Joy, a Christian Duty by James E. C. Sawyer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Aug 11, 1904

Joy, a Christian Duty

By James E. C. Sawyer

THERE is a deeply rooted idea in the minds of many people that Christianity is a religion of gloom. More than one great thinker has called it the religion of sorrow, and poets, who delight in things bright and beautiful, sink into minor tones when they sing of religion. True it is that in a certain sense Christianity may legitimately be called the religion of sorrow. Its founder, the Lord Jesus Christ, was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Its symbol is a cross, significant of suffering and shame. The condition of its service is: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Its triumphant disciples are those who have come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Yet the joy of the Lord, underlying the sorrow of the Christian life, and often bursting out with a radiance which changes the sky from dull gray to glowing brightness, ought never to be forgotten. We are so apt to emphasize the sorrow that we obscure the joy. The sorrow is only accidental and transient, while the joy is essential and permanent. Even sorrow itself becomes the handmaiden of joy when one learns the duty of being glad, for then we rejoice in the Lord always, knowing that in every experience, perfect wisdom and love are present to make all things work together for good.

Both in the Old and New Testaments, religion is described as joyous in its character. The Hebrew economy was jubilant in its arrangements for worship, calling into play the music of harp, viol, tabret, cymbal, stringed instruments, and organ. There was joy in the daily service of the temple, and at the great feasts, when all the people kept holiday; the land was filled with gladness from mountain top to valley. Thus the Hebrews recognized the duty of being glad, and put it into practise.

The teaching of the New Testament is no less emphatic. The very message of Christianity is the gospel, the good news of redeeming love. Christianity was introduced by a summons of joy: “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” On the night of his betrayal, when the shadows of the approaching crucifixion fell thick and fast, Christ gathered his disciples around him and told them of the blessed mystery of their union to him, ending with the striking declaration: “These words have I spoken to you that my joy may be in you.” The purpose of the Christian life, as revealed in the teaching of our Lord and his apostles, is to fill heart and life with the joy of Christ. When the believer realizes the truth, he quickly apprehends the privilege and duty of being glad, and soon he walks in the sunshine of a joy which can not be banished by the fog of human doubts or the clouds of earthly trials.

Cheerfulness is always an element of strength. The joy of the Lord is the strength of every true Christian. Joy is the law of the kingdom of heaven; in that kingdom light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. This joy is no transient feeling, born of the mood of the moment and clouded by the change of emotions, but a divinely sustained principle based upon an abiding assurance. True it is that this joy has its times of rapture and ecstasy when heaven seems specially near, and glimpses of the beatific vision are caught. Then the joy becomes unspeakable and full of glory. But these upliftings are rare, and can not be expected often, whereas the calm gladness of peace and communion ought to be the constant condition of the soul of every believer.

Gloomy Christians repel; sunny Christians attract. We are the world’s Bible, and men judge the religion we profess by us who profess it. If we are dull and sad in our intercourse with our fellows, can we wonder at their blaming our religion? What we need to-day in our Christian life, is a baptism of gladness that shall send us on our way with shining faces and jubilant praise. Rejoicing in the Lord, we should recommend Christianity by the winsomeness of our words and deeds. In the worry and strain of our generation, no more welcome strength could come to any life than the abiding gladness of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The surface of life may be troubled with a passing storm, but eternal peace will dwell in the heart. Our stream in the desert may be embittered by a Marah, but there will always be a sweetening tree at hand. We may be brought into our garden of Gethsemane, but there will always be an angel near to comfort and strengthen. Why, then, be sad? Should we not cast all gloom, born of doubt and fear, far from us, and live out full and happy lives in the sunshine of faith?—James E. C. Sawyer, D. D., in Northwestern Christian Advocate.