August 11

“But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control.” Galatians 5:22

The end of this list, and thus the summit of a Christian’s spiritual walk, is self-control. What commonly is spoken of as the Holy Spirit’s government of us does not mean that he directly controls any part of us. That misunderstanding has lured Christians into passivity, or worse, deception, the end of which road is despair. But if we know that the Spirit is to lead man to the place of self-control, we are on the way to progress in spiritual life.

As believers, it is through our renewed will that the Holy Spirit rules. God’s object in creation was to have man with a perfectly free volition, and his purpose in redemption is no different. The Christian is not obliged to obey God mechanically; instead his is the privilege of fulfilling God’s desires willingly and actively. We are perfectly free to choose or reject the various charges in the New Testament concerning life and godliness. They would mean nothing if God were to annihilate the operation of our own wills. The choice is ours: flesh or Spirit? And the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.