Happiness

I. Happiness is the enjoyment of and pleasure in one’s status, circumstances, and relationships in life. There is a gradation of concepts of happiness: happiness, felicity- intense happiness, and beattitude- supreme felicity. Blessedness refers to happiness related to God and His plan of grace; therefore, it is a technical word for happiness as it relates to God. Happiness in it’s full extent is the utmost pleasure we are capable of enjoying [no one can exede their own capacity].

II. In transition, happiness is a relationship to something; therefore, happiness is: a relationship to prosperity [Ps.123:1-4], related to adversity [1Pt.3:14, 4:14], related to the function of GAP [Prov.3:13], related to grace function [Prov.14:21], related to supergrace status [Ps.146:5]: happiness is lost by reversionism [Prov.28:14] and recovered by supergrace [Prov.16:20], related to a clear conscience [Rom.14:22], related to the LDE [Prov.29:18], related to total military victory [Ps.137:8-9].

III. Happiness is related to the esssence of God. God is perfect, His character is perfect. Perfect character therefore posesses perfect happiness. God is eternal, His happiness is eternal. God is immutable, His happiness is unchangeable. God is +R, His +H is related to the fact that He is always right. God is justice; therefore, His +H is related to always being fair. God is love. His +H is related to His love. God is omnipotent. He has the eternal ability to be happy and to share it on the principle of grace. God is omniscient, His genius makes Him happy. God is sovereign and has decided to share His happiness with us. It is impossible for God to be unhappy.

IV. Happiness is related to the plan of God. God has found a way to give us His happiness without compromising His character [Ps.97:12; Hab.3:18]. Entrance into the plan of God is salvation by faith in Christ, the beginning of the grace function in the plan of God for members of the RF [Ps.9:14, 51:12]. It begins with a potential and is realized at supergrace. At the dedication of the second temple there was great happiness [Neh.12:43]. Since +H is accomplished through grace [Ps.31:7], it is accomplished through GAP whereby the believer transfers BD from the written page into his soul. However this +H must have a starting point. This starting point is entrance into the plan of God by faith in Jesus Christ; but, being saved does not imply instant happiness. God’s happiness is still a potential to the believer and depends on his spiritual growth through the daily function of GAP. The first taste of +H comes from the filling of the HS [Gal.5:22; Rom.14:17; 1Thes.1:6]; however, this experience of +H is limited from having no capacity- not enough BD resident in the soul. Once a balance of residency [the completion of the ECS] is achieved, then God shares His +H with you and it becomes a reality [John 17:13]. Happiness is the status-quo of the supergrace believer [Neh.8:10; Phil.4:4]. Plus-H protects the believer from 3 disallusions: circumsances [Phil.4:11-12], the details of life [Heb.13:5-6], and people. Plus-H stimulates and enhances the capacity for love. There is a future happiness beyond +H in supergrace, phase 3 happiness. There is a millennial happiness [Isa.35:1-2, 64:4-5, 65:18-19, 66:10; and in the beattitudes]. There are 3 human happiness not related to +H: the temporary happiness of sin, happiness from observance of the LDE for unbelievers [Ecc.9:9, 11:8-9], and the happiness of pleasure in the details of life, it is fleeting and the source of future unhappiness. You cannot build your happiness on someone elses happiness, and you cannot build your happiness on the details of life to include environment, people you love, fame, violent revolution, the lust pattern and motivation of the OSN. But, you can build happiness on the balance of residency of BD through the FHS, the daily function of GAP, reaching supergrace, glorifying God in the holding of your supergrace status until dying grace, and by observing the LDE. The happy person provides blessing for others through overflow; therefore, this is called the ministry of refreshemnt [Phil.2:28-29; Rom.15:32; 1Cor.16:17-18; 2Cor.7:13].