Self-Control (1)

(From devotionals at work)

"...make every effort to supplement ...knowledge with self-control..." -2 Peter 1:8

"...in order to pass to the divine union of love of God (for not all pass habitually thereto, but only the smallest number), it is wont to be accompanied by formidable trials and temptations of sense, which last for a long time, albeit longer in some than in others." -St. John of the Cross

So far we have looked at faith, virtue, and knowledge, and their interdependence and support of one another in sequence. Today we consider "self-control." The English term is unfortunate, though it is hard to find an equivalent to the Greek enkrateia in our language. The fact is, there is nothing of "self" in it. Literally, it means "strength within." In classical Greek it dealt mostly with overcoming the temptation of sexual sin, but in the New Testament it covers a broader range, including sins like rage and pride. Its emphasis is on the moment--the capacity to reject a temptation when it immediately occurs. So we can best translate it as "the Spirit given inner strength to withstand a temptation on the spot."

In The Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the cross spends some time dealing with the seven sins of the flesh: lust, greed, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride; and with an interesting twist, reveals that each of the seven are "spiritual" temptations as well. It is possible to turn valid spiritual experiences into self-centered gluttony, and spiritual gifts into reasons for prideful boasting. It is possible to envy a more "spiritual" Christian, etc. The point is that temptation is remorseless and comes in all forms. Here are some suggestions about how to overcome temptation:

First, the goal of Satan's assaults on us is to get us off our "default" position in Christ, to make us think there are things more fulfilling than He Himself, that we must protect ourselves, or seize what we feel He is withholding from us. That is why knowledge precedes enkrateia in Peter's list. God gives us times of rest in order to settle who we are and what Christ has done for us and in us before the chaos of temptation and testing.

Second, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God always provides a way out of temptation. The Greek term can be translated "up and out," meaning that looking to Christ and to the power of the Spirit brings a "cure by diversion."

Third, be aware of situations in your life that engender weakness in our default position. That position belongs to the finished work of Christ, and is immovable. But the enemy wants to shake our faith in that finished work. Prosperity can be a trap that creates false security (Hezekiah). Adversity can create discontent, irritation, and the desire to run away (Jonah). A wrong perception of what is doing in the church at large can bring discouragement (Nehemiah). An awareness that God uses suffering to sanctify us can bring bitterness (Jacob). Fourth, remember that the power to overcome temptation is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Next week we will relate self-control and knowledge.

Virtue and Knowledge (2)

(From devotionals at work)

"...make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge..." -2 Peter 1:5

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." -Romans 10:2

Just as virtue sets goals and boundaries for faith, so knowledge delivers the believer from converting virtue into self-centered pride and perfectionism. It does this in three ways.

First, knowledge (both of the Bible and theology) informs us that moral change (sanctification) is synergistic: that is, God and man work together in the transformation of the Christian's life. Knowledge keeps us in the balance of the two. To believe that change occurs in our lives by our work alone leads to legalism, life lived by a set of laws. On the other hand, to stress that change is only God's work creates spiritual passivity and irresponsibility. "Let go and let God" is not a biblical concept.

Second, biblical knowledge teaches us that change is a process, and that it often involves suffering ("It's through many tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God"). While that knowledge may be disappointing to some, it delivers us from perfectionist theologies: "manifested sons," total sanctification, and extreme faith walk teaching included.

Third, biblical knowledge helps us understand God's goal and purpose in our lives, which act like a fence to keep us from wandering into spiritual pride because we are growing as Christians. Remember that God's purpose for all of us is to be made into the image of Jesus. We're kidding ourselves if we think the process that gets us there will be easy. Another goal is love within the context of a community, which means that we both help each other and irritate each other into constant change. And, finally, the ultimate goal of lives, and that of all creation, is the glory of God, not of ourselves.

Finally, just as virtue ( or change) can get off its biblical base without knowledge, we need to remember that the opposite is also a danger. It is possible for the Christian to become proud of knowledge, or pursue it without grounding it first in virtue, which is its support. What evolves, in that case, is a cold intellectualism or faith in what one knows instead of faith in the finished work of Christ.

Next: Knowledge and Self-control.

Knowledge (1)

(From a devotional study of 2 Peter 1:5-7)

"...make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge..." 2 Peter 1:5

"...Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." -Colossians 2:3

The New testament word "knowledge" that is used here is roughly equivalent to its English usage. It means to perceive something intellectually, and to ascertain facts. It can also be relational to its object; in that case we call in "understanding." A simple definition would be "the comprehension of facts."

But knowledge is not static. Because God is infinite, our knowledge of Him continues to grow, and that knowledge often increases through crises and the stresses of change. Theologian Jim Jordan once referred to these shifts as "stage conversions." A child may have a true knowledge of Jesus, but as he hits his teen years he enters into a spiritual crisis, both because he is encountering emotional and physical change, but also because he is jettisoning anything he considers childish, including a child's God. The emotional teen-age phase evolves into the intellectual consciousness of the late teens and early twenties (this is the age at which members often turn away from the church), and the college age phase moves into the "I have a job and 2.5 children and too many responsibilities to either feel or think" phase. This process renews about every ten years in the American Christian, who only moves safely through these crises by allowing his knowledge of God to grow and match his own inner expansion.

Aside from the secret, inner work of the Holy Spirit, there are two ways that knowledge of God increases in the Christian. They both require a certain amount of self-discipline. The first is the study of the Scriptures. There is some controversy about this today because of the multiplicity of interpretations about what the Bible says. I would suggest a couple of starting points. One is the practice of contextualization, answering the questions, "Why did the author write this?" "How did his readers understand it?" "How does it apply to contemporary life?" The problem for most of us is that contextualization requires work. The other is the practice of humility. Ultimately God has to open our minds to His Word, and we cannot approach the Bible without a sense of wonder and an awareness of our own capacity to misunderstand. The writer of Psalm 119 said, "I will run in the way of Thy commandments when Thou enlargest my understanding." Bible study is more like mining for gold with an experienced mentor. The Word plus the Spirit equals Life.

The second way that our knowledge of God increases is through other people, primarily the local church. The study of the Bible is a group effort. People with different gifts will bring different perspectives. Don't forget to include old dead guys either. Most biblical truth has been exposited in the past, and stated better and more accurately than modern writers do. This includes reading Christians from other traditions. This of course, requires work.

Next time: how knowledge and virtue relate.