Happiness

You Have Been Perfected Once And For All

      What is happiness?

                   What does it mean to be truly happy?

                        How can I have a happy life?

                           What does God say about happiness?

True happiness is found in believing the truth about Jesus Christ. A crucial truth to understand is that Christ is sufficient for you in all things. You can rest your hope in Christ, and find your assurance in Jesus because of who He is, and what He has done. It is on this foundation that a happy life will flow continually, even through the most difficult trials in life. The disclaimer that needs to be made is that God does not guarantee a life without trials or hardships. In fact, He says that we will experience trials (James 1:2). In spite of our trials, we can still stand strong in the joy and happiness that comes from Christ.

Even though it was the most humiliating experience for the savior, there is much happiness to be found in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus offered on our behalf. There is much happiness to be found here because of what Christ accomplished for us and freed us from. Knowing that the atonement of Jesus Christ is sufficient for you can free you up to rejoice in the fact that your eternal life is completely secured through the work of Christ; all your sins are paid for, past, present, and future (Colossians 2:13-14); the righteous requirement of the law is met in Christ (Romans 8:4), and eternal life is freely given to those who believe (Romans 6:23). Knowing these things will give you true happiness because these things are guaranteed by the infinite and eternal God, the rock of salvation, unchanging, and all wise.

Can you be truly happy if you are worrying about whether or not you've done enough to be worthy before God? Think about what Doctrine and Covenants 88:22 states. It says, "For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." Apostle Orson Whitney says that the celestial law "...does not mean any one thing; it means all things. It is the fullness of obedience: it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Conference Report, October 1910, 53).

Is the life of trying to live up to the perfection of the law a "happy" life? It doesn't seem so, does it? It is no wonder why the law is called a "curse." Paul says in Galatians 3:10,

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

It is a curse because no man can fulfill it. Paul continues to say,

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith...Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (vss. 11-13).

The way you can be truly happy is to know that Christ is absolutely sufficient for you in all things. Christ didn’t just die so you can be resurrected and have the power to live an obedient life. Jesus Christ completely fulfilled the law on our behalf. Romans 10:4 says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 8:1-4 also says,

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

It is futile to try to fulfill the curse of the law because if you break one law, it’s as if you’ve broken them all (James 2:10). Entrust Christ to be sufficient for you in all respects of your life. Hand over your futile works of righteousness, and ask Christ to fulfill your righteousness for you. Ask Him to forgive you of trying to accomplish that which is intended for Christ to do. He wants you to be happy, but you won’t be happy unless you give up your attempts to secure your eternal life through the law. Ask Christ to give you eternal life, and he will. He is sufficient and able to. To learn more about the sufficiency of Christ, please visit the Eternal Life page.