Self-Control // Galatians

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
What is self-control?
What does Paul mean by “self-control”? The Greek-English lexicon defines self-control (ἐγκράτεια) as restraint of one’s emotions, impulses, or desires. Paul knew exactly what he was doing when he listed “self-control” as one of the fruit of the Spirit. Why?
What was Paul doing by highlighting “self-control”? Paul was handling a hot potato in his cultural context. He pulled the pin and threw a Christian grenade in the Greek think tank.
The Stoic philosophers repeatedly used the word ἐγκράτεια or self-control. Self-control was the maxim or motto of the Stoics. Their literature was replete with discussions on self-control.
In essence, the Stoics castigated anyone who showed emotions. The outward and overt display of emotions was the sign of a lower life-form in Homo-sapiens. In summation, “Master yourself.”
Is that what Paul was explaining as one of the fruit of the Spirit? Are Christians called to be Stoics? Should we simply Master ourselves?
No! The Christian understanding of self-control is antithetical to the Stoic concept of self-control. Why is the Christian meaning so contrary to the Stoic understanding?
On the one hand, the Stoic motivation for self-control was firmly centered on pride. The Stoics were preoccupied with self. Self-control rested fully on man. We might say “will-power.” It was anthropocentric.
A clear example of self-control from history and the Bible was the tower of Babel. Man had one language at the time. “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth’” (Genesis 11:4). They controlled self and built an impressive tower. That’s a form of self-control.
On the other hand, and conversely, the Christian motivation for self-control is humility. Christians are not preoccupied with the self, but rather the Spirit. Christian Self-control rests fully on God. It is theocentric.
2) What’s an easy digestible definition of Christian self-control?
Christianity believes in Spirit-led self-control. Self-control is not will-power; it’s the Spirit’s power.
Do you remember the Stoics axiom? “Do not show any emotion.” Does Christianity say to eliminate all emotions? No. Have you ever read “The Emotional Life of Our Lord” by B.B. Warfield?
The “old Princeton” Professor explains that Jesus was very God and very man. In his humanity, Jesus had an emotional life. Jesus demonstrated compassion, love, indignation, annoyance, joy and sorrow. Yes, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Thus, Christianity doesn’t say “ Do not show emotions.” That would be contrary to Jesus.
So how did Jesus show emotions? How did Jesus exhibit self-control? Jesus was led by the Spirit-God the Holy Spirit. Turn in your Bibles to Luke 4. Luke was a clam medical doctor. And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
First, how many of you have ever been hangry? Hungry and angry at the same time? You haven’t eaten in a while and you began to turn green and bulging muscles began to break through your clothes? All you what is food so that your hormones of Leptin and Ghrelin will find a homeostasis, a balance. You need food for satiation.
Jesus was starving and the death tempted him. How many of us would need a heavy dose of self-control in that situation? All of us. And Jesus, who was very man, displayed self-control. Why did he display self-control? Wa it becomes he was simply God. He doesn’t need to eat. No. Jesus had a stomach. Jesus had an appetite.
How did Jesus have self-control? Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…and was led by the Spirit. Paul told the Thessalonians: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). What does that mean?
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