Bjcorbin's Blog

I believe that anyone who has raised a child would attest to the fact that babies are completely self-centered.  When they are hungry, tired, bored, cold… they will let you know with no regard for the situation or those around them.  As toddlers, they continue to want what they want, when they want it, the way they want it. 

They don’t naturally share well, they often feel as though they are being treated unfairly, and they are prone to jealousy and tantrums.  When they are hurt by a playmate, they regularly assume that it was done “on purpose” and they easily become competitive and manipulative with one another. 

I believe that much like an unfinished/untreated piece of wood, this is a picture of our unvarnished human nature.  Before we learn what is acceptable or what works or what is right, this is who we are at our core.  And without a conscious and consistent effort to grow beyond these traits, this is our default position.  I don’t sense that we need to choose these things, we simply need to let go of the proverbial rope, and this is where we’ll naturally fall back to.

In theory, we grow out of this phase as we get older, but not necessarily.  The Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things (1Cor.13:11)”.  Part of putting away childish things is the development of self-control (Gal.5:22-23).

It is a frustrating aspect of human nature that we are prone to try to control things that God has not given us authority over; while forsaking the one thing He has given us charge of.  The scripture warns that there is a way that naturally seems right to a man, but that it ultimately leads to death (Prov.14:12). 

In a culture that celebrates the idea of casting off all restraint, it is not surprising that the issue of “self-control” (Gal.5:22-23) is rarely addressed in the western church.  Yet, without it we are unlikely to walk in the fulness of the things God has called us to. 

Listed below are just some of the scriptures that require us to exercise self-control.

• (Luke 9:23)  Deny yourself and take up your cross daily to follow Him.
• (Luke 6:31) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• (James 1:19) Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
• (Exodus 20:17) Do not covet thy neighbor’s house, wife, servants, ox or anything else.
• (Pro.6:16-19) Don’t lie, don’t be arrogant, don’t create division.
• (Rom.1:29) Don’t envy or gossip.
• (Phil.2:3-4) Esteem others above yourself.
• (Luke 6:37)  Don’t judge others.
• (2 Cor.10:5) Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.
• (Col.2:8)  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies, which depend on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
• (Rom.12:17)  Do not repay evil for evil.
• (Matt.6:14-15)  Forgive others
• (Rom.12::18)  As far as it depends on you, live in peace with others.
• (2Cor.4:18)  Don’t fix your eyes on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
• (2Cor.9:7)  Be a cheerful giver.
• (Matt.5:43-44)  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
• (Matt.7:5)  Take the log out of your own eye before looking for the speck in your brother’s eye.
• (Phil.4:8)  Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
• (Heb.12:2)  Fix your eyes on Jesus
• (John 13:34)  Love others as God loves us.
• (John 15:4-8)  Abide in the vine
• (1Pet.4:13)  Rejoice when you share in Christ’s sufferings.

None of these things come naturally to us and without some type of commitment to the transformation process we are unlikely to walk in any of them.  Scripture admonishes us to be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but that is ultimately a choice which must be made daily.  Paul speaks of the war between the flesh and the spirit (Gal.5:17-25), and that is also a battle that we must engage in minute by minute.

We are fond of declaring ourselves as, “saved, sanctified and going to heaven” but this implies that all the work has been done, and that we are simply waiting on the bus to heaven.  But the scripture does not support this illusion.  The fall of so many gifted and called leaders within the church is evidence that we have grossly underestimated the power of our flesh and correspondingly overestimated our sense of spiritual maturity.

As with all things, Christ is our model and He demonstrated the way for us.  Here are just a few examples of His self-control:

• Jesus got frustrated, but sinned not (Mark 8:17-21, Luke 9:41, Matt.26;36-46, Matt.16:23, Matt.17:17)
• (Phil.2:6-11) Jesus didn’t consider equity with God to be a thing to be grasped or used to His advantage.
• (Matt.26.53) Jesus acknowledged that He could have had His Father dispatch 12 legions of angels, but He forfeited that right in order to serve His Father’s purposes
• (John 5:19) Jesus refused to act without the Father’s specific guidance.
• (Heb.5:8) Jesus engaged in the process of becoming obedient through suffering
• (Matt. 26:36-46) Jesus agonized over the crucifixion, yet surrendered His will to the Father’s
• (Mark 14:53-65)  Before His accusers, Jesus remained silent
• (Heb.12:2) Jesus endured the cross even though He “despised” it’s shame.

Repeatedly we see Jesus yield the natural tendencies that come with sharing in our humanity, so that He might reflect and magnify the heart of the Father.  His representation was so faithful that at the end of His ministry He was able to say, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9).” And now He has placed that mantle upon our shoulders, as it is Christ in us that is the hope of His glory (Col.1:27).  If we are not willing to die, we have no claim to His resurrection power (John 12:24).