Fruit Of The Spirit_joy
Joy – Righteousness peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost
Joy in the coming of the Lord – wee see the ultimate in joy in passages like Isaiah 35:1 and 10 – shouts of joy, everlasting joy.
Joy like love is a noun and a verb – Rejoiced, and even an adverb Wesley on Joy in the holy ghost - 11. “joy in the Holy Ghost;” joy wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost, by the ever-blessed Spirit of God. He it is that worketh in us that calm, humble rejoicing in God, through Christ Jesus, “by whom we have now received the atonement,” katallaghn , the reconciliation with God; and that enables us boldly to confirm the truth of the royal Psalmist’s declaration, “Blessed is the man” (or rather, happy) “whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin is covered.” He it is that inspires the Christian soul with that even, solid joy, which arises from the testimony of the Spirit that he is a child of God; and that gives him to “rejoice with joy unspeakable, in hope of the glory of God;” hope both of the glorious image of God, which is in part, and shall be fully, “revealed in him;” and of that crown of glory which fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for him.
Wesley and joy - Then thy “soul doth magnify the Lord,” and thy “spirit rejoiceth in God thy Savior.” Thou rejoicest in that thou hast “redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins.” Thou rejoicest in that “Spirit of adoption,” which crieth in thy heart, “Abba, Father!” Thou rejoicest in a “hope full of immortality;” in reaching
forth unto the “mark for the prize of thy high calling” in an earnest
expectation of all the good things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
If the Spirit of God does really testify that we are the children of God, the immediate consequence will be the fruit of the Spirit, even “love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance.” And however this fruit may be clouded for a while, during the time of strong temptation, so that it does not appear to the tempted person, while Satan is sifting him as wheat; yet the substantial part of it remains, even under the thickest cloud. It is true, joy in the Holy Ghost may he withdrawn, during the hour of trial; yea, the gaol may be “exceeding sorrowful,” while “the hour and power of darkness” continue; but even this is generally restored with increase, till we rejoice “with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Wesley – peace -For it is not only “righteousness,” but also
“peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” What peace? “The peace of God,”
which God only can give, and the world cannot take away; the peace
which “passeth all understanding,” all barely rational conception; being a
supernatural sensation, a divine taste, of “the powers of the world to
come;” such as the natural man knoweth not, how wise soever in the
things of this world; nor, indeed, can he know it, in his present state,
“because it is spiritually discerned.” It is a peace that banishes all doubt,
all painful uncertainty; the Spirit of God bearing witness with the spirit of a Christian, that he is “a child of God.” And it banishes fear, all such fear
as hath torment; the fear of the wrath of God; the fear of hell; the fear of
the devil; and, in particular, the fear of death: He that hath the peace of
God, desiring, if it were the will of God, “to depart, and to be with
Christ.”