Temperance 1.2 - By Doc Rick Flanders

Two Views of Temperance

In I Corinthians 9 and Galatians 5 we see two views of temperance. Both of them are Biblical, and both of them are correct, although they seem to be in conflict. This is one of those wonderful paradoxes we find in the Word of God, mysterious contrasts in truth that, through close examination and meditation, reveal greater truth.

We are told in I Corinthians to exercise temperance in order to gain eternal rewards. Temperance is exercised by keeping our bodies in subjection to our minds. Other than God, the most important person to obey is oneself! Yet most people find it difficult to obey themselves all the time. The one who sets the alarm clock to wake himself up at a set time is the one who turns it off in the morning so that he can sleep later. Who set the alarm? You did. Who ignored or disobeyed the order to get up at that time? It was you. You wouldn't obey yourself. Failure in life can usually be traced to rebellion against one's own decisions! Unkept schedules, deadlines, and appointments undermine our credibility, and they arise out of failure to subject ourselves to ourselves. Budgets are blown and promises are broken for the same reason. There is real good in training ourselves to obey ourselves through doing the disliked task first or setting up exercises in self-discipline. Proverbs 16:32 says, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

The Galatians 5 view of temperance is connected to the teaching of the New Testament that living the Christian life is actually letting Christ live through us. This teaching is easy to find in Galatians. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (2:20) "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (3:2-3) "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (5:16)

We live for Christ by telling Him, "I can't, but you can." We cast away confidence in the flesh, and walk by faith in His indwelling Spirit. The Christian life is a supernatural life, not produced by determination and self-effort. But we read again the words of I Corinthians 9:24-27, and ask, "Which is it? Self-control or God-control?" The question of temperance is at the heart of our questions about the Christian life!