What’s the difference between joy and happiness?

According to Google, joy is a lot more popular. Joy has 161 million results, compared to only 77.1 million for happiness. However, happiness has its own Wikipedia article, while joy only has a disambiguation page.

Instead, Wikipedia simply defines joy as “an emotion of great happiness,” then links to the happiness article. The happiness article defines happiness as “an emotion in which one experiences feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy.”

So culturally and popularly, we see joy as simply being at the top of the happiness power rankings. Biblically, however, we see that they are the same thing. This is because God has ordained that feelings of contentment in God and satisfaction in God be equivalent to a feeling of joy in God. That is, the things that Wikipedia describes as types of happiness are also causes of joy.

Joy is the natural, and proper, emotional response to something that delights us. As we delight in God, he is what satisfies us and makes us content, and our emotional response is joy. That is, these states of satisfaction and contentment - what the world would call happiness - result in a feeling of joy.

Joy, Happiness, and Juice

What we really should be looking at is the difference between the world’s definition of joy/happiness and the Bible’s definition. Both the Bible and the world are telling you to search for satisfaction and contentment, and pursue your own joy/happiness. To bring back the juice analogy, let’s suppose that joy and happiness are defined in terms of juice. Drinking certain juice will make you happy, but not as happy as drinking a certain other juice. The Bible and the world are each telling you - find the best-tasting juice. Each think they have the answer, but only one can be right.

The Bible tells us that God is the only one who can truly satisfy us. He will never leave us, abandon us, or let us down. He will never give up on us or betray us. He is always looking out for our best interests. And beyond all that, the Bible tells us not just about what God has done but about who God is - about his beauty and glory and holiness and power and wisdom and honor and infiniteness and knowledge. God has done some pretty good things for us (good juice), but even better, God has given us himself (the best juice).

We get to know God - that’s what true happiness is… knowing God.

What about all the other stuff?

So you’re thinking right now… “Ben, can’t other things make me happy? You can’t expect God and only God to make me happy all the time - that’s not reasonable, is it?” To that I would answer both “no” and “yes”. In Philippians 4:4, Paul commands, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Paul says this because there is always reason to rejoice in God. Even through pain and suffering, God has said, “my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.” And because of that, we should rejoice.

But what about everything else? Can’t other things give us joy? Yes, they can, but not in and of themselves. They give us joy because they point us to God. In Colossians 1:24, Paul says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings.” In 2 Corinthians 7:9, Paul says, “I now rejoice… that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance.” And in Deuteronomy 12:7, God tells the Israelites, “There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.” From that last verse it is clear why we are to rejoice in things other than God - because we get God. Deuteronomy 26:11 says, “you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.” Why rejoice? Because God is the giver and he is displaying his goodness, so through the good things you get, you get God too.

Joy and the Gospel

The Gospel is all about Joy. Jesus came to die to bring you to God so that God would be glorified as you turn from sin (looking for satisfaction in lesser things) and turn to God to satisfaction. Jesus died the death you deserved so you would get the joy he deserved - joy in God, in the presence of God, for eternity.

This Friday at Real Life we’ll be looking more at this issue of joy, specifically how to rejoice in the midst of sorrow and suffering. Come join us - 7:30pm in Olin Hall 155!

Some recipes for food made recently at various Cru events. Alas, no pictures are available (if you have any, send them to me!).

Baked Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions: Combine oil, sugar, eggs - beat until glossy. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8×8 pan + bake for 30 min at 350 degrees.

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions: Put the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir briskly until the mixture is smooth and blended. Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl so they are well-blended. Stir into the buttermilk only until the dry ingredients are moistened - leave the lumps. Heat a skillet to medium hot. Cook until a few bubbles break on top.