Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control.
Peter the Great was the Russian Emperor (Czar) from 1682-1725. Through numerous wars he expanded the Russian territory and eventually laid the groundwork for the Imperial Russian Navy. Sadly, in a fit of rage, he struck his gardener…and a few days later, the gardener died. “Alas,” said Peter, mournfully. “I have conquered other nations, but I have not been able to conquer myself!”
I can certainly relate to his frustration. Can you?
In short, self-control (egkrateia/enkrateia) describes the personal rule or mastery over fleshly impulses that would be impossible without the Holy Spirit’s control. Notice that it is easy to fall into the trap of emphasizing the “self” prefix of self-control. Yes, the “en” in enkrateiadoes mean “in” and speaks of believers being controlled by an inward strength. This inward strength, however, is the power of the Holy Spirit in us, not our own intrinsic power. In moments when you feel your self-control is crumbling, don’t try harder…rely harder! Call to the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to control the tempest within.
To the ancient Greeks, self-control was in essence the proper ordering and balancing of the individual. For example, Aristotle said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.” That’s pretty good theology from a pagan. Plato believed that our animal urges must be governed or else they will produce “a feverish state in the soul, a city of pigs” which knows no limits. When we’re not self-controlled, our life is like a pigsty! Ouch. Plato in another place wrote that egkrateia is the ordering or controlling of certain pleasures and desires, implied in the saying of “a man being his own master.” Plato thus used egkrateia to refer to self-mastery meaning that it was the spirit which has mastered its desires and its love of pleasure.
Christ is the perfect example of this fruit, of course. He was faced with trials and temptations…mockers and attackers…and innumerable opportunities to utilize his unlimited power to do whatever he wanted to whenever he felt the need to. Yet, we generally consider Him to be meek and mild…patient and compassionate…able to experience intense anger, but never given over to anger’s controlling impulses. The Holy Spirit’s work in our lives should yield the same results, yet far too often, that is not the case. The old self rears its ugly head and demands to be satisfied. In that moment, we either choose to give in to its sinful demands…or we exercise our godly, Spirit-driven self-control and respond with an authoritative “No!”
The choice is ours, but the power to make the right one is His.
