Mike Criswell
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, TEMPERANCE: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Apostle Paul gives us another “spiritual fruit” that overlaps with the others. Temperance! What an interesting concept. Does anyone even use the word these days? Probably not much. But if you’re a history buff, you may remember reading about the “temperance movement” of the mid-1800’s. Having witnessed the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, activists set about to change culture by emphasizing “self-control.” The goal was not to eradicate the use of alcohol but rather to educate. Eventually, the temperance movement morphed into the era of “Prohibition” (c. 1920-1930), where the sale and import of all alcoholic beverages were banned.
While the little history lesson above may not mean much, it at least gives us a handle on the concept of “temperance.” When all is said and done, most versions of the Bible translate the word as “self-control.”
Obviously, when considering self-control, two words immediately jump out to us. First, the word “self," and second, the word “control.” So, let’s start there.
“Self “obviously refers to one’s own self. In other words, in this case, the Christian has the responsibility of managing his or her own person.
A Christian cannot blame their own poor behavior on other people or circumstances. Too often, it’s human nature to make others responsible for our mistakes, but that doesn’t work with God. We have to “own” our sin.
But then Paul says, “control.” Interestingly enough, “control” sounds like a pretty powerful word. When control is exercised over something, that thing is brought into subjection. That’s exactly what Paul seems to have in mind.
In this case, by the help of the Holy Spirit, the Christian brings his body under subjection. Paul told the Corinthians that he “disciplined his body in order that he might bring it into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Nothing is worse than a Christian who hasn’t learned to control his or her behavior.
So, how can we develop this spiritual fruit? Like all the other fruits, it doesn’t appear full grown overnight. It takes training, practice, and patience.
Do you have a temper problem? Then, deliberately work on it. Read scripture, pray, and seek out good sources to help you train your mind and body so you can control your temper. Do you have an addiction of some kind? Then, do the same.
Our bodies are a bit like natural brute beasts. If given the chance, they will satisfy their fleshy desires. Ah, but God gave us a mind and reasoning ability. He gave us His Word, and he expects us to keep our bodies in subjection to our minds which are ultimately being guided by the Holy Spirit.
No one can control their passions if they do not yield to the Spirit of God. It’s impossible! But when we allow God’s spiritual fruit of self-control to take over our inner man, rather than being full of ourselves, we will be full of God’s glory. We will be the very picture of what it means to be filled with the Spirit.
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