Mastered by the Spirit, Not by the Flesh
The Final Fruit That Strengthens Them All
By their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:16a
This is our final week exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. Studying these verses has been both encouraging and challenging, reminding me every week that true spiritual growth comes only through God. I am continually aware that I need a Savior, as I cannot cultivate these qualities on my own.
Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, is writing to encourage the believers to walk in freedom in accordance with the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The Greek word for self-control/temperance is egkrateia and it only occurs four times in the New Testament. This type of self-control only comes about by the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.
Egkrateia refers to one who masters his longings and passions, especially his sensual desires. “Sensual” is referring specifically to the body and controlling those desires that would corrupt the flesh.
“Self-control (Gk egkrateia, ‘holding in passions and appetites’) is placed last in the list for emphasis, because all the works of the flesh reflect a lack of self-control. There is no need for prohibitive law when people’s lives exhibit love and self-control.”[i]
Paul encourages believers in Romans:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Oftentimes, believers will pray and ask God to know His will for their lives, and yet they are sexually promiscuous, gossip, do not steward their finances, and are out of control emotionally. The Bible says when you see your body as a sacrifice, laying aside sin, and renew your minds (with the Word of God), then you will know God’s will.
In John 15, Jesus explains that lives are only fruitful when we remain in Him. As Christians, we can only produce the Fruit of the Spirit—especially self-control—by maintaining a relationship with God through time spent in His Word and worship. Recognizing our bodies as vessels for God's Spirit motivates us to keep them pure.
Another way we are to maintain self-control is through the tongue. In the book of James chapter 3, James, the brother of Jesus, says that the tongue has the power of life and death. Out of it comes blessing and cursing. He goes on to say no one can tame the tongue but God.
There are many other ways to exhibit self-control: emotional self-control, the use of money, and sexuality.
If you are wondering if there are natural ways to cultivate self-control, yes, there are.
A newer buzz phrase in psychology is emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is the natural ability to control one’s emotions and impulses. Unlike Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.), where a person is born with a fixed I.Q., individuals can cultivate and increase their Emotional Quotient (E.Q.) over time with practice.
Emotional Intelligence occurs when an emotion is produced in the limbic system of an individual, and the individual identifies the emotion, then uses self-control to regulate the emotion through the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The individual then responds after rationally identifying the emotion with self-control. This is obviously a simplified version of Emotional Intelligence.
The Bible has plenty to say about being emotionally intelligent: “Be slow to speak, and quick to listen” (James 1:19, NIV); “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” (Proverbs 29:11, NIV).
This process shows one way we can recognize and practice self-control in our natural ability—by identifying and processing feelings. However, although self-regulation can help, true Fruit of the Spirit is only evident when we are connected with God.
On a side note, I want to mention that emotions are not sinful. God made humans emotional beings. To stuff and not deal with emotions is sin. Jesus came to bring healing—not just physical healings, but mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. Sometimes, we need to talk to a pastor or professional to unpack feelings, so we can recognize triggers and properly process feelings, in order to then allow the Holy Spirit to help us combat being reactionary in thoughts, actions, or words, and exhibit His fruit in our lives.
As a final thought, Paul’s admonition about the Fruit of the Spirit is meant to bring freedom to the Galatians, who were trying to understand how to practice their new faith in Jesus in light of the Old Testament law. The Galatians were at risk of returning to the practice of circumcision as an outward sign of their faith. God was not calling them to a legalistic relationship in order for them to be justified. In fact, Jesus’ death and the gift of the Holy Spirit brought a new kind of freedom to Christians—not a license to sin, but a boundary that would actually give them freedom in their relationship with God. [ii]
The Fruit of the Spirit is not gifts, but rather the Fruit of the Spirit are specific graces which mark the life of a believer.
May our lives be marked by His Spirit.
Application Questions:
In what areas of your life do you currently struggle to exhibit self-control?
(e.g., emotions, finances, eating, sexual purity, time management, speech)What does it look like for you personally to “offer your body as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1)?
How often do you intentionally spend time abiding in Christ (John 15)? How does that time (or lack of it) affect your ability to practice self-control?
When was the last time you felt out of control emotionally, and how did you respond? Looking back, how could you have responded differently by yielding to the Holy Spirit?
Are there any hidden areas in your life where lack of self-control is leading you away from God’s will? Are you willing to surrender those areas today?
Prayer Response:
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you one area where He wants to develop self-control in your life this week.
[i] A. Boyd Luter, “Galatians,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1865.
[ii] Wesley L. Gerig, “Fruit of the Spirit,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 818.