Over and over again in the pages of the New Testament, the idea of joy is communicated as an imperative, as an obligation. Based on the biblical teaching, I would go so far as to say that it is the Christian’s duty, his moral obligation, to be joyful. That means that the failure of a Christian to be joyful is a sin, that unhappiness and a lack of joy are, in a certain way, manifestations of the flesh. Of course, there are times when we are filled with sorrow. Jesus Himself was called “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief ” (Isa. 53:3). The Scriptures tell us, “It is better to go to the
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