Bible Brief: Self-Control
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).
Every act of sin involves two things: an imperfect love for God (Matthew 5:43-48, none of us loves perfectly), and a breakdown, somewhere, in self-control. Self-control is one of the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23), and also included in Peter’s catalogue of so-called “Christian graces” (II Peter 1:5-7). Every Christian, at least occasionally, discovers that what we want to do and what we actually do are two different things. The spirit indeed may be willing, but too often our rotten flesh is weak and gets in the way.
This is why Christian fellowship is so vital—being around people who will encourage us to do good, not evil. All of us are plagued with temptation, and we need God, and other Christians’ aid, in resisting. But when our companions are evil, and the whole society encourages degenerate behavior, self-control becomes virtually impossible for those who want to sin anyway. Homosexuality and transgenderism are probably the two best examples of such in American society today. God didn’t make homosexuals any more than He made adulterers, thieves, liars, or murderers. Every act of homosexuality (like every other sin) is an act of deficient love for God and temporarily absent self-control.
Even Plato said the greatest victory a man can have is to conquer himself. That is the wisdom of the ages, simply confirmed by the Lord Jesus.