of Thee. This is it! And there is no other. Emotional fluctuations cannot disturb this Source of joy. Note Paul’s statement of this confidence (Php 3:20-note). In the epistle to the Philippians joy is like a golden thread Paul interweaves throughout this epistle (See repetition of this theme = Joy - Php 1:4, 25, 2:2, 29" class="scriptRef">29, 4:1, Rejoice - Php 1:18 [2x], Php 2:17, 18, 29, 3:1, 4:4 [2x], Php 4:10) As Bengel says “The whole letter is ‘I rejoice,’ and ‘Rejoice!’” The Christian life is to be a life of joy. It is founded on faith in Jesus, whose life on earth began as "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10). The theme of joy is underscored by the 59 uses of joy and the 74 uses of rejoice in the New Testament (as noted above most are in the Gospels) always to signify a feeling of happiness that is based on spiritual realities. Joy is God’s gift to believers. Paul speaks of more than just a mood. This is a deep confidence that was rooted in God’s sovereign control of the universe, His on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities including the assurance of ultimate victory for those in Christ. Joy is a part of God’s own nature and Spirit that He manifests in His children. Joy is the inevitable overflow of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and of the believer’s knowing His continuing presence and having a sense of well being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself and the Lord (1Pe 1:8-note). Joy not only does not come from favorable human circumstances but is sometimes greatest when those circumstances are the most painful and severe. God’s joy is full, complete in every way. Nothing human or circumstantial can add to it or detract from it. But it is not fulfilled in a believer’s life except through reliance on and obedience to the Lord. Although joy is a gift of God through His Spirit to those who belong to Christ, it is also commanded of them “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Paul commands (see note Philippians 4:4 cf note Philippians 3:1). Because joy comes as a gift from Him, the command obviously is not for believers to manufacture or try to imitate it but to delight in the blessing they already possess (see note Romans 14:17; Philippians 4:4). The command is to gratefully accept and revel in this great blessing they already possess. Warren Wiersbe defines joy as that inward peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. (A case in point is Paul’s experience recorded in Phil. 4:10-20.) This "holy optimism" keeps him going in spite of difficulties. Matthew Henry defines joy as cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God Donald Campbell former President of Dallas Theological Seminary says Joy (chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (Jn 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things (cf. note Romans 8:28) William MacDonald says Joy is contentment and satisfaction with God and with His dealings. Christ displayed it in John 4:34 Adam Clarke defines joy as "The exultation that arises from a sense of God’s mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin." Beet defines joy as triumphant overflow of Christian gladness. Barclay adds that... It is not the joy that comes from earthly things, still less from triumphing over someone else in competition. It is a joy whose foundation is God. Joy is the byproduct of obedience. (Source Unknown) (Ed note: Nothing like unconfessed sin to steal your joy!) Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy. (Richard Sibbes) God is not otherwise to be enjoyed than as He is obeyed. (John Howe) Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, and he replied: When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen, and since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit. Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found: • Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born...(and at his death cried out desperately) I am abandoned by God and man! I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six month's life. Then I shall go to hell; and you will go with me. O Christ! O Jesus Christ!” • Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.” • Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.” • Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.” • Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.” • Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple, in Christ alone. (The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993) As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them. The eternal effect of a Christian filled with the Joy of the Lord: Many years ago when the great missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough, he passed through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharves at the time of Judson’s arrival was struck by the man’s appearance. Never before had he seen such a light on any human face. He ran up the street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the impatient youngster standing near him. Many years afterward that boy—who could never get away from the influence of that wonderful face—became the famous preacher Henry Clay Trumbull. In a book of memoirs he penned a chapter entitled: “What a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson.” That lighted countenance had changed his life. Even as flowers thrive when they bend to the light, so shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn toward Christ! It takes 72 muscles to frown—only 14 to smile! IN MY EVERY PRAYER FOR YOU ALL: en pase deesei mou huper panton humon: Again the word for prayer is deesis (1162) (Click in depth study of deesis) referring to specific supplications or prayer for particular benefits, the verb supplicate suggesting an attitude and posture of humility. Do I pray for all the saints or just a select few? All stand in the need of prayer. In every prayer, Paul made supplication for the Philippians with joy. Intercession is not a burden to be borne but an exercise of the soul to be performed with joy. Vine comments of the occurrence of the word every (or all, Greek = pas) noting that... The recurrence of all in the epistle (see Phil 1, 7, 8, 25; 2:17, 26 and cp. Php 4:21) is a reminder to his readers that the apostle, like his Master, held them all in equal affection and esteem. He seeks thus tactfully to counteract the tendency to alienation of heart among them, a rumor of which seems to have reached him, and to which later he makes a direct reference (see Phil 2:1, 2, 3, 4; 4:2). The true pastor cares for the whole of the flock. (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson ) Philippians 1:5 in view of your participation in the Gospel from the first day until now (NASB: Lockman) Greek: epi te koinonia humon eis to euaggelion apo tes prots hemeras achri tou nun Amplified: [I thank my God] for your fellowship (your sympathetic cooperation and contributions and partnership) in advancing the good news (the Gospel) from the first day [you heard it] until now. (Amplified Bible - Lockman) KJV: For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now; NLT: because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: My constant prayers for you are a real joy] for they bring back to my mind how we have worked together for the Gospel from the earliest days until now. (Phillips: Touchstone) Wuest: I am thanking my God constantly for your joint-participation [with me] in the furtherance of the good news from the first day [when Lydia opened her home for the preaching of the Word] until this particular moment [as characterized by the gift which you have sent] (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: for your contribution to the good news from the first day till now, IN VIEW OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE GOSPEL: epi tei koinoniai humon eis to euaggelion: (7" class="scriptRef">Php 1:7; 4:14; Acts 16:15; Ro 11:17; 12:13; 15:26; 1Co 1:9; 2Co 8:1; Eph 2:19, 20, 21, 22; 3:6; Col 1:21, 22, 23 ; Philemon 1:17; Heb 3:14; 2Pe 1:1; 1Jn 1:3, 7) Because of your help in giving the good news (BBE) This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news (CEV) because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the Gospel (TEV) for your cooperation in spreading the Good News (Weymouth) because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ (NLT) In view of explains the reason for Paul's thanksgiving in Philippians 1:4. Believers are joined together into one body in Christ Jesus, and it is the function of one part of the body to minister to another member of the body. If one member of the body does not minister to another member, it is to the detriment of both. Here Paul commends the saints at the local body in Philippi for ministering to and with him in the spread of the Gospel. Some of their "participation" was surely prayer for the apostle but they also gave funds out of their poverty. In the last chapter Paul commends them writing that... you have done well to share (sugkoinoneo = share in company with, co-participate) with me in my affliction. And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the Gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. (see notes Philippians 4:14-18) They were thus fulfilling the "law of Christ" as Paul explained (commanded) in Galatians writing... Bear (present imperative = command to do this continually) one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2)