Galatians 5.22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
The final fruit of the Spirit is self-control. It is the capstone virtue of the Spirit, and it is the critical factor in this list of characteristics. It is the virtue that determines how effectively we build all the other virtues into our life. Without self-control (or self-discipline), we will not operate with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.
Self-discipline is the Greek word egkrateia. It comes from the root krat, which denotes power or lordship. Self-discipline means exercise powering over yourself. It is keeping yourself under control. It is self-mastery over your inner desires, thoughts, actions, and words. It is the control a believer must exercise over their life, and it is the cornerstone spiritual virtue in our battle against the old nature.
I believe this is one of the great spiritual issues of our generation. It is possibly the issue of our time. Proverbs 25.28 states it this way: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Without self-discipline we are left wide open to the attacks of the enemy and the impulses of our sin nature. Without self-discipline we are vulnerable and at great risk of defeat. Without self-discipline we are easily “broken into.” Emotion is a servant that desires to be a master.
Every Christian has discovered the painful reality that the works of the flesh — the impulses of the old nature — come to us easily and relentlessly. Let your guard down just a bit, and the impulses of the old nature will take over. It is for this very reason that self-discipline is the ninth and final fruit of the Spirit in Paul’s list in Galatians 5.
Walking in the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit requires trusting God, and it also requires discipline. It requires faith and effort. Obviously, there is self-discipline that is disconnected from the Spirit. We might call it “self-driven self-discipline.” That is not what Paul is talking about here. Paul is calling us to Spirit-empowered self-discipline, which is what happens when a Christian trusts God, seeks to obey scripture, asks for the Spirit’s power, recognizes and rejects the impulses of the sin nature, and exercises the spiritual virtue of self-control.
The fruit of the Spirit is produced when we respond to God working in our lives. It is a choice — a decision — that we must repeatedly make. This is the message of Galatians 5. Remember how the passage began: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16-17)
Here is what the scripture is saying: Recognize the impulses of the old nature and reject them. Recognize the fruit of the Spirit and walk in them. Make the choice!
Spiritual growth is largely determined by our commitment to self-discipline. Without this foundational virtue, there can be no growth in grace. Before other disciplines can be applied, whether in the home, business, community, or church, there first must be Spirit-empowered self-discipline.
More tomorrow.
“Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” (Proverbs 13:4)
