Chapter # 5 Paragraph # 4 Study # 10
June 16, 2013
Dayton, Texas
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Thesis:The "fruit" of the Spirit includes the "automatic" production of "joy".
Introduction:
- I. Love.
- A. Paul's term is "agape".
- B. Paul's choice of "agape" reveals many things about God's view of His creation and how it is to function.
- II. Joy.
- A. Paul's term is "cara".
- B. The use of "cara" in the New Testament.
- 1. "Cara" is a word that identifies the emotion that is attached to recognized "good".
- a. The strength of the emotion is tied to two particulars: the relative potency of the "good"; and the relative potency of the "recognition".
- 1) The potency of the "good" is relative to how high up the ladder of values the "good" addresses [Note John 16:20 and 3 John 4].
- 2) The potency of the "recognition" is relative to the strength of the "faith" that exists in it (there is such a thing as "weak faith" and "great faith") [Note Romans 15:13 and Philippians 1:25].
- b. Thus, there is no "cara" apart from the "Love/Faith" complex.
- c. Consequently, "cara" is an "automatic" element of the "fruit of the Spirit" in that He is the Author of the "agape" and the "pistis" that drive it (in other words, "cara" is not a stand-alone result of the Spirit's work; it is an inescapable result of that work).
- 1) From this we can conclude that the "fruit" of the Spirit is, most fundamentally, the "agape" that makes "cara" inescapably automatic.
- 2) We must also, however, recognize that "agape" is of little, to no, value to "joy" without the absolutely necessary corollary of "pistis".
- 2. "Cara" is a word that is heavily dependent upon what I would call the "issue" of "focus" in the midst of the circumstances of "life".
- a. "Cara" is used of both believers and unbelievers (as respects the Gospel) because "cara" is "circumstance" generated in the context of one's love/faith complex.
- b. At any given time, in any given circumstance, "focus" (the fixation of the mind) is inescapable.
- c. Thus, "good news" can be mitigated so that "sorrow" dominates the emotional state (John 14:1-2 -- when the "news" is simply a doctrinal assertion; and John 16:20-22 -- when the "news" is actual experience), and "bad news" can be mitigated so the "joy" dominates the emotional state (1 Peter 1:6; Hebrews 12:2).
- 3. Conclusions.
- a. Love.
- b. Faith.
- c. Circumstances.
- d. Focus.
