Holiness and joy

Hebrews 1:9 NASV

“You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”

Joy and Holiness?

Somehow we don't associate an exuberant joy and love for life with God's characteristic of holiness. yet the two are inextricably linked in the above verse about Christ, the Risen One.

God is Holy but He is also exceedingly joyful and full of life. The exclamation of 'You are holy' also means "you are full of life, you are exceedingly joyful, full of righteous-ness and full of purity and clean!"

I heard a preacher say that Holiness is the exclamation of How "other-ly" God is to us. To exclaim Holy Holy Holy is to say you are "different, different, different (from us)".

Arguably the only way to be more joyful in the Christian walk is to have more of God the Holy Spirit who is also a spirit of joy! Think about that. A Spirit of Joy. (Romans 14:17)

And the closer you press in to experience God, the more you will like a miner hit the core, the massive gold deposit hidden in rock- the core characteristic of God, the treasure trove of God. Where He is in the Holy of Holies, the angels cry out "Holy Holy Holy is Jehovah Elohim Shaddai!" There is a growing discovery of how pure God is  - that God is Holy, exceedingly so.

And so to walk with God would mean we are pressing into His presence. Pressing in with the heart, seeking with that heart to desire to worship to know and love Him more and more. And His presence will produce an imprint on our lives - a holiness manifest in our heart, that will differentiate His people.

But somehow the prevailing thought takes away the revelation that Jesus was an exceedingly joyful man and to know Him now as He is in heaven and to be full of Holiness is also to be full of the joy of God. The same joy that the Father had when He created the world and said, "it is good!" the same joy that the Father had, I imagine when He raised Christ from the dead and said, "It is exceedingly good!".

I think God the Father's heart brimmed over with love and exuberant joy when he created waterfalls, mountains, the sea and all the tress and all the birds and all of nature, when He created man. His heart brimmed to overflowing when His Son decided to complete the work of saving mankind from their sins and when The Father raised the Son from the dead, after the Son's violent suffering at the cross, the Father was so exceedingly happy that He said (i imagine) "I will give you the full reward of the joy of the Holy Spirit forever and ever." Look at the focus verse of this post again.

Other examples of a joyful God

"For the joy that was set before him, endured the cross."(Hebrews 12:2) The joy of the salvation of mankind - to know them in relationship, to be involved with their lives, getting rid of sin through His broken body at the cross, to apply His Holy Spirit.

(Luke 12:32) "it is God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom" For His Children to know and exercise the reign of the King within their hearts and in their lives, brings God good pleasure - or joy.

"For He is the light, the life of the world"(John 8:12)
"For the Son of God has come to give life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).

What Kind of life would He give, if its was a joyless life?


What makes God joyful?

MAtt 10:21 NASV

20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.
21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Proverbs 8 NASV

30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

From proverbs, we see that Christ (personified as the wisdom of God) rejoiced in God Himself, He also rejoices in His work in men, He delights over mankind who are all His children those who are saved, and those who are not, those who know Him and those who don't God loves and rejoices in them all, for He made them all for his good pleasure.

From Luke, we see that He also loves to to reveal Himself to child-like hearts, He rejoices to cause people to rejoice in heavenly truths and He delights to teach His children the secrets of God. He loves to reveal Himself to hearts who seek.


John 15:10 NASV

10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.