Happiness According To Scripture

        Many people, including Christians, have wondered what it means to find satisfaction in life. In fact, most have never encountered the rightful source of our happiness, which is God Himself. Our service to Him ought to ignite pleasure and joy. It is quite possible that these individuals have undergone disease, ill-treatment, or simply yearn for an inherent sense of dignity. Whatever the case, the gospel can alleviate us of sorrows prompted by physical, psychological, and spiritual problems (Philippians 4:19). It will help the person who desires righteousness to view the glass as half full rather than half empty in life. The gospel liberates the confined soul by enabling the mind to rest assured in the fact that God is ultimately in control of life and He will resolve our troubles in eternity. What does it mean to have true happiness? Where should our happiness originate? How we answer these questions determines what we focus on in life.

        Happiness is the pleasurable emotion which occurs when a person is satisfied overall. It is a feeling of delight, gratitude, assurance, appeasement, and consolation. Happiness is a feeling of purposefulness. It is a feeling of livelihood. Happiness is a feeling of perseverance (James 1:3-4). Happiness is a feeling of confidence. It involves trust. It involves faithfulness. Scripture occupies the words happiness and joy synonymously. It recognizes no distinction between the meanings of both words. They are inextricably united (Psalm 68:3; 144:15). Thus, being joyful is the same as being happy. It involves being glad. It involves rejoicing, even during times of hardship and heartache (Romans 5:3-5). It entails praising the God who has lovingly set the universe in order. True happiness as defined according to biblical principles involves glorifying God, especially knowing that He has reconciled us to Himself from iniquity through the atonement of Jesus Christ. The foundational aspect of happiness is that it is strictly a gift (Romans 14:17). If God is for us, then who or what can be against us? Is not the love of God everything?

        Should our joy be determined by external circumstances, or should it be centered on a divine person? Indeed, the truth shall set us free (John 8:31-32). Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the light (John 14:6). God's Word is the truth by which the innermost part of our being is sanctified (John 17:14-17). It is our worldview that shapes our perception of reality. If we love, know, and serve our Creator from the heart, then we know that we belong to Him (1 John 2:3-4). If we believe from the heart that God had resurrected the Christ from the grave, then we shall be justified in His sight. It is through receiving the message of the gospel that we have been deemed children of God. It needs to be believed with all our heart. It is to be received through the mind because it is the gateway of the heart. God sustains us through moments of pain, desolation, distress, and suffering.

        Scripture informs us of two different, diametrically opposed kinds of happiness. One springs forth from engaging in fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), whereas the latter comes from partaking in fleshly desires (Hebrews 11:25). Allowing sin to have dominion over our lives is futile, and dangerous to the soul (Galatians 6:7-9). It is unprofitable for us. Fulfilling sinful lusts can only result in feeling finite, temporary satisfaction. Sin is defined scripturally to mean the breaking of God's commandments (1 John 3:4). It is a failure to live up to reality. It is a failure to appreciate the good things that God has designed for us. It is pointless to continue living in a sinful lifestyle because it can never satisfy the longings of the human soul. That is actually selfishness and idolatry. We cannot resort to a finite source to quench a longing that demands infinite fulfillment. We cannot have lasting happiness and fulfillment apart from God. Joy is not a byproduct of holiness, but rather is holiness itself (Psalm 1:1-3; Matthew 5:2-12). It can only be found in serving God according on His terms.

        God is the ultimate source of our happiness, but not everything that happens in life will bring us into that state of being. There are other emotions which are appropriate in other contexts such as sorrow and grief. Our ultimate sense of joy is centered on and finds its basis in Jesus Christ. We are set free from sin through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. God is worthy of our time and dedication. If we are known by Him, we will be spending eternity with Him. We should be striving to be holy as God Himself is holy. Godliness is exemplified in thought, word, and deed. Sin can never result in lasting happiness or fulfillment. It is not a psychological but supernatural bliss that God gives to those who love Him. It will not be fully brought to realization until we enter the eternal state. Our hearts need to be made right with God in order to experience this kind of happiness.