Morning Moments

TEMPERANCE

When the Apostle Paul reasoned with Felix, he did so on the basis of three essential things: righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. We know that reasoning regarding righteousness would involve right standing with God and judgment to come would involve ultimate accountability to God for one’s life. The third thing Paul reasoned with him with him about was temperance.


We often think of temperance in terms of eating. When one eats moderate portions of food we think of them as being temperate, but the meaning of the word in Classical Greek goes far beyond that and should still carry a weightier meaning in our day.


This word is very important in Greek ethical philosophy. The Stoics understood the concept as someone having control over all things and maintaining personal freedom in spite of anything which sought to deprive him of it. For Philo, a Jewish philosopher in Egypt during the time of Christ, the word signifies restraint in relation to bodily desires, especially sex, food, or idle chatter. The concept was also important to the Essenes, a Jewish sect in Palestine during the time of Christ. The Essenes stressed absolute purity of life, abstaining from sex, and following a rigid dietary regimen. Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “1459. ἐγκράτεια,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Delta-Epsilon, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991)

There are certainly normal, natural, and God given appetites all of us possess which sustain us legitimately, but when those appetites possess us rather than our possess them they become a problem. Whatever about us that become “out of control” must be recognized and dealt with immediately. It is not my obligation to dictate to another the “amount” of food to eat anymore than it is my obligation to dictate to another married couple how often to have sex with each other. But it is our obligation as believers to remind one another of the need for “restraint”. One may overdo anything from speech to service. One may actually “get in another’s way” with good intentions of serving. One may actually keep another from a blessing or hinder another’s growth in a certain area. That is why our personal moderation, self-control, or temperance over all is so important.

Let’s watch out for each other but be sensitive to the Spirit about our “moderation”.

BLESSINGS!