“…you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls…” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
What makes you happy? This is a question Western culture uses to make important decisions and determine many courses of action. The problem is happiness is an emotion, and emotions change constantly.
Feelings come and feelings go, depending on circumstances. Our feelings are reactions to our environments, whether external or internal. Have you ever heard the saying, “Happiness depends on what’s happening?” Joy, on the other hand, comes from Christ.
In his letter to Christians facing persecution and trials, Peter draws a direct connection between believing in Jesus and being “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
It’s important to pay attention to who’s doing what in this Scripture. You “are filled” (v. 8) with joy, Peter writes; you “are receiving” (v. 9) the joy of salvation. Notice you’re not “filling yourself” with joy or “creating your own.” Joy is not produced by personal effort but provided by faith in Jesus Christ.
Because joy comes from Christ, it’s not subject to surrounding conditions. It’s a result of an inward state: “the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (v. 9). Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, as we read in Galatians 5:22, governing the outlook of the Christ follower instead of – even in spite of – whatever’s currently being experienced in life.
This is the kind of outlook that, by the Spirit of God, had ancient prophets looking ahead to the glory of Christ yet to be revealed, as 1 Peter goes on to say in v. 10-12.
Today, this same Spirit continues to fill the life of the believer by faith, pointing us toward the things of heaven even as we walk out His kingdom on this earth.
With the joy of the Lord as our strength, then, we too can look beyond the circumstances of today, anticipating the hope of eternity – a different way of looking at current events, indeed.
