Self Control
1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Romans 7:15-20, Titus 2:11-13
When I think of self-control, what comes to mind is a failure. My need for self-control usually becomes apparent when I have eaten too many cookies or failed to plan my day properly and ran late to a meeting. It’s what comes to mind when I want to spend more time with the Lord and less time watching Netflix. Self-control oftentimes feels like one of the most daunting fruits of the spirit. However, our American Christian “you can do it” perspective isn’t what is being mentioned here. Self-control is meant for freedom and flourishing, not failure and frustration.
What is self-control?
Self-control isn’t just gritting your teeth and getting through it. Self-control is bigger than that. It points to our divided self. The war between our flesh and spirit. I love how Paul explains this in Romans 7, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now, if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” Our flesh is at war within us, but in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the desire to do what is right. It’s the Spirit who compels us to act on that desire.
What does that mean for us?
Before Christ, we were in bondage to sin. Because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we are offered a new life, and with that comes a new heart and new desires. Just like what it says in Titus 2, because of the grace given to us through Jesus, we can choose to live upright, godly, and self-controlled lives, knowing that there is a time coming that will lead to abundant life and goodness. No longer are we bound to the sinful desires of our flesh, but through the power of the Spirit, we have the freedom to choose to live in God’s design.
Our journey as a believer doesn’t stop the moment we put our faith in Christ, but we prepare for the journey. Out of reverence and love for the Lord, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we bring our bodies under strict control, like an athlete training for a race, so that we may present ourselves holy and blameless before the Lord. We live set apart from the world because we are God’s chosen ones. Let your heart be moved by God’s kindness, and ask Him how you can live a more self-controlled life.
