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But the fruit of the Spirit is...temperance: against such there is no law.
(Gal. 5:22-23)
The English word temperance in Galatians 5:23 is a translation of the Greek word egkrateia (eng-krat'-i-ah), meaning "self-control" or "continence." This word egkrateia is derived from kratos, "strength," which is the Greek word translated power in the second half of Ephesians 1:19:
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
(Eph. 1:19-20)
The same strength and power that raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him in heaven is available to us believers today as a fruit of the Spirit which we may cultivate and thereby develop in our individual lives. The fruit of self-control will enable us to crucify the flesh and thereby fulfill Galatians 5:24: And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

God would not demand of His children that which would be impossible for them to fulfill. He never intended for believers to overcome the flesh by their flesh. Rather, God has provided His children with a supernatural seed of strength and self-control.

That seed only requires cultivation in order for it to produce overcoming power by the Spirit. This power will surpass all previous, unsuccessful attempts at self-improvement. It will overcome any area of lust in the individual lives of those Christians who possess and apply it.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 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 so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

But I keep my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
(1 Cor. 9:4-27)
The believer who is striving for mastery—that is, who is striving to be what God expects of him—must be temperate in all things. This involves bringing the physical body into subjection. Subjection in verse 27 is a translation of the Greek word doulagugeo (doo'-lag-ogue-eh'-o), which Strong tells us comes from a combination of two Greek words meaning "to be a slave-driver, i.e. to enslave-bring into subjection."

In order to live up to the expectations of God, a believer must have so much control over his body that hit becomes his slave. Since a slave has no legal rights and is bound by law to obey his master, a body brought into subjection must be obedient to its owner. When the Spirit of God dominates a person, He demands of that person self-control. As a result, he will crucify the affections and lust of the flesh that war against the Spirit.

According to Paul, the result of not bringing the body into subjection is to become a "castaway." The Greek word tranlated castaway in 1 Corinthians 9:27 is adokimos (ad-ok'-ee-mos) which Strong defines as: "unapproved, i.e rejected; ...worthless:...reprobate."

Because of a lack of self-control, many believers have become worthless "castaways"; they have dropped out of the race for the incorruptible crown.

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness....Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Wherefore let him that drinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
(1 Cor. 10:1-12)
These things happened to Israel that they might be an example for believers today. Thus, we Christians need to examine carefully this portion of scripture to discover why the children of Israel were overcome in the wilderness. Generally speaking, they were overcome by the lust of the flesh with its affections and desires (v. 6).

Although they experienced such mighty manifestations from God as the parting of the Red Sea, although they took part in the eating of the spiritual meat and drinking from the spiritual Rock, which was Christ, they had no self-control.

Therefore, they displeased God because they allowed themselves to be overcome of their own lusts during their trials in the wilderness.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
(1 Cor. 10:13)
In this verse we see that all of mortal creation experiences temptation. Since no one will ever mature in the place he is no longer tempted, sin does not lie in the temptation itself but in yielding to that temptation. So, even though the children of Israel experienced such miraculous, supernatural intervention in their lives, they displeased God, not because they were tempted but because they allowed themselves to fall prey to their fleshly desires.

Source: A Call For Character by Greg Zoschak
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Greg Zoschak
Web site: Greg Zoschak
 
Greg Zoschak's lifelong ambition was to become a professional football player, and became born again through the influence of his high school coach. Years later, Greg began to feel a call to the ministry, but football kept tugging at him as well. A motorcycle accident later on forced him to discontinue his pursuit of football; at that time, his ambitions began to change and pull him toward God.
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