Temperance: Fruit of the Spirit Part 10
“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
As we have examined each of the previous characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, I have tried to show that none is intended to stand alone. The fruit of the Spirit is one fruit, a unified whole of interconnected traits designed to work together, somewhat like the inner workings of a complex machine. Without one of its tiny teeth a gear would be useless, and without just one small gear, the rest of the machine cannot function.
Thus we have seen love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, and meekness each working hand in hand with the other as a seamless outflowing of the heart yielded to the Holy Spirit. We have seen how each of these traits is unnatural to our sinful flesh, and can only be made part of our character by the Holy Spirit’s empowering.
There is, however, a delicate balance: in order for the Holy Spirit to empower our obedience, we must be willing to obey and actually take steps to do so. It is as we obey that the power comes. This is where temperance comes in.
Temperance, simply put, is self-control. It comes from a Greek word that means to be strong in a particular thing, to be masterful. To be temperate means to take control of our thoughts, desires, and even emotions, to bring them under the mastery of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians describes this process with regard to our thoughts:
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (10:5)
Holy Spirit-empowered temperance applies the strength of the omnipotent God to our feeble attempts at self-control. As we obey, the Spirit gives us the power to master our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions so that we can bring them into obedience, not just to ourselves, but to God. As we have seen throughout this study, we do not have to do this ourselves: God gives us His own power with which to obey!
Temperance is like a child sent to tell his siblings to do something. If the child tries to stand on his own authority, his siblings will ignore or rebel against him. But if he utters the potent words “Mom said…” he will see a far different result.
When we try to take control of ourselves in our own power, we will ultimately fail. Somewhere, something will eventually snap out of line and we will find ourselves utterly undone. But if we humble ourselves and yield to the Holy Spirit’s enabling, we will see greater victory than we ever imagined possible!
Impossible?
James 4:6 reminds us,
“But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble.”
So often, our hesitance to obey is rooted in pride: we don’t want to fail, therefore we don’t want to even try. You may never have considered pride as the root of your fear of failure, but that’s what it comes down to.
I have known Christians over the years who have disliked, even hated discussing the fruit of the Spirit because they felt it was an impossible list of virtues, and it is, but only to our flesh. Remember the promise of Galatians 5:16:
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
That phrase “shall not” has an extra negative added in the Greek which gives the idea of being impossible. If we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, it will be impossible for us to give in to the flesh! That is how temperance comes about. It is a result of willing obedience to the Spirit of God, maintained by His power flowing through us. By His power, He makes the impossible possible, and the inevitable impossible!
Bearing Fruit
2 Peter gives us another list of “impossible” virtues including temperance, but notice the promise at the end:
“And beside all this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:5-8)
Temperance is one of the characteristics of Christlike character that causes our lives to be fruitful.
It takes temperance to choose to spend time in prayer and reading God’s Word when life is busy or difficult, or when you would rather hit the snooze button just one more time. It takes temperance to choose to obey the promptings of the Spirit and walk away from temptation.
It takes temperance to make your feet walk over to the stranger the Holy Spirit wants you to witness to, and it takes temperance to keep your mind focused on the sermon in church on Sunday when there are a million different thoughts vying for your attention.
In each of these scenarios, there is fruit to be borne: fruit of “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” fruit of victory over sin and strengthened faith, and the simple fruit of God’s hand of blessing on our obedience. Remember what Jesus said about fruitfulness:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)
Fruitfulness is a part of the Christian life, one that cannot be had without the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. A few verses later in John 15, Jesus tells us,
“Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” (v.8)
Our purpose on earth is to glorify God. This is done when we bear “much fruit.” Fruit can only be borne as we yield in humble obedience to the Holy Spirit and allow the power of Christ to work through us.
Striving for Mastery
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 gives us the illustration of an athlete:
“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
The prize we run this race of the Christian life to obtain is eternal. It is the glory of God throughout eternity and the never-ending joy of those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) We limit ourselves now for the sake of Christ, who is even now preparing limitless joy for us to enjoy for all eternity to come.
But here a note of clarification is needed. Do not think that the call to limit ourselves through temperance means that God delights in depriving us of joy. Just the opposite is true: God does call us to forsake some things, but only those that would harm us. After all, Psalm 84:11 tells us that,
“no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
God, as a loving Father, calls us away from that which would hurt or hinder us, while at the same time calling us to Himself, the only Source of true joy and delight. Contrary to what our world teaches, a life characterized by temperance is neither cheerless nor dull.
Conclusion
We do not have to live in defeat: Christ has already won our victory, and it can be “accessed,” so to speak, through obedience to the Holy Spirit. You can master that area of life that currently masters you, if you will make the Holy Spirit the Master of your heart and mind.
Which of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit seems the most daunting to you? My prayer is that this study has helped you see that the Christian life is a life lived in God’s power. Nothing need daunt the child of God, for we have our Father’s power at work on our behalf! All we have to do is humble ourselves and obey.
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57