Self-Control
The Greek word used in Galatians 5:23 that we translate as self-control is ἐγκράτεια (eng-krat'-i-ah). According to Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary, the word ἐγκρατεύομαι (eng-krat-yoo'-om-ahee), the verb form of ἐγκράτεια, can mean:
in a figure drawn from athletes, who in preparing themselves for the games abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence
I find that when trying to understand a Biblical concept — most recently the fruit of the Spirit — it helps to not just understand the noun but the verb. What does x look like in action? Self-control can be found “in action” in at least a couple of places.
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
Here, we find three main points being made:
“All athletes are disciplined in their training.”
Preparing for a marathon takes time. Strength and endurance are developed over many months, sometimes even years. Our spiritual lives are no different. The key word here is training. Daily training can include reading the Bible, spending time with the people God has placed around you, merely exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. The point is not to get hung up on what or how much of it but the direction you are headed. Someone may be working on his lower body the day you need to work on your upper body. Sometimes you need cardio.
“So I run with purpose in every step.”
Make sure the direction in which you are headed is the right one. If you need to run a marathon, you probably need to do much more jogging than, say, bench-presses. And you definitely need to avoid junk food and laziness.
“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.”
The training will not always be easy. Discipline does not usually equate to fun, either. Our friends are always asking us to skip our “training” for the day so we can sit around and get out of shape. We need to be able to maintain a strict diet of living water and the bread of life, so we can keep up our daily routine.
Now, I think anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am not suggesting that everyone stop hanging out with their non-Christian friends (or any friends for that matter). Quite the contrary! How do we ever have a chance to put into practice what we have been commanded to do if we only ever hang around people who think exactly like we do? I believe self-control is really put to good use in our interactions with people with whom we do not agree on everything. What a perfect opportunity to share the fruit of the spirit.
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. (Philippians 3:12-21)
We are called to run the race. That means “forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
“Forgetting the past” does not mean repressing anything. What Paul is talking about here is the fact that our past sins and failures do not determine our future. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” (Romans 3:22) The flip side of that, however, is that our previous good does no good now. No matter what races we have won before, we need to focus on the race we are currently running. We don’t have time to stop and pat ourselves on the back.
“[L]ooking forward to what lies ahead” means keeping our eye on the goal. A winning runner does not look behind her at where she has been, nor does she look down at her feet to see how she is progressing. No, her eyes are always looking ahead and, when it is in sight, focused on the finish line. We need to spend more time focused on God not the rules, not Christianity, but the person of Jesus Christ.
I want to be clear on this. Biblical self-control is not some legalistic whacking stick to keep teenagers from having sex. It is about making daily choices, training our spirits just like we train our bodies for athletic competitions. Self-control is a process not a result, a direction not a destination. We will not arrive in this world. “[W]e are citizens of heaven.”
If we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ eventually he “will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own…”
