Being told we should “be joyful in hope” can feel confusing, especially amid deep suffering. We may even find it oppressive or rude, especially if the people telling us to be “joyful in hope” treat suffering as proof that we lack faith.
But Christ wept. Paul, the man who rejoiced in his imprisonment (Philippians 1:18), felt sorrow. To find joy in hope is not a dismissal of the brokenness on earth but a steadfast commitment to stand firm in our hope in Christ.
If the Bible talks about hope and weeping, how do we learn the secret of rejoicing in every circ*mstance?
Where Does the Bible Say to “Be Joyful in Hope”?
The invitation to find joy in hope is all over Scripture. Believers are told to rejoice in Christ in many places and ways. However, the specific phrase “be joyful in hope” is found in Romans 12:12. The full verse tells us to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV).
Paul’s epistle to the Romans is a dense book. It often feels intimidating—filled with lofty ideas and no concrete place to land. Then comes Romans 12, the chapter with the list of practical applications. The commandment to “be joyful in hope” may sound simple after all the theology in Romans 1-11.
However, we need to understand the context of these commandments before we can live by them. What led to Paul saying, “Be joyful in hope”?
What Is the Context When Paul Says to Be Joyful in Hope?
The apostle Paul wrote Romans to believers in house churches in Rome. At the time, Jews were being allowed back into Rome after Emperor Claudius had previously expelled them. Many Jewish Christians returned home and discovered their house churches now contained Jewish converts and Gentiles. The cultural mix created tensions. Paul addressed the problems by laying out the gospel (establishing everyone’s shared foundational beliefs) and then exploring the practical implications of their faith.
The book is laid out like a gospel presentation. It begins with a confrontation of sin, then reveals our means of salvation: Christ’s death and resurrection. After that, Paul explains how sanctification occurs. Then, we get the practical application. Romans 12 begins by reminding readers that God’s mercies fulfill all behaviors following a surrendered life. It then describes the natural outpouring of one who has experienced God’s sacrificial love. Here is where we find Paul’s commandment to be joyful in hope. The joy results from experiencing godly love—our hope in Christ as new creations.
We now know where the joy comes from. What does it look like?
What Does It Mean to Be Truly Joyful?
The joy that God offers is different from the joy that the world offers. There is no shortage of opportunities to get an influx of feel-good chemicals. But those worldly opportunities are short-lived and depend on favorable circ*mstances. Even short-term joy we find in healthy places is ultimately fleeting.
Biblical joy is different. It cannot be stolen because it does not depend on a thing but on a person—the person of Jesus Christ, whose presence is promised to all who call on Him and whose love is perfect.
The typical understanding of joy is an emotion that comes upon us, overcoming our bodies and minds—something that chooses us, not something that we choose. Scripture paints a different picture. Through God’s Word, we find that joy is something that we can and must choose. We must choose to lay hold of it, not out of wishful naivety, but in a rested assurance of Christ’s faithfulness.
It also differs from worldly joy in that it is not to be pursued as an end in itself. Rather, it is the natural disposition of a heart that has been saved by grace. This is why understanding the context of Romans 12 is pivotal. Hope comes from seeing that one has been brought from death to life and knowing that the power that raised Christ from the dead is still working a similar miracle in one’s own life. Joy is the natural heart posture in such an environment of hope.
Chairo, the Greek word for joy, signifies a feeling of good pleasure. Many Greek lexicons link it with charis, the Greek word for grace. To rejoice is to delight in the abundant grace of God. We are especially suited to receive such grace in moments of trial when our strength becomes insufficient, and our need for God is glaring. Thus, we can rejoice in trials (Romans 5:3).
The command to be joyful in hope is not a condemnation of feelings of grief in a world rife with pain and sorrow. Just a few verses after Paul tells the Roman Christians to rejoice in hope, he tells them to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). A good and right response to death, and all of the little ways that it rears its head, is to mourn. Things are not as they were meant to be, and it is right to feel sorrow over that which also grieves our Lord. But grief does not have the final say for those who have put their hope in God, who has promised to “cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28).
It is love that wins in the end. By the grace of God, we can choose joy even in times of sorrow because of the hope that is before and within us.
How Does the Bible Define Hope?
Godly hope goes far beyond the anxious desire of a worldly thing. Our hope in Christ is “an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable” (Hebrews 6:19). It is a concrete trust in that which is promised in Christ. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul expounds on what exactly a believer's hope is. Namely, “the riches of the glory of [God’s] inheritance in the saints” and “the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19). Both of these are “in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:19-20).
Christian hope is not a momentary longing, insecurely resting in one’s heart. Rather, it is a firmly founded belief in the goodness and transformative power of a God who has already proven Himself faithful at Calvary. Hope defines one's circ*mstances by the promises found in God’s Word for present and future glory, according to the riches of Christ. It is grounded not in one’s whims but in the Person of Jesus Christ.
How Can We Be Joyful in Hope Today?
In the world, we will find every reason to be depressed, anxious, and sad. This is true, especially if our desires have been shaped and molded by things that are, by nature, temporary. We do not have it in ourselves to muster up good feelings in the face of a dying world. So, if we want joy, we must choose it in Christ. We cannot place our hope in that which will inevitably fail us. We must put it in Him whose love is unfailing (Psalm 36:5). When we choose Christ, we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. The Spirit gives us joy and hope (Galatians 5:22, Romans 15:13).
When you are tempted to despair, consider the object of your hope. It will ultimately lead to sorrow if it is in anything other than Jesus. But suppose it is in the death and resurrection of Christ and the promises of its implications for us today and unto eternity. Even moments of deep suffering can be laced with joyful satisfaction through the Holy Spirit.
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This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy-to-read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today.
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