Biblical ‘Twins’
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
Joy and happiness are two positive human emotions. In everyday use we often interchange these words to speak of the same enjoyable and exhilarating feeling, making these words into twins. However, if we reflect on how the Bible uses the word “joy,” we detect some distinguishing characteristics between these verbal twins that serve to set them apart from each other.
Analyze the word “happiness.” Obviously, it is built on the root word “happy” and belongs to the category of “happenings.” What happens points to external events, persons and/or circumstances. For example, if the weather is sunny and mild, one might speak of experiencing happiness based on what is happening with the weather. If one gets a good report from medical tests, the feeling might be expressed as relief or happiness based on information external to us. If receiving a practical or desired gift, one might say the gift brings happiness. When it comes to happiness, the word itself implies that this good emotion depends on what happens to us or around us.
Sustained by the Lord
When we think of joy as it is set forth in the Bible, we are dealing with a good human emotion that can be unrelated to circumstances or happenings. Joy is given and sustained by the Lord. The psalmist confessed long ago before the Lord, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). Jesus told His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Later Jesus prayed to the Father, “I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13). The joy of the Lord flows from the Lord into our lives and can remain in our hearts quite apart from outward circumstances. In fact, Galatians 5:22 lists joy as part of the fruit of the Spirit. Rather than produced and preserved by outward circumstances, the joy of the Lord is bestowed and sustained by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged the people of their day with the observation, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). Proverbs 15:13 offers the observation, “A glad heart makes a cheerful face.”
Bearing and producing
Jesus’ analogy of Himself as the True Vine in John 15 contains another pair of closely connected ideas. With God as the Vinedresser and Himself as the Vine, Jesus referred to His followers as branches. The promise in His analogy is found in the observation that branches that abide in a vine bear fruit and with pruning can bear even more fruit.
Often when we speak of this analogy we change words on Jesus. He spoke of bearing fruit but we sometimes speak of producing fruit. Within the bounds of the analogy, the vine produces the fruit and the branches, which have no independent roots, simply bear what the vine produces. The spiritual intent of Jesus is to teach us to take seriously our task of abiding in Him. When that happens, He will produce fruit that is our delight to bear. Through our spiritual union with Jesus through His earthly representative, the Holy Spirit, we bear what divine life in us produces.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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