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Living Waters Church, Aug 24 2015
Galatians 5
…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
I was hiking with a friend recently who was recovering from a cold. Even though he’s fit and tried to press on, during our steep ascent he couldn’t catch his breath and became dizzied. Worried he might keel over, we ended up taking more breaks than usual. He just couldn’t go on without sufficient breath. On another hike this summer, this same friend and I missed a trail marker, took a wrong turn and almost lost our bearings on the side of the mountain (we don’t sound like very good hikers, do we?). Eventually we doubled back and found the trail again. Both episodes are a reminder that you need both cardiovascular health, and the right bearing for a hike to go well. The same goes for being Christian. Jesus gives us both our bearing through his own example to follow, and he gives us the capacity in which to walk through his Holy Spirit. Jesus’ example sets our direction, and his Spirit is our breath, fueling our stride.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul’s instruction is to “keep in step with the Spirit”. And Paul, following Jesus’ lead, would never have imagined this as some kind of solo-hike, but something we do together. This doesn’t come easy to us 21st century folks. Soaked in today’s values of hyper-individualism, we might be the first generation of Christians who are surprised to discover that we have not only been given Jesus, but one another too. We share the trail. As we’ve spent time in part of Galatians this summer, Paul reminds us that the harvest, the result, of Jesus’ Spirit among us is deeply communal. It was Jesus’ promise to his followers then, and to us now, that the Holy Spirit would be in and with them to supply what’s needed in order to walk well. The freshly sprouting Jesus communities we read about in Scripture needed the Spirit to produce a harvest of love, joy and peace in their life together. And we need the same watering of the Spirit, breath of the Spirit today in our freshly-sprouting Jesus community.
Over time this translates, with deep trust in the Lord, as well as much trial and error, to a “growing up in every way”, as Paul puts it in Ephesians. Growing up in every way means developing in character. Our character as a community, our characters as individuals, will mature to reflect the character of Jesus. As we follow Jesus’ bearing, and are filled Jesus’ Spirit, we can expect to experience Jesus-like character traits spouting up among us. There will be signs of life which stem from Jesus himself, growing from the watering ofhis Holy Spirit. Put simply, the Holy Spirit cultivates holy character.
What will the result be among us Spirit-walkers along the way? What are the signs of life? Paul describes fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is the harvest we can expect. And what a sight it is! One of my favourite views this time of year is observing the height of the corn fields as the summer progresses. Whizzing by in the car with our girls, I’ll shout, “Look! Corn!”, and I think my enthusiasm is rubbing off, because they’re also get excited to see how much taller the corn has grown week to week.
I feel the same way about our life together. We can also enjoy noticing the harvest of the Spirit among us. It’s exciting and reminds us of Paul’s words elsewhere in 1 Corinthians: someone plants the seed, another person waters it, but God has been making it grow. Every time we notice the harvest of the Spirit among us, we’re seeing the signs of God’s presence among us. We can say to one another: I’ve seen the evidence of God’s presence, not somewhere over there, or heard about it third hand in some supposedly holier place, but I’ve seen it right here in our home, in our friendship, in our church. Look how tall the corn is growing! The harvest of the Spirit – it’s exciting!
Paul’s fruit of the Spirit list is really meant to be taken all together, not overly broken down or isolated. But it’s been this summer helpful investigate the fruit in detail, because it’s all too easy for words like love, kindness or patience to become familiar to the point of cliché, or even to misunderstand them based on our assumptions over against Scripture’s meaning. So we’ve been strolling through a full orchard this summer, so to speak. Next week we’ll hear some concluding reflections, but today we’ll discuss one final aspect of the harvest of the Spirit: self-control.
A Complicated Relationship & Context
Self-control, writes Paul, is evidence of Jesus’ Spirit among us. Now we might have a complicated relationship with this aspect of the harvest of the Spirit. When we come to the words “self-control”, it can feel as though someone has let the air out of the tires. Years ago, there was a comedy on the CBC called Red Green. At one point in each episode, members of an all-male lodge would gather for a meeting and recite the Man’s Prayer: “I’m a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.” What is it about the words self-control which can leave us feeling less than enthused, especially when thinking about walking in the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness – these words can feel enlivening and even aspirational. Last week, for example, we considered gentleness, defined as power under control. Even if gentleness can be challenging, and we certainly need the Spirit to produce it, gentleness has a natural appeal in our day and age. But when thinking an abundant life in the Spirit, we may not be automatically enticed by the words “self-control”.
Of course, our lives only work if to some degree if self-control is at play, and so we may think we know the benefits already. If none of us had any self-control, our gathering today would look very different. But even with a positive view of self-control, those words can still bring to mind a sense of rule keeping to which we begrudgingly feel an expectation to adhere. Why do we have a complicated relationship with self-control? I’d suggest a few reasons.
First, we’re saturated in a time when at least some forms of self-control are not celebrated. We hear a lot more about self-indulgence, both explicitly and implicitly. Almost a hundred years of silky advertising has had an effect. “Go on”, says the commercial, “let yourself loose…”. So self-control may not be so appealing when in society which encourages indulgence at every turn. Self-control a fruit of the Spirit? There goes Paul again, we think, what a kill joy!
Along with this, when self-control is celebrated or prescribed today, it’s often done so as an expression self-help. I am doing self-control for me. Let’s be clear, emotional and physical care and discipline is important for our personal benefit, of course. But just to note that when our society talks about self-control, there tends to be an over emphasis on the self part. And though many examples of self-control will have positive ripple effects for others, we should ask what Paul means by self-control here in Galatians, not to jump to conclusions, applying our assumptions or the latest societal trend. All to say, Paul’s not writing an instruction manual to help us lose a few pounds, or level up our emotional maturity in order to master our life in ninety days. He’s writing a letter to a community, and here discussing what they should expect the Spirit will produce among them. So the first thing we need to remember in that context, perhaps in light of our own, is that self-control is not all about me. We need to understand the purpose of self-control in Spirit-walking together in order to see it rightly. So, what does Paul mean by self-control? And, what makes self-control so important in walking in the Spirit together?
What is self-control (in Galatians 5?)
The language Paul uses here in Galatians means something close to “in-holding”. If we were to translate very literally we might use the word “continence”. That’s not a word we hear often, but do sometimes hear the opposite, “incontinence”. Incontinence is an inability to control the bowls or bladder. Paul’s meaning here relates to self-restraint, or as has been translated, self-control. The fruit of the Spirit will involve something like “in-holding”.
Now, we might be thinking that in-holding sounds unhealthy. Aren’t we supposed to let things out, not bottle them up? A friend of mine is a therapist and works regularly with kids. He likes to tell them that our feelings are a little like what comes out in the bathroom – feelings need to come out some time! And he’s right. Children should learn that feelings are valid and need to be acknowledged and processed. If we don’t ever attend to our feelings, things will get messy later. With that in mind we might ask if the idea of in-holding is bad for us. Surely, we should express ourselves. Does walking in the Spirit mean I can’t be me or express how I feel?
This is where we need to draw a distinction between being attentive to and processing how we feel, and letting loose our every desire. And this is what Paul means by the fruit of the Spirit as self-control. He is not saying we should bottle up our feelings, he’s saying that walking in the Spirit will mean the reasonable control of our desires. So, self-control is not the absence of self-expression. Self-control is the Holy Spirit’s direction of our desires,
The question we might have is, why? And this is where the picture of Spirit-walking together is so crucial. For Paul, self-control, as with the other fruit listed, is produced for the good of others. So self-control is not the absence of self-expression. Self-control is the Holy Spirit’s direction of our desires, for the good of the community,
The image of dog ownership comes to mind. A desire itself may not be a bad thing if it’s directed rightly. But any desire let off leash, running rampant, completely undisciplined, will cause problems for everyone. It puts the neighborhood in danger, not to mention it ruins our homes. And it’s no good to simply follow our desires at a distance shouting, “don’t worry, he’s friendly”. The fact of the matter is, the desire is not under control, and, for a variety of possible outcomes, this could be a problem for everyone.
Earlier in the summer, Kirsten reminded us that the fruit of the Spirit list Paul shares in Galatians has a contrasting earlier list. And it’s a list which sounds unpeaceful, unkind and uncontrolled: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Galatians 5.19-21). A life full of that, is chaos. It’s not just a dog off leash. It’s a pound of dogs unleashed in us, multiplied by every member of the community. That kind of dangerous chaos, writes Paul, is not the fruit of God’s presence among us. Self-control, as Paul is using it here, leads to the opposite of that kind of chaotic existence. Paul says, under Jesus’ authority, with a motivation to love one another as Jesus has loved us, and only by the work the Spirit, our in-holding will help the community not hurt it.
An Example
Let me share an example. I grew up going to church, but I didn’t understand much of this as teenager. As a young man I thought about self-control, particularly sexual self-control, in terms of individual cleanliness and regulation. I just knew there were things I wasn’t supposed to do, and so sexual self-control became about rule following. Breaking the rules might result in punishment eternally, or public shame presently. At least that was the fear. I didn’t think much about why sexual self-control might really matter. So, self-control became about trying to be neat and tidy, so God wouldn’t be grossed out or angry, and he wouldn’t bring it up later. Now, I doubt I’m alone in that experience, and looking back, I didn’t know any better. But this kind of thinking is one dimensional and even misrepresents the gospel. We’re missing some key points. One of them, is understanding that we can’t make ourselves more or less holy, more or less pure by coloring inside the lines, or not. Only Jesus makes us holy through this death and resurrection, and that work, in his words, is finished. And it’s a gift. So whether we draw within the lines or not, it’s only Jesus’ grace which covers, not our best efforts. We needed to hear and understand the heart of the gospel, which frees us from shame, and gives us deep hope.
Self-control, then, is not about earning anything from God or others, or proving anything to God or others. Self-control is a Holy Spirit fueled response to the love of Jesus, by loving others through all facets of our lives. Going back to our example: sexual self-control, then, is an expression of loving others as Jesus has loved us. We love our sisters and brothers, so we don’t take advantage of or use them. And taking advantage of those don’t know with only a thin screen and a few microchips to separate us is also not the way to go, because everyone is made in God’s image, God wants all people to brough into his household, and we’re all more connected than we realize. Self-control is about love. And through Paul is certainly including sexual self-control, this is only one example. All kinds of desires strain within us at times. We need to change our minds from seeing self-control about what rules we’re meant to keep or the fun we think we’re missing out on, and to begin to think about self-control in terms of a holy life together – fueled by the Spirit.
The good news is that in Jesus, by the work of his Spirit, an obsessive, self-severing, shallow existence is swallowed by the abundant love of God. Talk to anyone who has walked away from a life of extreme hedonism and addiction. In sobriety they will tell you that sure, a life off-leash is fun for a while, but it’s not long before the cost far outweighs the benefit. And by that time we’re already trapped, stuck in a cycle of pain and shame which is incredibly hard to break. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes that our bodies are a temple, houses for God’s presence. We do ourselves and others a deep injustice by trashing the temple, which has been made to house the loving, renewing, peacemaking, presence of the LORD God Almighty. Because a total lack of self-restraint results in chaos and slavery. That’s what sin does, before it kills us. Jesus breaks that cycle, bringing us out of bondage and into freedom; out of chaos and into peace. Self-control under the power of the Spirit, is walking in step with the Spirit, where we find life, and not death. Self-control is not the absence of self-expression. Self-control is the Holy Spirit’s direction of our desires, for the good of the community, ourselves included.
Life to the full
As I said at the start, it’s possible we’ve got a complicated relationship with the words “self-control”, again for a variety of reasons. But today, let’s not take on the heavy expectations of those words as we may have heard them in the past. Instead, let’s take in the life of God, given only by Jesus, rushing in through the Spirit among us. Let’s return to that picture of walking in step with the Spirit. We need Jesus’ bearing, his example. And we need his breath, his Spirit in us to give us the capacity to love one another just as he has loved us.
Last week we held a memorial for Ann Halsey, who was the oldest member of our church – she lived to 103. Ann took Jesus’ words in John 10 seriously when he said, “I have come that they would have life and have it to the full”. When someone lives to 103 it’s natural to marvel at the amount of life enjoyed. Ann got more of life, and the volume is certainly impressive.
But Ann also got more of a certain kind of life a life to the full life. It’s a reminder that quality, even more so than quantity, is where we too might direct our attention. And the quality of Ann’s life, her character, was on full display through story after story shared in that memorial. At one point six of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren got up and reflected on their experience of Ann. Each of them marvelled at her deep love, patience and faithfulness. At one point, one of the grandchildren said, “You know the more I think about it, the more I realize that my grandmother’s life was simply filled with the fruit of the Spirit.”
As we all sat there, everyone saying the same things for this woman, it was clear that a life like that did not spring up all on its own. Nor did it come from mere rule keeping or strain or human effort. It was fed by the river of God’s Spirit from which Ann drank deeply. That river’s source, the headwaters, is Jesus himself. Those same waters run freely and are open to us now.
Luke Knight 