Self Control (1466) (egkrateia/enkrateia from en = in + kratos = power to rule <> the stem krat- speaks of power or lordship) means literally holding oneself in or the ability to take a grip of oneself. This meaning is essentially that of a modern expression "Get a grip" as the word does speak of the ability to get a grip on oneself, and as discussed below was one the virtues highly regarded by the great secular Greek writers such as Aristotle. Egkrateia has reference to restraining passions and appetites. It points to the inner power to control one's own desires and appetites, and in context is a fruit of "true knowledge" (epignosis [word study]). As with meekness, however, this grace (self control) does not apply to God, Who does not need to restrain Himself for everything He does is perfectly righteous. In His incarnation Christ was the epitome of self-control. He was never tempted or tricked into doing or saying anything that was not consistent with His Father’s will and His own divine nature. Egkrateia refers to self-control especially in the area of one's sexuality (although it by no means is restricted to sexual desire) and the loss of sexual self–control leads to the opposite effect which is immorality and impurity. For example we find idea in secular Greek writings like Xenophon (Mem.i.2, 1) speaking of Socrates, who was (egkratestatos) most temperate as to sexual pleasures and pleasures of the appetite. Here is a secular use of a word related to egkrateia... Philostratus, Gym. 25: The trainer must know whether or not the young athlete is self-controlled or not, ei egkratos kratos, if he is a drinker or a glutton; 52: “If athletes have just yielded to the pleasures of Venus, it is better not to exercise them. Are they perhaps men who will take shameful pleasure rather than wreaths and the proclamations of heralds?” The Theological Lexicon of the NT says that egkrateia is from kratos, “force”; the enkrates is the person who is master of himself; the akrates is the one who cannot contain himself, who is lacking in power. From the time of Socrates, who made enkrateia the basis and foundation of all the virtues, and Aristotle, who distinguished between the perfectly chaste person who knows no impure desires (sophron) and the continent person (enkrates) who feels their power but resists them (Eth. Nic. 7.1–11; pp. 1145a–1152a), this control over impulses and this tempering of the passions are considered among the Greeks as an element of prudence-temperance (sophrosune), and consequently an essential virtue for the honest person. The people of the end-times will not have it (2Ti3:3-note, akrates ); it is not so much that they lead a dissolute life, but rather that they cannot control themselves, and so they no longer act as human beings—they are amoral beings. In the first century ad, self-control is especially a virtue of the religious, who master their passions, and of the leader, who cannot direct others unless he is sui compos. According to Onasander 1.2–3, the first quality of a good general is to be sophron (so as not to be distracted from duty by sensual pleasures) and enkrates, because slavery to the passions would cause him to lose all authority. Among the Essenes, the candidate had to supply evidence of his temperance during a trial period (Josephus, War 2.138; cf. 120: “These men hold temperance and restraint of the passions to be virtues”). It is through temperance that the worshipers of Isis reached God (Plutarch, De Is. et Os. 2), as also the magi and Brahmins (Dio Chrysostom, Or. 49.7; cf. Hippolytus, Haer. 1.24.1–4) or the Egyptian priests after the model of Cheremon (Porphyry, Abst. 4.6–8; cf. A. J. Festugière, Hermès Trismégiste, vol. 1, pp. 30ff.). (Spicq, C., & Ernest, J. D. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. 1:60. Peabody, MA.: Hendrickson) NIDNTT says that... egkrateia denotes more the power and control one has over oneself, whereas sophrosyne (in classic Greek. one of the four cardinal virtues) describes more strongly the proper moderation which does not overstep the set limits. egkrateia and egkratës contain the root krat- which means power or control. egkratës accordingly denotes a man who has power in the physical or intellectual sense (the opposite being akrates). egkrateia is also used absolutely of having power over oneself. It then means self-control in the sense of perseverance, steadfastness or restraint with reference to sexual matters (the opposite being akrasia). The idea of egkrateia is first introduced into ethics by Socrates as one of the chief virtues (cf. Xen., Mem. 1, 54). Plato and Aristotle adopted it in turn. For Plato egkrateia, the control of the sensual drives, is basically a popular expression for sophrosune (cf. Phaedr., 256b; Rep., 403e). According to Aristotle, the one who is egkrates has strong desires but is able to suppress them, whereas the one who is sophron is elevated above all such fierce drives (Magna Moralia, 2, 6, 1203b 13 ff.). Among the Stoics (Stoicism), egkrateia was taken as a sign of human freedom. It was part of being truly human to moderate one’s desires, particularly one’s sexual drive and enjoyment of food and drink. The Neo-Pythagoreans developed a dualistic system: the body must be kept in check through asceticism, so that the soul may rise to God. In making one fit for cultic worship, asceticism also played a large part in the ancient world (Pure, art. aJgnov"). Philo praised egkrateia as transcendence over one’s desires and passions (Spec.Leg., 1, 149, 173; 2, 195; 4, 112). The Essenes at the time of Jesus are known to have recommended celibacy, and also to have lived ascetically in various other ways, e.g. in regard to possessions, food and vigils (Josephus, War, 2, 120, 138, 150; cf. H. Ringgren, The Faith of Qumran, 1963, 139 f., 237 f.). (See further W. Grundmann, TDNT II 340 f.) (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) Wuest says that egkrateia/enkrateia means... holding the passions and desires in hand. The word was used of the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. The Greeks used it of the one who had his sex passions under control. The papyri (Moulton and Milligan) quote the phrase, “a trusty dispenser of continence.” One can see what a blessing the fruit of the Spirit is when it provides the saint with a mastery of his sex passions (Ga 5:23, temperance, egkrateia, self-control)... The Christian is a free moral agent, not a machine, and is expected by God to exercise self-control by a free act of his will, doing this however in the energy which the Holy Spirit supplies to the yielded Christian. It is a happy combination and interworking of the free will of the believer and the grace of God. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos) MacArthur writes that Egkrateia/enkrateia was used of athletes who sought self-discipline and self-restraint, even beating their bodies into submission (cf. 1Co 9:27). They would also abstain from rich foods, wine, and sexual activity in order to focus all their strength and attention on their training regimen. False theology (such as that propounded by the heretics of Peter’s day and discussed in chapters 2 and 3) inevitably divorces faith from conduct because it cannot deliver the soul from sin’s harmful effects and forces its followers to battle for self-control on their own and indulge their lusts (cf. 1Ti 6:3, 4, 5; 2Ti 2:14, 16, 17, 18, 19; 1Jn 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; Jude 16, 17, 18, 19). (MacArthur, J: 2 Peter And Jude. Moody or Logos) Egkrateia is used only 3 times in the NT (Acts 24:25; Gal 5:23; 2Pe 1:6 - no uses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint) and is translated temperance in the KJV and self-control in the NASB. Egkrateia points to an inner power to control one's old desires and cravings (Jas 1:14-note) inherited from Adam (Ro 5:12-note). Sometimes saints forget that even though they have been crucified with Christ (Ga 2:20-note; Ro 6:6-note) and are dead to the power of Sin in their life (Ro 6:11-), the old desires are still latent and able to be activated in our mortal bodies as Paul clearly taught writing... But I say, walk (present imperative) by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh (Gal 5:16-note; cf Ro 6:12, 13-note where the command to not let Sin reign implies that it will still try to reign as king if we let it.) Observe: (1) The old flesh is still an active force the believer must learn to contend with (see Piper's depiction of the flesh as a dragon). (2) Paul outlines the plan for victory over the flesh in this verse: (a) First submit to the Spirit's control and empowerment. This is not a suggestion but a command and calls for a dependence that the believer never outgrows no matter how old we are in Christ! (b) And when we yield to the Spirit we will not submit to the flesh. Caution: Don't "reverse" the order- don't first "try" not to do the things your old flesh is tempting you to carry out (Jas 1:14-note), thinking that if you subdue the flesh you are thereby "walking by the Spirit." Paul stated Spirit first for a reason. If you try to suppress the flesh it is a subtle (or overt depending on what you do) form of legalism and places you under the law which will only arouse the flesh (See Ro 7:5-note). William Barclay writes that... Aristotle distinguishes four states in life. There is sophrosune, in which passion has been entirely subjugated to reason; we might call it perfect temperance. There is akolasia, which is the precise opposite; it is the state in which reason is entirely subjugated to passion; we might call it unbridled lust. In between these two states there is akrasia, in which reason fights but passion prevails; we might call it incontinence. There is egkrateia, in which reason fights against passion and prevails; we call it self-control, or self-mastery. Egkrateia is one of the great Christian virtues; and the place it holds is an example of the realism of the Christian ethic. That ethic does not contemplate a situation in which a man is emasculated of all passion; it envisages a situation in which his passions remain, but are under perfect control and so become his servants, not his tyrants... Plato uses egkrateia of self-mastery. It is the spirit which has mastered its desires and its love of pleasure. It is used of the athlete’s discipline of his body (1Co 9:25 - uses the verbal form egkrateuomai) and of the Christian’s mastery of sex (1Co 7:9 -uses the verbal form egkrateuomai). Secular Greek uses it of the virtue of an Emperor who never lets his private interests influence the government of his people. It is the virtue which makes a man so master of himself that he is fit to be the servant of others. It was Paul’s belief and experience that the Christian died with Christ and rose again to a life, new and clean, in which the evil things of the old self were gone and the lovely things of the Spirit had come to fruition. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos) TDNT writes... 1. This group takes its sense from the stem krat- denoting power or lordship. Thus enkrates means “having power over all things and the self,” enkrateia means “dominion over the self or something,” with the nuances of “steadfastness” and “self-control” (opposite akrasia), and enkrateuesthai means “to compose oneself.” 2. enkrateia is an important term in philosophical ethics. Socrates regards it as a cardinal virtue, and Aristotle and the Stoics discuss it fully, though the latter subordinate it to sophrosune. The idea is that of people who freely control all things, maintaining freedom in self-restraint. 3. Philo has a high regard for enkrateia as superiority expressed in self-restraint. He links it to an asceticism deriving from dualism. The Essenes, too, value it highly, and it has religious significance in the Hermetic writings. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans) The Greek word egkrateia has the idea of to get a grip on one's self and one's passions! Many of the early Christian heresies taught that since the body was evil (they claimed) it was not necessary to curb fleshly lusts, only to think correctly. The writer of proverbs addresses this issue of "self control" writing that He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. (Pr 16:32) Paul uses egkrateia in his appearance before Felix, and in this context apparently referring to self–control in the area of sex. When Paul spoke before Felix and his wife Drusilla, “discussing righteousness, self–control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ‘Go away for the present, and when I find time, I will summon you’ (Acts 24:24,25). Comment: Felix had stolen Drusilla from her former husband and was therefore living with her in an adulterous relationship. The sexual self–control of which Paul spoke pertained to lustful passion and Felix understood what Paul was saying. The message to the governor was that he was living contrary to God’s righteousness by refusing to discipline his sexual desire, and thus was subject to God’s judgment. In Galatians Paul writing of the fruit of the Holy Spirit says that there is no law" against "gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:23-note) Plato uses egkrateia to refer to self-mastery. It is the spirit which has mastered its desires and its love of pleasure. Secular Greek uses egkrateia of the virtue of an Emperor who never lets his private interests influence the government of his people. It is the virtue which makes a man so master of himself that he is fit to be the servant of others. In Peter’s day, self-control was used of athletes who were to be self-restrained and self-disciplined and was crucial to victory in the intense competition of the Olympic Games. Greeks used this term especially to describe one who had his sexual passions under control, but the NT extends the meaning to all areas of life where the discernment between good and evil is important (cf 1Th 5:21, 22). Socrates regarded it as a cardinal virtue and Philo described it as superiority expressed in self-restraint. A Christian is to control the flesh, the passions, and the bodily desires, rather than allowing himself to be controlled by them (1Co 9:24,25, 26, 27). It is critical to understand that self-control is not a legalistic abstinence, but is an attitude only possible by divine enablement. Now because believers are partakers of the divine nature (2Pe 1:4), as our we learn to submit to the Spirit (the fruit of the Spirit is...self-control - Ga 5:22-note; Ga 5:23-note), He empowers us to bear the fruit of self control when we are tempted to commit sin. The believer manifests an exemplary life on the outside because he has chosen to yield to the Spirit’s control on the inside. Self-control means mastering one’s emotions rather than being controlled by them. Lack of self control played a significant role in shameful, dishonorable deeds of the false teachers Peter exposes Chapter 2. Their claims to "liberty" led to licentiousness (cp Jude 1:4) rather than life as it was meant to be lived. These men instead of exhibiting self control were controlled by self, and self's sensuality, greed and fleshly desires. These false teachers believed and taught the damning lie that knowledge freed people from the need to control their passions. Peter stamps as false any "spiritual" doctrine or system that claims that knowledge emancipates men from the obligations of morality. Biblical Christianity says that freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the power to do as you should! Hiebert quotes Barnett on the interrelationship among these traits Where virtue (moral excellence) guided by knowledge, disciplines desire and makes it the servant instead of the master of life, self-control may be said to supplement faith. The OT gives a dramatic picture of self-control where Solomon writes Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit. (Pr 25:28) Comment: The city states of those days were walled for protection from marauders. No wall meant no protection. No self control by analogy means one is wide open to attack from the world, the flesh and the devil! Such a person is an easy victim when attacked by strong desires and impulses. This begs the question -- Are there any breeches in the walls guarding your heart? Men, is there anything you are watching that is questionable? (cp Ro 13:14-note) Remember that when you take time off from "disciplining yourself for godliness" (1Ti 4:7, 8-note) for several weeks you don't just remain static spiritually...just as cessation of physical exercise results in loss of muscle mass, endurance level, readiness level so too the same thing occurs in the spiritual realm. And when you start re-training you're a little sore at first and you definitely aren't at the spiritual level you were at when you took a break. The longer you resist the Holy Spirit, the more difficult it becomes to return to where you should be. John Blanchard has the following quotes on self control (from his excellent resource The Complete Gathered Gold (if you are a pastor looking for excellent quotes, this is the best one I've found to date)... Never expect to govern others until you have learned to govern yourself.-Anon. Conquer yourself and you have conquered the world.-Augustine It is impossible to be a follower of Jesus without giving diligent attention in our lives to the grace of self-control.-Jerry Bridges There is a form of self-control that says 'yes' to what we should do as well as that which says 'no' to what we shouldn't do.-Jerry Bridges The beginning of self-mastery is to be mastered by Christ, to yield to his lordship.-D. G. Kehl True spiritual self-discipline holds believers in bounds but never in bonds; its effect is to enlarge, expand and liberate.-D. G. Kehl The man who disciplines himself stands out and has the mark of greatness upon him. -D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones No man is free who cannot command himself.-Pythagoras (The Complete Gathered Gold A Treasury of Quotations for Christians - Recommended Resource for excellent Christian quotes - the best in my opinion) Wayne Barber discusses "self control" Remember that this self-control arises from and is accompanied by our knowledge which comes out of obedience to the Word of God. It comes right out of that faith that God gives us. The definition of self control means to be able to hold one's self in. 1Co 9:25 Paul is talking about an athlete and how he has to have self-control (Ed Note: not egkrateia but the related verb egkrateuomai) ("And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things..." ) This would include control over his appetite, his temper, his schedule (an athlete needs priorities or he will become undisciplined). If you wanted to play on the basketball team in college, you had to have discipline or self-control. Remember that the definite article ("the" in the Greek) is before each godly characteristic so Peter is talking about the self-control, the very self-control and self-restraint that Jesus had, even as He Himself was tempted as all men are. And yet He gives us access to that same self-control! So that's where the analogy breaks down...it's not human energized self-control Peter is talking about but that which is available by faith (obedience) from Christ in us. The Christian ought to have control over his appetite." Wayne goes on to make the point that when he is in the Word of God, he is a controlled person. "How many diets have you been on? You lose some but then you gain it right back. Remember that Scripture repeatedly links idolatry and immorality (Nu25:1,2). Immorality and a person with an uncontrolled appetite is closely related all the way through Scripture. Believers because of Christ within them, possess the potential to control our temper, to exercise control over our desires, the power to say "no", the power to set godly priorities, the power within us so that we can turn off the television so that we can go to bed early so that we can arise early to be fresh with God in the AM, the self control to get out of bed in the morning to be alone with God, etc. And all of this self-discipline comes out of our faith. We don't have to go to a course or read a book on how to become self-disciplined! That discipline is within us and if we are diligent to see results, then we will see God work it out in our life and move us into His victory." (Bolding added) For additional insights on this issue of self control, you might want to read John Piper article entitled "Fierce Fruit of Self-Control" Barnes writes that temperance or self control... means, properly, self-control, continence. It is derived from en and kratos, strength; and has reference to the power or ascendancy which we have over exciting and evil passions of all kinds. It denotes the self-rule which a man has over the evil propensities of his nature. Our word temperance we use now in a much more limited sense, as referring mainly to abstinence from intoxicating drinks. But the word here used is employed in a much more extended signification. It includes the dominion over all evil propensities; and may denote continence, chastity, self-government, moderation in regard to all indulgences, as well as abstinence from intoxicating drinks. The sense in Gal 5:16 is that the influences of the Holy Spirit on the heart make a man moderate in all indulgences; teach him to restrain his passions, and to govern himself; to control his evil propensities, and to subdue all inordinate affection. The Christian will not only abstain from intoxicating drinks, but from all exciting passions; he will be temperate in his manner of living, and in the government of his temper. This may be applied to temperance properly so called with us; but it should not be limited to that. A Christian must be a temperate man; and if the effect of his religion is not to produce this, it is false and vain. Abstinence from intoxicating drinks, as well as from all improper excitement, is demanded by the very genius of his religion; and on this subject there is no danger of drawing the cords too close....other things being equal, he is the most under the influence of the Spirit of God who is the most thoroughly a man of temperance (self control). (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary) Vine writes that the term... self-control is to be preferred because temperance has been limited in modern times to self-control in a particular direction, whereas enkrateia is self-control in all things; it is the responsibility that attaches to a creature with a will, or power to choose his own course. God in His wisdom has endowed man richly in many directions, and each of his powers is necessarily capable of abuse as well as of use. The right use of this endowment demands the exercise of the will, and this is called self-control; see Acts 24:25 (where “righteousness” = the claims of God upon man, “self-control” = the responsibility of man to respond to those claims, “the judgment to come” = the inevitable day of account, when God shall call upon man to answer for his failure to respond to the divine claims). For man, trusting to his own wisdom and strength, has failed in this as in all other items of the list (referring to Gal 5:22, 23), which, therefore, are possible only as men become the subjects of the operations of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ. Self-control follows knowledge in Peter’s catalogue, 2Peter 1:6, as though to suggest that what the Christian learns he is responsible to put into practice, for the operation of the Spirit in the believer demands the cooperation of the believer himself; only in him who submits to be led by the Spirit can the fruit of the Spirit be borne. (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos) AND IN SELF-CONTROL PERSEVERANCE: en de te egkrateia ten hupomonen: (Ps 37:7; 15" class="scriptRef">Lk 8:15; 21:19; Ro 2:7; 5:3,4; 8:25; 15:4; 2Co 6:4; Col 1:11; 1Th 1:3; 2Th 1:4; 3:5; Heb 6:12,15; 10:36; 12:1; Jas 1:3,4; 5:7, 8, 9, 10; Re 1:9; 2:2; 13:10; 14:12) (See Torrey's Topic "Patience") "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_peter_16-7.htm#Self%20Control