| April 25, 2018 |
no comments
Self-control for the Christian means that my “self” (my whole person, my whole being—body, soul, spirit) comes under the control of Christ. It means that I am an individual governed by God. My entire life, every aspect of it (whether spiritual, moral, or physical) has become subject to the sovereignty of God’s Holy Spirit. I am now a person under authority—the authority of God.
Self-control for a person of God is not severe self-discipline. Nothing we can do ourselves is enough to bring the self-control that is the fruit of the Spirit.
If we want to see this kind of control, we should not look at other human beings. Even the best of them have faults and make mistakes. Instead, we look at Jesus who patterned our behavior for us. Jesus was completely under divine control. He came to do the will of His Father. He spoke the words of His Father. He carried out the will of His Father. He did the works the Father had called Him to do. Because of this inner control, Jesus in turn was in control of every situation He faced. He was never at a loss for words or at the disadvantage of other people. Because the Father was in Jesus fully, Jesus operated under the complete control of the Father. If we wonder why our lives are in such a mess, we may need to be brought under the control of the Good God and follow His plan for us.
Christians do not live under the tyranny of their own temperaments. They live by faith in Christ’s capacity to control their tempestuous emotions. Christ must come to control our wills if we are to be of any help in His Kingdom. Only as our wills are brought into harmony and submission to His will do we discover the secret of divine power. And only then does the fruit of the Spirit grow in us. It is the Spirit of God in us who guarantees growth, maturity, and conformity to Christ.
PR
Image: Maria Fernanda Gonzalez
Tags: fruit, selfcontrol, spirit
Category: Spirit, Winter 2018
About the Author: James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Pete Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary. He served on the large ministry team at the Anaheim Vineyard and is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible. He has a BA degree in Biblical Studies from Southern California College, and an MDiv degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous articles and books, speaker, and recording artist. MilitaryBibleAssociation.com. Wikipedia.org/wiki/James_F._Linzey.
Followers
Fans
