“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).
It is fitting that love represents the first element identified with the fruit of the Spirit here in Galatians 5:22-23 for love represents a foundational characteristic of God. For instance, 1 John 4:8 tells us, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Perhaps the greatest Biblical expression of this idea is found in the well-known passage from John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As mentioned earlier, love can be defined by the characteristics given to us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Joy is the next quality that is associated with the fruit of the Spirit. In this context, “joy” expresses the idea of cheerfulness or calm delight. (1) While a feeling of happiness may often accompany joy, joy is not necessarily synonymous with happiness. For example, people are generally happy when good things happen and sad when negative things occur. But unlike the transient feeling of happiness that often accompanies a favorable situation or event, joy is not dependent upon external circumstances.
You see, happiness is a variable quality that hinges on our emotions and may change from day to day or moment to moment. In contrast, joy is a spiritual quality that continues even in the absence of happiness. And while happiness is often tied to the people, places, or things we experience in life, joy is tethered to our relationship with God.
This is important because human beings may fall away, move away, or pass away. The neighborhoods and landscapes that once produced happy memories may cease to exist one day. The things we own will eventually break down, wear out, or be replaced with something newer or better. The people, places, and things that bring us happiness may pass from the scene but joy is a lasting quality that is anchored to the immutable (or unchanging) God.
(1) G5479 chara https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g5479