DO WE KNOW “JOY” AS THE CROWNING PORTION OF THE CHRISTIAN?
Righteousness is established for God and it is evident. The apostle preached the kingdom, Acts 20: 25. Joy and peace are both found in scripture as characterising the kingdom, and a Christian is in the kingdom. It seems to me that joy and peace are not the same. I think peace is the portion of Christians, in view of the scene of distraction down here, and I think joy is our portion in view of the scene of perfect rest in the company of Christ, known in Spirit now, but by and bye fully up there. On earth, we see not yet all things put under Him, and it is here we need peace in this scene of distraction. There, with Christ in spirit, distractions do not intrude, and more, we are in the atmosphere of His joy. We find both peace and joy, characterising Him, when a Man down here, but I think peace precedes joy in the experience of everyone.
Joy is “in the Holy Ghost”. The disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost, Acts 8: 52. In the present day, when there is very much light on the ways of God and clearness of scriptural exposition, it is sad to see in many Christians how little real joy of soul exists. Of course, peace is the basis of joy, but peace is not joy, and I don’t think righteousness and peace are much seen. I think joy is what is seen. Now, three things are found as characterising the kingdom, in the good of which we are now. They are these, righteousness, peace, and joy “in the Holy Ghost”. God has secured all three in the person and work of Christ. We come into them consciously, I believe, in the order in which they are here set forth.
As to point one, I believe that God has displayed His righteousness, when there was none in man for God! It is “towards all”—it is “upon all who believe”, Rom 3: 22. God sees the believer in it.
As to point two, peace. I believe that it is the quiet experience of the soul as the effect of righteousness. “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever”, Isa 32: 17.
As to point three, joy. I believe it is the display down here of the good of the other two. They exist, as the substrata of joy. But it is the joy, I think, which proves that they exist. Hence the importance of joy. It is their manifestation, and I think that no one will doubt but that their manifestation is TO BE DESIRED. They are hidden, that is, righteousness and peace are—joy is manifest to others, and it is the crowning point of the kingdom now, and when everything is in display then.
I refer here to one passage (though I think many may be got) in order to show that joy does not depend on critical ability, or on what we may term growth and experience. We read in Acts 8: 8, “And there was great joy in that city”. I gather from this passage, and I gather it also from my every-day contact with souls, that this joy does not depend upon critical ability on abstruse points of doctrine, valuable as this may be when kept within its bounds! It is evident that it was found here while much of this ability was, perhaps, wanting. (Our daily experience teaches the same today, for it is often found lacking where much critical ability exists.) Why is this? Well, I shall try to prove that two things are necessary to joy. My conscience tells me that a work MUST be done, between me and God, and these are the two necessary bases of the Christian joy spoken of: 1) I know that that work has been done, and 2) I know who did it! No doubt these Samaritans had peace and righteousness too, but they had what was seen as the effect of both. That is my point.
Is it not to Christian people that the apostle has to exhort, later on, to REJOICE? It is divine, but the true portion of the Christian!
I would beg every saint to distinguish between a mental clearness on points of doctrine, valuable as I believe it to be, and the joy I speak of. They are not the same, though they may exist together. This joy is the undoubted portion of every child of God, and I believe that each has tasted of it, see Rom 15: 13. The important matter, I think, for us all is its continuance. Have I the early joy today?
I return to my point. These people of Samaria who were in the possession of this joy were like many freshly converted souls whom we, too, have known. I think that you will admit that what they knew as Christians was very little. They knew these two points, which I do wish to set before you, as the basis of their joy. They knew the work that had been done, and they knew who had done it. (See also the eunuch, Acts 8: 39.) You may call this little, if you will, but these two little things form the only basis, so far as I see, of this holy joy. They had heard the gospel from the lips of Philip, which made clear to them these two points, and all the city could not stifle its outcome —JOY was the outcome, and I think that the people of Samaria saw it!
In writing his epistle to the Philippians, the apostle Paul exhorts them to rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice”. When people have been going on for some time and in the midst of pressure, the early joy of the gospel once known to them, as to these believers in Samaria, may be on the wane. Is it so with any of us? “JOY” was threatened, and the apostle saw it among these Philippian Christians. He would not have it so. He lived in it himself’. He can say to the Corinthians, “as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing” (2 Cor 6: 10), and he would have them at Philippi say no less, and he would have you, my reader, in all the good of this in your soul, too. Let me exhort you, then, to cultivate a preliminary to joy, viz., to meditate MUCH on the WORK that has been done for you, and on HIM who has done it! Let me entreat you to keep yourself in the freshness of this, wherein the love of God has been displayed to you, and thus you will, as the apostle Jude says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God”, with the result, I believe, that this holy joy which the world can neither give nor take away, will fill you to overflowing! Joy, I think, has not in view the present state of things. It really belongs to another—one to come.
I turn now to try to expose to you the incessant and insidious workings amongst us of two evils. The “little foxes”, which, if allowed, will surely totally spoil and destroy this holy fruit of joy, a product of the “true vine”. One is world-bordering—the allowance of worldly principles; the other is disputations and differences as to points of doctrine. The first is found in me, ie, in what I allow in myself. The second is found, alas, in the company of other saints, and it is this latter which is so especially sad. Alas, that everyone can see it working. Differences on points of doctrine destroy joy, and they have originated every heresy and sect under the sun. Christians are divided and scattered by sects and heresies. A soul cannot know joy while world-bordering is prominent. (The Holy Spirit could not minister it then.) And I have found, also, that the early joy of the Lord which we have been looking at, has well-nigh disappeared with some Christians who aim at great perspicuity and clearness of expression as to points of doctrine, assuming therein, I believe, a superiority over their brethren. An exact, but formal, doctrinal creed, and in its advocates a cold Christianity is, after all, but poor substitute for the holy joy of the saints. I think this joy goes wherever this superiority over other Christians is assumed, because the Holy Spirit (who is the producer of joy in the Holy Ghost) detects self at the bottom, as the energiser of that assumption, and He will not, therefore, sanction or support joy. It is not always so, for I have said that ability and joy may co-exist, but you can find today the clearest exposition of doctrinal points along with the most manifest lack of simple Christian joy. That is my impression, and old Christians are often as deficient of this joy as the young ones.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to Him”. Joy, in its full display, evidently belongs to the future, to the world to come, but so do we. We antedate in Christianity this utterance. We use it today, and we say it in our lives as well as by our lips, just in so far as we are kept in the freshness of it. It will then be manifest to all. It is seen in some now. It is the portion of all those who in that day will come into the fulness of it. “In thy presence there is fulness of joy”, Ps 16: 11. Peace belongs to us as in our present scene, and joy belongs to His scene. I only add this word. The Lord came down here to men the “man of sorrows” (Isa 53: 3), but He lived in the joy we speak of, see John 15: 11; 16: 20-22; 17: 13. To this I would add 1 John 2: 6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked”. I know WHAT has been done and I know WHO has done it!
From Words of Grace and Encouragement—vol 2, 1902
