“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control…” II Peter 1:6
There are many talented people who have excellent skills and talents but fail to achieve their full potential. The major reason for failure is many do not hold themselves to a strict regiment that leads to success. They don’t devote their time and energy as they should. They don’t do what they know they should do. They know what is required but they have many reasons to do what is necessary later. Peter tells us this is exactly the same with Christian maturity. Maturity starts with a foundation of faith and trust in God. We are to separate ourselves from sin and evil. As we do we hearts and minds
with the knowledge of God. That should be enough, right? We have reached full spiritual maturity. God’s word tells us this is not true. To knowledge we must have yet add another ingredient into the recipe of spiritual maturity – self-control.
It is interesting that God adds self control (or temperance as it is listed in the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5) at this point . When one, out of faith, separates from evil and practices personal holiness while filling their hearts and minds with the knowledge of God, the Holy Spirit fills them the fruit of the Spirit develops. One of these “fruits” is self-control which means having dominion (rule) over our flesh. This begins within a person but radiates outward. In other words this is not someone summoning up super will power from within. This is character produced from within a person by the Spirit of God. Remember sin quenches the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives. When that happens the fruit of self-control to discern and choose between good and evil is hindered.
Self-control is critical for one endure and to grow spiritually. Paul uses the example of an athlete to illustrate this concept of self-control. “Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). Paul tells us the lack of self-control is the reason many are disqualified from serving God. People know the right thing to do but are undisciplined to do it.
What can we learn? Peter wants us to know how important self-control is in the warfare, the battle we fight with Satan, the world and our flesh. Sin tempts our flesh to keep us in bondage (Romans 7:14-21). Satan and the world encourage us to live according to the flesh. Growing in Christ requires that we fight the urge to satisfy our flesh by practicing self-discipline. We cannot do this in our own strength. The power to stand against our enemies comes from the Spirit of God alone. Peter highlights this fruit of the Spirit here for it is produced after we abide in God’s word. The two actions are inseparably linked. Many believers struggle in living their lives for Christ not because they want to fail but because of indifference and complacency about abiding in Christ and God’s word. They have no self-control to resist sin because abiding in God’s word is not that important. They mean well but feel they can always do it later until they lose what could have done for God. Self-control involves doing what we should do and avoiding what we should separate ourselves from. Not developing self-control makes us very inconsistent followers of Christ.