Self-Control
The list will be familiar to anyone who has spent any time around the New Testament: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control. If we don’t run across Paul’s description in Galatians 5:22-23 of the fruits of the Spirit in Christianity 101, we certainly pick them up the next semester in Christianity 102.
However, I’d guess most of us gloss over the last one in that list. The first eight we have no problem with. Of course they are the result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Such attributes of the Christian character bubble up from within, and only by the Spirit’s transforming power do we become a wellspring from which these same characteristics of God pour forth out of us. But self-control? What is that doing in the list?
If asked about self-control outside the context of a discussion of the fruits of the Spirit, our inclination would not be to describe it as something that bubbles up from within. Rather, we might blindly assume self-control is something that is imposed from without. Largely through our own strength, we clamp down on our sinful tendencies with sheer willpower. It is control of the self, after all. Inside each of us there is a howling beast in a cage. It hurls itself at the bars of the cage, it rages at us, screams for release, and we had better do all we can to keep the door of that cage shut.
There is another way in which self-control is set apart from the other fruits. The first eight fruits imply a relationship with someone or something beyond ourselves. Their promise can only be fulfilled in another. We love someone else, we are patient with someone else, we are kind to someone else, and so on. Joy and Peace are buffers against the constant incoming pressures of a fallen world. Self-control, on the other hand, is utterly inward-looking.
The question remains then, why is self-control mentioned as one of the fruits of the Spirit? Are we sure it wasn’t tacked on to the end of the list by some guilt-ridden scribe in a cold Byzantine scriptorium?
Some authors and commentators on this passage state the inclusion of self-control in the list of spiritual fruits means the Holy Spirits assists us as we work to master control of ourselves. I believe that view to be in error because it still leaves us as the agent of change. This view says we may get a helping hand from the Spirit, but in the end we still must wrestle ourselves to the ground and coerce our will from without.
Otherwise, why would any of the other fruits be any different? We wouldn’t think that we could imprint a spirit of love on ourselves. We wouldn’t think that we could just make ourselves patient and kind with a little kick from the Holy Spirit. Such changes can only come from being renewed by a holy God.
Instead, I believe that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit precisely because we cannot do it on our own. We are ultimately powerless against that beast in the cage. The truth is there is no lock on the cage. We may push against the door with all our might till our muscles tremble with the strain, but we are puny, and the beast is free to swat us aside and open the door and leave when it wishes. I believe the fruit described as self-control is not a type of power but is really just another term for the New Creature Paul talks about in II Corinthians 5:17.
Let me start by making an assumption. Hold on, I hear you saying. You can’t base an argument on assumption. It’s like trying to get a circus elephant to stand on a Styrofoam cup. You cannot rest one on the other. You could simply assume the moon is made of cheese, and then argue the reason the moon shines milky white in the night sky is because it is really just a giant hunk of camembert.
Fair enough, I say. But I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb when I say I’ll assume the Holy Spirit didn’t make a mistake by inspiring Paul to include self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Though different from the other fruits self-control may seem, it is there for a reason.
Yet another distinguishing characteristic of this fruit is that the Greek word behind what is translated as self-control, or temperance in some translations, is not used elsewhere in the New Testament much at all. The word, egkrateia, is used in Acts 24:25 in describing what Paul witnessed to Felix about, and it is used in II Peter 1:6 where Peter describes, step-by-step, how we might attain the grace and peace God intends for us. This Greek word comes from a root, egkrates, that is used in Titus 1:8 to describe a leader in the church.
These few passages are thin gruel on which to feed notions that we develop self-control on our own with helpful hints whispered to us by the Holy Spirit.
The key to understanding why self-control is a fruit of the Spirit lies in understanding the work of the Spirit. As is made abundantly clear in the New Testament, (see Ephesians 2:8-9 for instance), we in no way bring about our own salvation. Paul writes in Titus 3:5-6 that our salvation flows from Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross through the working of the Holy Spirit, who was sent by the Father, and the work of the Holy Spirit is to make us new creatures. This passage speaks of transformation and renewal. We are reborn, we were dead in sin but are now alive in Christ.
Just what is it that is being renewed and transformed? It is our sinful nature. In describing to Nicodemus what it meant to be born again, Jesus himself said in John 3:5,6 that only those born of the Spirit can enter the kingdom of God, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In other words, we cannot change our fallen natures by ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
At the beginning of Romans 12, in verses 1 and 2, the great hinge in Romans where Paul proceeds from his great doctrinal discussion to application, Paul says therefore, we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy. In the Old Testament, animals presented for the sacrifices were to be pure, without defect, the best. And so, in verse 2 Paul says we remain pure and holy by not conforming to this world, and we can only do that by, there it is again, transformation and renewal.
Paul is describing this very process in Galatians 5 where he talks about the fruits of the Spirit. In 5:16, Paul says to walk in the Spirit so that we do not walk in the flesh. In verse 17, he says the flesh and Spirit war against each other. In verse 18, he says we are to be led by the Spirit.
How do the flesh and the Spirit war against each other? Verses 19 through 21 describe how wicked we can be in our sinful state. These are the works of that raging beast within us. It is at this point, then, where Paul says “but”. But here are the fruits of the Spirit.
Have you followed me through all the dot-connecting? In our sinful state, we are exceedingly wicked. We cannot possibly hope to save ourselves or to change ourselves by ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts and make us a New Creature. What comes from being renewed? The fruits of the Spirit, one of which is self-control.
Therefore, self-control might be something of a misnomer. It is not really about us simply trying control our selves and doing the best we can with the help of the Spirit. Rather, this means we are a completely different person. Instead of a ravenous, raging, sinful beast in our heart, there is the peace and warmth of the Spirit of God. We are no longer slaves to the sinful life we led before. It holds no attraction for us anymore.
It’s as if Satan shows us an overflowing outhouse pit and asks us if we want to dive in. As New Creatures, we are reviled and disgusted by such a prospect, and it is now the most natural reaction to recoil from it. That is self-control! It is a completely different viewpoint on what is desirable, what is attractive. That which seemed right unto us before is now repulsive. Rather than trying to hold in the beast that wants to get out and embrace the sin, we now stand secure in the arms of the Spirit and we say no, we are no longer tempted by the decay and rot of sin.
Seen in that light, it now makes perfect sense that self-control is listed among the fruits of the Spirit. Like all the others in the list, self-control is something that becomes a part of us only when the Spirit renews us, cleans us out, and puts it there. When we are transformed like this, our old nature, that beast I’ve referred to, is put away, and we now reflect the nature, the personality, the characteristics of God Himself.
However, I’d guess most of us gloss over the last one in that list. The first eight we have no problem with. Of course they are the result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Such attributes of the Christian character bubble up from within, and only by the Spirit’s transforming power do we become a wellspring from which these same characteristics of God pour forth out of us. But self-control? What is that doing in the list?
If asked about self-control outside the context of a discussion of the fruits of the Spirit, our inclination would not be to describe it as something that bubbles up from within. Rather, we might blindly assume self-control is something that is imposed from without. Largely through our own strength, we clamp down on our sinful tendencies with sheer willpower. It is control of the self, after all. Inside each of us there is a howling beast in a cage. It hurls itself at the bars of the cage, it rages at us, screams for release, and we had better do all we can to keep the door of that cage shut.
There is another way in which self-control is set apart from the other fruits. The first eight fruits imply a relationship with someone or something beyond ourselves. Their promise can only be fulfilled in another. We love someone else, we are patient with someone else, we are kind to someone else, and so on. Joy and Peace are buffers against the constant incoming pressures of a fallen world. Self-control, on the other hand, is utterly inward-looking.
The question remains then, why is self-control mentioned as one of the fruits of the Spirit? Are we sure it wasn’t tacked on to the end of the list by some guilt-ridden scribe in a cold Byzantine scriptorium?
Some authors and commentators on this passage state the inclusion of self-control in the list of spiritual fruits means the Holy Spirits assists us as we work to master control of ourselves. I believe that view to be in error because it still leaves us as the agent of change. This view says we may get a helping hand from the Spirit, but in the end we still must wrestle ourselves to the ground and coerce our will from without.
Otherwise, why would any of the other fruits be any different? We wouldn’t think that we could imprint a spirit of love on ourselves. We wouldn’t think that we could just make ourselves patient and kind with a little kick from the Holy Spirit. Such changes can only come from being renewed by a holy God.
Instead, I believe that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit precisely because we cannot do it on our own. We are ultimately powerless against that beast in the cage. The truth is there is no lock on the cage. We may push against the door with all our might till our muscles tremble with the strain, but we are puny, and the beast is free to swat us aside and open the door and leave when it wishes. I believe the fruit described as self-control is not a type of power but is really just another term for the New Creature Paul talks about in II Corinthians 5:17.
Let me start by making an assumption. Hold on, I hear you saying. You can’t base an argument on assumption. It’s like trying to get a circus elephant to stand on a Styrofoam cup. You cannot rest one on the other. You could simply assume the moon is made of cheese, and then argue the reason the moon shines milky white in the night sky is because it is really just a giant hunk of camembert.
Fair enough, I say. But I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb when I say I’ll assume the Holy Spirit didn’t make a mistake by inspiring Paul to include self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Though different from the other fruits self-control may seem, it is there for a reason.
Yet another distinguishing characteristic of this fruit is that the Greek word behind what is translated as self-control, or temperance in some translations, is not used elsewhere in the New Testament much at all. The word, egkrateia, is used in Acts 24:25 in describing what Paul witnessed to Felix about, and it is used in II Peter 1:6 where Peter describes, step-by-step, how we might attain the grace and peace God intends for us. This Greek word comes from a root, egkrates, that is used in Titus 1:8 to describe a leader in the church.
These few passages are thin gruel on which to feed notions that we develop self-control on our own with helpful hints whispered to us by the Holy Spirit.
The key to understanding why self-control is a fruit of the Spirit lies in understanding the work of the Spirit. As is made abundantly clear in the New Testament, (see Ephesians 2:8-9 for instance), we in no way bring about our own salvation. Paul writes in Titus 3:5-6 that our salvation flows from Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross through the working of the Holy Spirit, who was sent by the Father, and the work of the Holy Spirit is to make us new creatures. This passage speaks of transformation and renewal. We are reborn, we were dead in sin but are now alive in Christ.
Just what is it that is being renewed and transformed? It is our sinful nature. In describing to Nicodemus what it meant to be born again, Jesus himself said in John 3:5,6 that only those born of the Spirit can enter the kingdom of God, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In other words, we cannot change our fallen natures by ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
At the beginning of Romans 12, in verses 1 and 2, the great hinge in Romans where Paul proceeds from his great doctrinal discussion to application, Paul says therefore, we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy. In the Old Testament, animals presented for the sacrifices were to be pure, without defect, the best. And so, in verse 2 Paul says we remain pure and holy by not conforming to this world, and we can only do that by, there it is again, transformation and renewal.
Paul is describing this very process in Galatians 5 where he talks about the fruits of the Spirit. In 5:16, Paul says to walk in the Spirit so that we do not walk in the flesh. In verse 17, he says the flesh and Spirit war against each other. In verse 18, he says we are to be led by the Spirit.
How do the flesh and the Spirit war against each other? Verses 19 through 21 describe how wicked we can be in our sinful state. These are the works of that raging beast within us. It is at this point, then, where Paul says “but”. But here are the fruits of the Spirit.
Have you followed me through all the dot-connecting? In our sinful state, we are exceedingly wicked. We cannot possibly hope to save ourselves or to change ourselves by ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts and make us a New Creature. What comes from being renewed? The fruits of the Spirit, one of which is self-control.
Therefore, self-control might be something of a misnomer. It is not really about us simply trying control our selves and doing the best we can with the help of the Spirit. Rather, this means we are a completely different person. Instead of a ravenous, raging, sinful beast in our heart, there is the peace and warmth of the Spirit of God. We are no longer slaves to the sinful life we led before. It holds no attraction for us anymore.
It’s as if Satan shows us an overflowing outhouse pit and asks us if we want to dive in. As New Creatures, we are reviled and disgusted by such a prospect, and it is now the most natural reaction to recoil from it. That is self-control! It is a completely different viewpoint on what is desirable, what is attractive. That which seemed right unto us before is now repulsive. Rather than trying to hold in the beast that wants to get out and embrace the sin, we now stand secure in the arms of the Spirit and we say no, we are no longer tempted by the decay and rot of sin.
Seen in that light, it now makes perfect sense that self-control is listed among the fruits of the Spirit. Like all the others in the list, self-control is something that becomes a part of us only when the Spirit renews us, cleans us out, and puts it there. When we are transformed like this, our old nature, that beast I’ve referred to, is put away, and we now reflect the nature, the personality, the characteristics of God Himself.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home