When you are carnal, you are led by your will, lusts, emotions, Te mau mana'o, senses etc., Your flesh rules as king in your life. But when you become a Christian and receive the Holy Spirit, then your flesh and your spirit will war against each other, because the two can’t reign together. It is either the flesh or the spirit. In this blogpost the fruit temperance will be discussed. The fruit temperance plays an important role in the process of sanctification. What does the Bible say about temperance? What does temperance mean?
Your spirit wars against your flesh
During your process of sanctification, through the Word, the Holy Spirit shall confront you with old habits and things in your life, that are carnal and are not good, according to the Word of God. When the Holy Spirit confronts you, it’s up to you, whether you listen to the Holy Spirit, and fight against these habits or things, and remove them out of your life, or that you don’t listen to the Holy Spirit and give into the lust and desires of your flesh and keep these habits or things.
If you make the choice to get rid of them and remove them out of your life, then you won’t have to pray to God about it, and that He will take it from you. He has given you all mana, so that you will have self-control (fruit temperance), and be able to reign over your carnal lusts, Te mau mana'o, compulsions, that will lead you to sin.
What does the fruit temperance mean?
Temperance comes from the Greek Word ‘enkráteia’ (G1466 Strong’s Concordance) and means: self-control (especially continence): – temperance.
When you bear the fruit temperance, then you have self-control over your flesh, and you will be able to retain yourself from the lusts, desires, Te mau mana'o, thoughts, emotions of the flesh, which will lead you to sin and iniquity. You are not led by them anymore, tera râ, you shall reign over them.
Why is temperance needed?
Self-control is needed, so that you will walk after the Spirit instead of walking after the flesh. When you bear the fruit temperance, it means that your flesh has been made subject to the spirit. You shall be able to control your will, emotions, Te mau mana'o, thoughts etc.. You shall not give into any lusts and desires of your senses, emotions, Te mau mana'o, thoughts etc.
During the proces of sanctification, you shall put off your flesh and lay down your will. When you put of the old man, e put on the new man, you will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
Receive His Divine nature
We live in a world, which is full of evil and corruption and therefore full of sins and iniquities. Before you became born again, you lived according to the will, lusts and desires of your flesh. You were part of this evil nature. But now, that you have become a new creation, you have crucified the evil sin nature of man. You have escaped the corruption and the eternal death penalty.
By the baptism with the Holy Spirit you have received His Divine nature. Now, it’s possible to become and walk like your Master Jesus.
The only thing that stands in the way is your flesh; your carnal way of thinking, your thoughts, Te mau mana'o, emotions, your senses, your will, lust and desires.
Therefore you must renew your mind with the Word of God, so that you will get to know the will of God. When you apply the Word of God into your life, and become submissive to the Word, you will walk after the Spirit.
When you walk after the Spirit, your flesh will submit to your spirit. You will bear the fruit temperance and have control over your flesh. Your spirit will reign as king in your life.
The transformation process
The fruit temperance (self-control) plays a big role in this transformation process. Peter writes about it in his letter and says;
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, te mau taea'e, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Pe 1:3-11)
Peter says, that He has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Through the knowledge of Him, that has called us to glory and virtue. He has given us exceeding great and precious promises. By these exceeding great and precious promises, we might become partakers of the Divine nature. We have escaped corruption. The corruption that is in the world through lust.
How to become fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Peter continues and provides us the steps, we need to take as born again Christians. When we apply these steps into our lives, we shall mature spiritually. We shall become fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus, and shall walk like Him.
- add to your faith virtue: By faith a spiritual transformation will take place from the old you to the new you. You will become a new creation. You shall walk in virtue; goodness of your character, which will be shown by your behaviour.
- and to virtue knowledge: To this virtue you shall add knowledge, which you will get by studying the Word of God. Through His Word, you will get to know Him.
- to knowledge temperance: out of the knowledge of Gods Word you shall develop temperance. You shall do the Word and live according to His will
- to temperance patience: temperance is a continuous process. As long as you live on this earth, your flesh will always have the ability to reign in your life again. Therefore you must discipline your flesh. You must temper your flesh and be patience
- and to patience godliness: When you are being patience, you shall walk in godliness and bear the fruit of the Spirit
- to godliness brotherly kindness: You shall walk after the Spirit and shall love your neighbour as yourself
- to brotherly kindness charity: By loving your neighbour, you shall be able to do good and love your enemies.
If you don’t bear the fruit self-control, you will not be able to walk in a self-sacrificial love.
Jesus bore the fruit temperance
One of the best examples in the Bible, about the fruit temperance, is the moment that Jesus was being led to the hall of judgment. While He was being examined and wrongly accused, Jesus didn’t defend Himself. He stayed clam, while He was wrongly accused, punished and sentenced to death.
How many of us would have opened our mouth to defend ourselves, so that we would not be wrongly accused and punished? But Jesus bore it all, without defending Himself in order to prove His innocence.
Jesus reigned over His flesh, so that Gods plan could be fulfilled in His life.
The secret of self-control is to become submissive to the Word and the Holy Spirit and the Word. When the Word is the highest Authority in your life, and you walk after the Spirit, then you shall be able to control your flesh; the lust, desires, Te mau mana'o, thoughts, emotions etc. Instead of letting your flesh; lusts, desires, Te mau mana'o, emotions control you, and eventually ruin your life.
'Ia riro ei miti no te fenua’
