By Orean Brown
When you talk to people about Christianity, or what they don’t like about Christianity. They would say one of the major problems with Christianity is that there are some many rules, and they don’t have the freedom to do what they want. They view Christians as living in a religious strait jacket with no freedom. They view the virtue of having self-control as a hindrance to enjoying worldly pleasure. Is this true? Let’s take a look at self-control, and the freedom it gives us. The Apostle Paul states the following, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law”. (Galatians 5:22-23. Self-Control comes last in Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit. Self-control is the ultimate expression of selflessness which is needed for the other fruits. This virtue might just be one of the most important traits a Christian can develop in their lives. But somehow self-control gets a bad rap or at least, it doesn’t get a lot of mentions in sermons, Bible studies, and Christian conversations. Love, kindness, and faith get the focus but not self-control. I have the feeling this is because we live in a world that prioritizes freedom, “being yourself,” and individual passions (a little too similar to Paul’s description of the “last days” in 2 Tim. 3:1-5). We hear “self-control” and think “I’m being forced against my will.” While loving others is not controversial, restricting freedom is a great offense for most Americans no matter your political party, background, or social class. There is danger in lacking self-control. Proverbs 25:29 highlights this with a metaphor: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 29:11 contrasts the fool and wise person: “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Just before the fruits of the Spirit, Paul in Galatians 5:19-21 has already described many activities that keep one from the Kingdom that involve giving into desires over wisdom, such as sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, and drunkenness. An uncontrolled shelf often leads to trouble. The result of unfettered freedom is bondage. Still, man cries to “Be free!” Their cry for freedom usually manifests in some type of sin. Jesus described their situation very clearly, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” John 8:34 Though it doesn’t seem obvious, self-control is freedom. Controlling our desires means we are free from the effects of Sin, the world’s influence, or heightened emotions. When you don’t punch the mean person, when you don’t eat your fourth cookie, when you don’t cheat when the opportunity presents itself—you have released yourself from the bondage of the forces that wish to control us. Saying “no” isn’t easy, but it brings us true freedom. The Voices of our modern-day culture sing to our youth melodies of sensual pleasures. Sadly, they do not understand that unrestricted freedom is no freedom at all as sin always leads to death. (Romans 6:16; James 1:15) As parents we must constantly speak to our children the truth that it is only when we walk in self-controlled lifestyles, that we get to experience true freedom, for those who are free in Him are free indeed. (John 8:32) Paul, using a metaphor from athletics, urges us to be well-disciplined and have self-control (1 Cor. 9:24-27). We must reign in our body and mind so that we can complete our mission—run to the prize—which is the Kingdom of God. While there are lots of good tricks to learn delayed gratification, only God can teach us to master true Christ-like self-control. When 2 Timothy 1:7 suggests “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” it means that when Christ is in us, we should be pouring out with self-control. There is no better example of self-control than our Master. He displayed self-control all the way to the cross. We must follow after Christ’s example – “Who, did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:22-23). Therefore, saint’s self-control is true freedom, the freedom to choose what we know is good for us. We gain more self-control as we pray for grace and then act on grace. Paul in Titus 2:11-12 states, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” The more often we act on grace and choose wisely, the weaker the grip our old habits have on our lives. We may have setbacks along the way, but more and more we’ll be able to choose self-controlled practices. This kind of self-control is true freedom, and God’s grace makes it more and more available to us, so that gradually we become fully free to make the choices we know will help us grow. The more we learn about God’s desires for us, study the life of Jesus, and let the Spirit dwell in our souls, the better we become at self-control that glorifies God.