Koine Foundations

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

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Word Focus
self-control
ἐγκράτεια
egkrateia
<Hear It>

I control myself
ἐγκρατεύομαι
egkrateuomai
<Hear It>

In this post I complete the comments about the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit is nine character virtues which result when a Christian’s life is controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. They are spiritual expressions of a life transformed by Jesus Christ. The word focus for this post is the noun self-control – ἐγκράτεια / egkrateia (which is used in Galatians 5:23), and the related verb I control myself – ἐγκρατεύομαι / egkrateuomai.

The virtue of self-control is mastery exercised over one’s emotions, impulses, and desires so that they are not expressed in one’s behavior. It was a virtue that was highly regarded by the ancient Greeks and considered a primary virtue. However, the Biblical virtue of self-control differs in three important ways from the secular Greek idea:

• Biblical self-control is possible because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer, rather than because of mere human willpower. Without God, it cannot be properly exercised by independent self-mastery (Galatians 5:22-23; Galatians 5:16).
• Biblical self-control results from submission to God’s will and commands, which shape one’s desires toward holy living (2 Peter 1:3-11; 1 John 2:15-17).
• Biblical self-control helps believers prepare for service and ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the Apostle Paul describes the athlete who applies self-control in training in order to prepare for competition. In verse 25 he writes:
  
  Everyone who competes as an athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a wreath that perishes, but we do it to receive an imperishable one.
  
  Paul is writing to Christians who lived in the Greek city of Corinth. He uses a sports analogy they would understand. Corinth was the organizer of the Isthmian Games that were held every two years near the city. This athletic competition included chariot races, pankration (unarmed combat similar to modern mixed martial arts), wresting, boxing, and musical and poetry contests in which women could compete. The games were first held in 582 BC and probably ended some time during or after the 4 century AD, meaning they were held for over 900 years! The winner of an event was originally given a crown of dry wild celery, which was changed to a pine wreath in Roman times.
  
  The athlete underwent strict discipline and vigorous training in order to win a perishable prize. In the same way, believers should apply self-control in order to be fit and qualified for service that has eternal results and rewards.

Self-control gives believers the ability to live in a corrupt and immoral world while keeping themselves free from corruption and immorality – keeping passions under control and resisting temptation.

Having reached the end of the list of the Fruit of the Spirit, it is important to repeat that these nine character virtues result when a Christian’s life is controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Christians have a responsibility to allow, and not hinder, the Holy Spirit to produce these virtues in their lives. Practically, this involves reading and studying the Bible, prayer, and regular fellowship with other Christians.

Paul ends the list by saying, “Against such things there is no law.” This could mean either: (1) no law opposes these virtues because they restrain evil, which is the purpose of laws; (2) or that the Mosaic Law is not against these virtues because they fulfill the requirements of the Mosaic Law.

Here are links to all the posts for the Fruit of the Spirit:

Fruit of the Spirit
Love – ἀγάπη / agapē
Joy – χαρά / chara
Peace – εἰρήνη / eirēnē
Patience – μακροθυμία / makrothumia
Kindness – χρηστότης / chrēstotēs
Goodness – ἀγαθωσύνη / agathōsunē
Faithfulness – πίστις / pistis
Gentleness – πραΰτης / praütēs
Self-Control – ἐγκράτεια / egkrateia

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Word Focus Lexicon

Lexical Form: ἡ ἐγκράτεια ἐγκρατείας <Hear It>
Gloss: self-control
Part of Speech: First Declension Feminine Noun
New Testament Frequency: 4
Strong’s Number: G1466 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)

Lexical Form: ἐγκρατεύομαι <Hear It>
Gloss: I control myself
Part of Speech: Middle-Only Verb
New Testament Frequency: 2
Strong’s Number: G1467 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)

Pronunciation Note: When Gamma (γ) is followed by Kappa (κ), such as in the word ἐγκράτεια , the Gamma is pronounced like the ng in sing, and the Kappa is pronounced like the g in go. Click here for a table that shows the Koine era pronunciation of all the alphabet letters.

Unless otherwise noted, English translations of Bible verses are by the author from the Greek text and are not quotations from any copyrighted Bible version or translation.