Self control

The final fruit of the Spirit is Self control. Self control involves three things

Mind

Heart

Body

Mind

“Let the mind of the master be the master of your mind.”

Source Unknown.

Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus

Romans 8:5–7 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Romans 12:1–2 (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 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. 2 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.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV)

16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord

so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Heart

According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.

The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word “soul” could not be substituted for “heart.”

The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Gen. 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matt. 12:34; 15:18; comp. Eccl. 8:11; Ps. 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Ps. 51:10–14), before a man can willingly obey God.

The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Ps. 95:8; Prov. 28:14; 2 Chr. 36:13). “Hardness of heart evidences itself by light views of sin; partial acknowledgment and confession of it; pride and conceit; ingratitude; unconcern about the word and ordinances of God; inattention to divine providences; stifling convictions of conscience; shunning reproof; presumption, and general ignorance of divine things.”

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 316–317.

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

23 Above all else, guard your heart,

for everything you do flows from it.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Body

Greek expression: sōma

Pronunciation: SOH muh

Strong’s Number: 4983

KEY VERSES

Mark 14:22; Romans 6:6, Romans 12; 8:23; Philippians 3:21

In the Bible, the Greek word sōma, or “body,” is used in several different ways, including metaphorical and theological expressions. In its most basic definition, the Greek word for “body” denotes the physical entity that encases our soul. For example, Jesus said not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear those who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28).

The term “body” is also used metaphorically. Jesus spoke of His own body with reference to the bread of the new covenant: “This is My body.” And then he added—with the cup of wine in His hand: “This is My blood” (Mark 14:22–24). These terms, derived from the Old Testament sacrificial system, were intended to underscore the sacrificial significance of Jesus’ death. Under both the old and new covenants, a real, physical life was offered to God in death.

The apostle Paul made the term “body” a fundamental reference in the understanding of Christian experience. Most of the New Testament references to “body” are found in his letters. For example, in Romans 6:6, Paul spoke of a “body of sin.” The phrase does not mean that the body itself is sinful, as though sin is in some way connected to physical matter. Rather, the phrase refers to the physical life of human beings—life on earth—which is dominated by sin’s influence. To link sin with the body is only to recognize that human beings in their earthly life are inherently sinful.

When unbelievers convert to a belief in Christ, Paul said that they experience not only the “saving of the soul” but also the transformation of their lives. They have died to sin and have been freed from sin’s bondage. He wrote, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts” (Rom. 6:12, NASB). Righteousness, not sin, is to govern a Christian’s physical experience. The lives of believers are to be characterized by holiness. Believers are in the world (John 17:11) and are to live for God in the world (that is, in their bodily existence); but they are not to be indifferent to the world.

Physical, earthly life takes on new significance when people become believers in Christ. Paul told Christians to present their bodies as a “living sacrifice” to God (Rom. 12:1). Paul did not deprecate earthly existence, but saw that in Christ the body had new potential. Jesus said, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19, NASB). “Body” means one’s whole physical, earthly existence. Paul also anticipated an ultimate transformation of life in the body through Christ. We will be redeemed and physically transformed—given new bodies to be like Jesus’ glorious body (Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:21).

Eugene E. Carpenter and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 239.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 602.

Genesis 39:7-12 Joseph

David: 1Sa 24:1-7; 26:7-12; 2Sa 16:9-10

Job: Job 31:1,30

Jesus Christ: Isa 53:7 the servant, understood in the NT as a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ; Mk 14:61; Mt 27:27-30

Paul: 1Co 4:12-13; 9:24-27