JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q5. Inexpressible and Glorious Joy - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q5. (1:8-9) According to 1 Peter 1:8-9, what is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"? How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional? How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness"? Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit?

GOD's love and the sacrifice that HE made for us. Who can comprehend the magnitude of whats been done for us? Also the expectation of heaven. We have no clue what it's gonna be like. All we know is that its gonna be better than anything we could ever think up.

Christians have joy all the time... Joy isnt happiness. You can be at the saddest point in your life, but you still have the joy of your salvation. Your joy isn't effected by your emotions, or it shouldnt be. Joy is intertangled with hope. Happiness is things that make your life good... Your life can be horrible and you still have the hope of a future spent with GOD in eternity!

Look for your joy in times of sorrow or grief or depression... Those are the times that you know its genuine, not just a byproduct of your happiness.

It's based on knowing that Jesus is real, that He does exist and that we will see Him soon face-to-face. God has given us human emotions to fully feel and to express this joy. Joy is based more on who Jesus is and what He has done for us. The pursuit of happiness is wrapped up in things going the way we planned or in material possessions. Genuine joy is based on Jesus (who never changes), so we can have joy no matter what our circumstances may be.

Just knowing I am saved. To know how much He loves me. To know He chose me! To know how faithful He is. I have learned through the years so much about Him and am so in love with God my Saviour. Just the fact that He died on the cross for me and that my sins are forgiven, because of Him...that is pure, true joy in my heart.

Counterfeit joy is temporal, like the joy of catching that big fish, or seeing the ocean if you haven't seen it for a long time.

Real Genuine Joy is the Joy of the Lord and it is ETERNAL! It is all about His Love, His Grace, His Salvation. It is permanent and stays in my heart and in my entire being forever.

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. Thank You Jesus.

Patsy

Q5. According to 1Peter1:8-9, what is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"? How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional? How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness"? Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit?
Having not seen Him, yet I love Him and believe in Him. This produces the inexpressible and glorious joy that never goes away, knowing what He has done for me and everyone who would believe in Him. Righteousness, peace and joy(in the Holy Spirit) are some of the fruits of the Kingdom of God.
Our human emotions fail us. They go up and down, they change with our circumstances. (as does our happiness). But the joy that God gives is steadfast, unshakable and immovable, His joy in us through Jesus (His joy made complete in us) will withstand any problems. It is His joy that becomes my strength no matter what I face.

Paul and Silas had God's joy in them in prison. At their lowest point they decided not to look at the circumstances that they were in, but they made the decision to rejoice and sing praises to God which activated their joy, which produced in them freedom of soul. It have them liberty. It also witnessed to the guards. They were saved, and Jesus was glorified. If they had looked at their circumstances in the prison and let their emotions take over they would have despaired and perished. Theirs was real joy.

Counterfeit joy would keep you bound in depression, despair, spiralling downward rathar than upward. Having your hope set on Him, being able to endure trials and troubles, whatever life may throw at you, this is HIS JOY that produces the strength and endurance that we all need to keep going until we see Him face to face.

His joy in us witnesses to our friends that don't know Him yet!!

Thankyou Jesus for the joy that was set before you that you endured the cross for our sakes. You are our best and only example to follow. Thankyou

The basis of Christian joy is Faith- believing and loving Him without seeing Him. Quite honestly I've not experienced this overwhelming joy except one time, 20 years ago. It wasn't a baptism of the Holy Spirit but I was touched and filled with an overwhelming joy. My sister thought I was drunk. It lasted for an evening and I have never experienced it since. I know I'm excited about God, His Word and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but I can't say I have the fruits of the spirit or that inner peace or calmness yet (but I do have convictions and a strong desire for the Truth!). I know the experience was genuine because it wasn't from me. I was alone and reading or doing something and suddenly through a pressure on my head I became filled with tremendous joy. I picked up the phone and called my sister and she asked if I was drunk.

JOY . . . .Knowing that I don't have to believe the next lie coming from "the father of lies". Joy is linked to the amount of faith I have in the Truth, and His name is Jesus.

The genuine article comes from above, I tend to make it so hard at times, but there are just two kingdoms, heavenly and earthly, or life and death . . . .oh, why do I choose death?

Joy is expressed as an emotion that is evoked by remembering God and His saving work in our lives as believers. Also, in the context of this chapter, Joy springs forth from our expectations that God will act to shield us when trouble comes. Joy comes not only from the great fact that He has saved us and that He protects us, but Scripture is clear that it also comes from our walk of obedience. From our abiding daily relationship which is maintained by our obedient response to His Word.
Although it is expressed as an emotion, true Joy is essentially a spiritual experience. It is found in our relationship to the Savior of our souls and in the maintaining of our fellowship with Him. It is an inner work of the Holy Spirit who is enabling us to work out our Salvation in spite of the tests and trials along lifes way.
The "pursuit of happiness" is the seeking of externals as the source of happiness. However, true Joy does not depend on circumstances or external happenings. The Joy of the Lord in the believer's heart overrides circumstances. It can cause you to have a song of Joy in your heart in the night. (Eg. Paul & Silas)
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is an inner gladness and a deep pleasure, an internal bliss. The Joy of the Lord is not the same as the joy of the world. Worldly joy is based on temporary pleasures. It is incomplete and unfulfilling. It has a missing ingredient. There is no assurance or true satisfaction. In worldly joy there is that haunting awareness that circumstances can change or something might come along to disturb their joy.
The believers Joy is divine Joy that is not dependent on externals but on what our wonderful God has done for us and in us. It is based in our trust in the Lord. It is the Joy of the Holy Spirit! In fact it is God's very own Joy! It truely is Joy unspeakable and full of Glory! Praise the Lord!

Through the Love of God and what he did for us.

Joy- Its a heart thing, true joy is so good, even during trails , ture joy will always be with you. It knowing

that God loves you and will always love and its through his grace we will always to his.

"What is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"? "
Knowing that even if I were the only living being, Jesus would have still gone to the cross for me, to save me from my sins. Knowing that He loves me, no matter what I do, and that His Grace and Mercy are mine, brings me that joy and peace.

"How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional?"
"How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness?"
No one feels joy and happiness all of the time. Human emotion depends on something good (joy) or bad (sadness) happening to us, but no matter what your circumstances are, you still feel a certain joy and peace because of your salvation. In both instances you felt joy, but the joy that you felt because of something good happening is short lived. The joy you experience because of your salvation is eternal joy.

"Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit"
The difference would be, the counterfeit joy is the joy I feel looking at my worldly goods, or acquiring more worldly goods. The genuine article of joy is found in the love of my Savior Jesus Christ, which I feel even when I’m going through trials in my life.

The basis of this joy is in faith and belief in our salvation. I experienced this joy at the moment my dad died. My emotions should have made me sad, however I was filled with inexpressable joy which came only from our Lord and knowing salvation is real and true. It was a spiritual experience which far outweighs an emotional experience. Happiness is temporary and relies on wordly things. Pursuing happiness can make us sad, depressed, angry etc if we don't attain what we think will make us happy. The pursuit itself can destroy us. How do we know if it's genuine joy? I think we will know that if we can't explain it. Emotions can be explained and understood, but genuine joy is from God and no human words can describe it.

I think that joy can be expressed but it is not an emotion and I'm not sure that joy can be defined in our words as it comes from the deepest places within us just like peace and love, other fruit of the spirit. Happiness is a human emotion which follows worldly pursuits. We have joy no matter what the circumstances. If the spirit is present, joy and peace and love will always be there.

I feel it is our Faith. I believe in my saviour and know where I am going. Because Jesus died on the cross to save us. When I think of Jesus being crucified I feel sad but happy, I cry because I know the God loved us so much that he sent his Son here on earth so taht we could be saved. When I think of God I feel a fire burning within me that sometimes overwhelms me. Extra Credit: I would say that the genuine article you can see straight away as they are so at peace and there face they just glow. You can see the joy in them. But a counterfiet to me would be someone that basically thinks of there owe needs and is cold, they need to soften there hearts.

Pastor Ralph, on Jan 22 2004, 08:06 PM, said:

The basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious" is the knowledge that our sins are forgiven through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I remember the joy I experienced receiving Christ and being baptised at age 11. I remember being brought up out of the water and feeling so new and clean inside - reborn. I could not stop talking about it - I felt like jumping and dancing - for joy, of course . I cannot recall a single moment in my life, other than my wedding day and the births of my children, that can bring me such renewed joy by just thinking about it. (These all have in common new beginnings, created and blessed by God.)
This joy interplays with human emotions in all the ways described by others throughout this lesson's questions. It gives us peace in times of upheaval, replaces anger with patience, hate with love, selfishness with kindness and goodness, rudeness with kindness and greediness with self-control.
It differs from the pursuit of "happiness" in that once you have it, you no longer need to pursue it. It is intemporal, it always is, all we need is to dwell upon it to feel its effects anew. Human happiness, as others have pointed out, is temporal and must constantly be "pursued."
Genuine joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and will not be shaken by temporary circumstances. Counterfeit joy is wholely dependent upon temporary circumstances. The person who can draw upon the joy of the Spirit in times of hardship experiences genuine joy. The person whose joy falls away at the first difficulty has yet to know true joy.
Joy in Him,
Tamara

The joy we find in being with Jesus is not dependent on our feelings or our circumstances - we can be really low but still have the joy in our hearts. This kind of joy is constant, it keeps us steady, not wind-tossed like the joy of the world which is so dependent on what we have, and who we are.

I know what I feel in my heart is the true joy that the Lord has given me. I dont have to see him or or wonder if he is here with me. the Lord is in my heart and I have the faith to know that he is always with me-all I have to do is just talk to him and I know that he is with me and he answers me in his own time- which is perfect timing. That is what brings pure Joy to my soul. This not counterfiet. This is true joy. There is no truer friend than the Lord. He is my refuge esp. when the world and people fail you---I can always go to the Lord----I am never alone.

Pastor Ralph, on Jan 22 2004, 08:06 PM, said:

Q5. (1:8-9) According to 1 Peter 1:8-9, what is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"?
Knowing that if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior no matter what we go through in this life our salvation is secure.


How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional?
As humans we emotionally feel pain in trails and not joy. Joy is looking beyond your circumstances into the reality of what the future brings when we reside with our Lord in heaven for ever and ever. It’s having the faith that God is in control. We should feel our emotions, not deny them, but also think logically as to what our future holds.

How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness"?
Happiness is only temporary and this life is nothing but a vapor; we can only rejoice when we love God with our whole hearts and minds and then love each other. The two greatest commands may not bring you peace or riches in this world but it will bring you the inner peace and riches we all search for.

Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit? With genuine joy you will be energized. The Spirit within you will stir you up so you can produce good Fruit; He is a motivator moving you on to a new level of your Christian journey.

part 1, Believing Faith
part 2, We see God with our heart.
part 3, Yes
part 4, We don't seek it, we open up to it.
part 5, Because of the Holy Spirit in us it flows thru us we don't have to work it up.

The joy you seem to be talking about here is the most hard to define. The gift of joy is one we can have in our walk with the Lord even in the most difficult times. There is joy we feel that is fleeting like the joy one feels over a gift, new baby or house just to name a few. The joy you are talking about and 1st Peter is talking about is one that is everlasting. The joy of knowing we are the children of God through the death and resurection of his Son Jesus. We can experience this joy even though we have not physially seen Jesus, but because the word said we are His and we are one family. Do we always see when we give praise; no but we can experince the joy of being in his presence through the Holy Spirt. We can feel nourished and are drawn into a closer relationship with our Savior. Joy can also be described as being content knowing you have a hevenly Father who is in control at all times in sickness, saddness, and when you are feeling all alone. HE IS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME AND YOU if you so desire.

The joy that Peter is talking about is not necessarily the "jump up and down" kind (although it certainly can be). It is more a sense of peace and inner happiness. This joy is not essentially emotional in that it does not arise from external circumstances. It does not have to be pursued, just experienced and enjoyed - we simply need to make ourselves open to what God wants to give us.

Counterfeit "joy" is experienced only when something good is happening to you. The joy of the Christian is there even when life gets really crummy.

Don Calbreath