The Reasonableness of Joy

As I stated in the last post, I am seeking to be very diligent this month to kick-start the new year with a "January reset." Part of that effort includes reading the entire book of Philippians every day. I have been challenged and encouraged with Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, and one of the passages that has been both a challenge and encouragement is Philippians 4:4-5. Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand."

What challenges and encourages me as a believer is the proximity in the passage of the two words "rejoicing" and "reasonableness."  Simply stated, it is reasonable for the Christian to rejoice. The word "reasonableness" in the Greek has a more robust meaning than just "logical" (see below for extended explanation), but the idea is for the believer to live in a way that publicly demonstrates a reasonable, gracious, forbearing posture; and "the way Christians stand out in a contentious environment is by being a voice of reason." 

The foundation for this gracious public posture and our reason for rejoicing in the Lord always is the gospel. Because of Who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we have ample cause for joy. It is reasonable to live in a way that demonstrates joy in the Lord that fuels a gracious, forbearing posture to the onlooking culture. Much more could be said in a much better way about this particular passage, but for me, at least, this observation has been a challenge and encouragement.



Excerpt from "Reasonableness in an Age of Outrage"

The apostle Paul commanded the early Christians to let their “reasonableness” be known by everyone (Phil. 4:5, ESV). The Greek word is notoriously hard to translate. The CSB goes with “graciousness.” The NIV chooses “gentleness.” Older translations lean toward “forbearance” or “moderation.” Each does its best to capture the original sense, which includes multiple shades of meaning—being considerate, responding in dispute with kindness, and adopting a gracious posture. In a list of qualifications for elders, 1 Timothy 3:3 employs the word as the opposite of being a bully. In James 3, it’s one of the descriptions of the wisdom that comes from above.

​The important takeaway from this command to show reasonableness-graciousness-forbearance is that Paul expects this virtue to be public. Contentiousness, quarreling, and bullying show up among divisive and cantankerous people. Paul doesn’t tell the Philippians to disengage from debate, but to go public with the opposite. Your reasonableness-graciousness-forbearance should be on display. The way Christians stand out in a contentious environment is by being a voice of reason, by spreading grace in a culture of judgment. Posture matters as much as principle.