What Is Integrity as a "Lifestyle" Today?
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At Search 4 Truth, we are dedicated to providing you with valuable insights and knowledge about the truth found in the Bible. Our research, historical context, and Holy Scripture are combined to bring you a deeper understanding of biblical truths.
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This is where our journey begins. Get to know our business and what we do, and how we're committed to quality and great service. Join us as we grow and succeed together. We're glad you're here to be a part of our story.
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From modest beginnings, we've grown through unwavering dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement. Each step has reinforced our core belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of integrity. We're passionate about what we do, and we're excited to share our story with you.
The Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control Pt. 1
Events are not really out of control because God is still on His throne. The apostle Paul teaches in Acts 17:26, "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." Job agrees:
He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man. (Job 12:23-25)
Does a drunken man exhibit much control? No, but in this example, TMH is manipulating events and men are powerless, though they try to turn aside His plans (see Psalm 2).
We are privileged to live when events—far beyond even nations to control and of vast importance to the outworking of His purpose—are being maneuvered into position. Most assuredly, The Most High God is deeply involved. His dominion is over all creation, but for the present time He has appointed Satan and his demons, the principalities and powers of this age, to rule over earth (Ephesians 6:12).
Have you ever lamented the fact that this world seems out of control?
Partly because of rapid transportation and technology and communication, events seem to occur so rapidly that they tumble one upon another. In our minds we are carried furiously along in their current, unable to conclude one event before another one hammers away at us for attention. A number of years ago, when it seemed that this world's major powers were careening pell-mell toward a nuclear showdown, we frequently heard the cry, "Stop the world, I want to get off!" Today, major economic crises have overrun several major nations, and like gigantic tidal waves they seem to be sweeping toward the shores of Western nations, which seem powerless to control their inevitable advance.
As we approach His return, Satan has designed ways of life that are fast-paced, spiced by a complicated array of sense-appealing entertainments, fashions, and gadgets, and filled with a confusing mix of educational, economic, religious and political systems. These lifestyles are in a constant whirl and lived on the edge of disaster. No one has time any more to meditate on how to gain control over his life.
Are we also allowing ourselves to be swept along on the crest of this surging tide of worldliness? Perhaps this is why Satan has created such a system.
Cannot Stop the Tides
We will never control some things. We cannot stop the tides from going in or out. As much as some would like, we cannot control the weather so that it will not rain on our parade. We must admit that there is far more over which we exercise no control than that which we do. God does not require that we try to control what is beyond us or that we fret because they are beyond us. Some things in life we must learn to accept peacefully, yield to and work our way through. Otherwise, we could find ourselves "beating our heads against a wall" and driving ourselves into the psychological imbalance of always seeing ourselves as victims.
It is sometimes surprising how little control we have over other people—even in our families, our own flesh-and-blood children we have reared from birth. We as parents are often shocked by our children's behavior, especially of their teenagers/adults, whom they thought they had trained well. Many have discovered that merely telling their children what they can or cannot do—accompanied by warnings of dire punishment—is not enough to control their behavior when the children find themselves under pressure in a situation.
The supreme irony is when we realize how little control, we exercise over ourselves. We find ourselves enslaved, even addicted, to habits created and engraved on our character over years of practice. This discovery can be a devastating, humbling blow to the ego.
It occurred for me after an intense study of The Most High God's standard of thinking, speaking, and behaving in contrast to the fashion of the world I had willingly and, in many cases, thoughtlessly followed. Once, there was no fear of God before our eyes, but when He begins to come into focus in our mind's eye, and we care what He thinks about us, then we begin to be concerned about controlling ourselves.
Self-control is the ninth and last of the fruits of the Spirit listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. Though it is listed last, there can be no doubt about its importance to Believers living. Can a Believers be uncontrolled in his manner of life and still be a Believer? Hardly! Sons of God, as exemplified by Yahusuah and the apostles, are models of lives controlled under the guiding hand of The Most High God without relinquishing their free moral agency.
What Self-Control Means
In Galatians 5:23, "self-control" (temperance, KJV) is the translation of the Greek word enkrateia, which means "possessing power, strong, having mastery or possession of, continent, self-controlled" (Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, "Galatians," p. 160). Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament adds that it means "holding in hand the passions and desires" (vol. IV, p. 168). The word thus refers to the mastery of one's desires and impulses and does not in itself refer to the control of any specific desire or impulse. If a particular desire or impulse is meant, the context will indicate it.
Self-control is comprehensive in practical application to life, but the Bible does not use the word extensively. It is implied, however, in many exhortations to obedience, submission and sinless living. The noun form is used only three times, the verb form twice (I Corinthians 7:9; 9:25) and the adjective form once (Titus 1:8). The negative form of the adjective is used three times. In II Timothy 3:3, it is translated "without self-control [incontinent, KJV]"; in Matthew 23:25, "self-indulgent [excess, KJV]"; and in I Corinthians 7:5, "lack of self-control [incontinency, KJV]."
Another Greek word, nephalios, has the same general meaning, but it covers a more specific area of self-control. It is often translated as "temperate" or "sober." Even though its root condemns self-indulgence in all forms, the Bible's writers use it to refer to avoiding drunkenness.
Despite self-control's obvious importance, we should not limit our understanding of these words to merely the stringent discipline of the individual's passions and appetites. These words also include the notions of having good sense, sober wisdom, moderation and soundness of mind as contrasted to insanity.
We see a good example of self-control implied in Proverbs 25:28: "Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls." No specific Hebrew word in this sentence means "self-control," but "rule" certainly implies it. In its comments on this verse, the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible states:
The picture is that of a city whose walls have been so nearly destroyed as to be without defense against an enemy; so is the man who has no restraint over his spirit, the source of man's passionate energies. He has no defense against anger, lust, and the other unbridled emotions that destroy the personality. (vol. 4, p. 267)
Proverbs 16:32 shows a more positive side of self-control: "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Here Solomon uses an entirely different word for "rule," but the sense of self-control remains. A comparison of the two proverbs reveals the immense importance of self-control as both an offensive and defensive attribute.
Undoubtedly, self-denial, self-sacrifice and self-control are inextricably linked in the Believers life; each is part of our duty to God. Yet human nature exerts a persistent and sometimes extraordinarily strong force away from TMH, as Romans 8:7 clearly shows: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against Yah; for it is not subject to the law of Yah, nor indeed can be." It is this force that each Believer must overcome. Controlling ourselves, denying human nature its impulse to satisfy its desire, and even sacrificing ourselves are necessary if we are to stop sinning as a way of life. When we add the concepts of self-denial and self-sacrifice to our understanding of self-control, we can see more easily how large a role self-control plays in the Bible.
The Fruit of The Spirit Pt. 3
Present Your Bodies: Week Three
In Romans 12:1-2, Paul comes at this issue from a somewhat different angle, one that comes into play in the individual choices we make during the course of a day:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Yah, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Yah, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Yah.
His exhortation is especially interesting in light of what precedes it. Chapter 11 concludes a lengthy dissertation on the doctrinal foundation of Christianity, showing the central importance of faith and grace. Instruction in the practical aspect of Christianity begins with chapter 12. The two sections are linked by the word "therefore." By this, Paul demonstrates that Believers living is inseparably bound to Believers belief. Faith without works is dead and works without the correct belief system is vanity. Wrong thinking cannot lead to right doing.
If a person drinks in the spirit of Paul's doctrinal teaching in the first eleven chapters, he will present his body a living sacrifice and renew the spirit of his mind. Thus, outwardly, and inwardly he will be on his way toward Yah's ideal for human conduct. All the virtues produced from this change will begin to grow and manifest themselves in his life. Self-surrender and its companion, self-control, are inseparable parts of this command.
Paul uses the metaphor of sacrifice throughout verse 1 to reinforce both similarities with and contrasts between Israel's Old Covenant sacrificial system and the Believer's sacrifice of His life in service to Yahuah. "Present" is a technical expression from the sacrificial terminology. Under the Old Covenant, the offeror’s gift was presented to Yah and became His property. Similarly, the gift of our life is set apart for Yah's use as He determines. When we are bought with a price, we belong to ourselves no longer.
The Old Covenant sacrifices produced a sweet smell that TMH declares in Leviticus 1:17; 2:2 and 3:5 to be a fragrant aroma in His nostrils. In the same way, the gift of our life is "acceptable to Yahushua." Then Paul says that giving our lives in this way is "reasonable," that is, of sound judgment, moderate, sensible, or as many modern translations say, rational or spiritual. The outward acts of a son of Yah spring logically from what has changed in the inner man. His mind is being renewed, and he is thus controlling himself to live according to Yah's will rather than in conformity to the insanity of this world.
The last word in verse 1, "service," is as important as any, for within this context it describes the service, not of a domestic slave, but of a priest in complete self-surrender performing his duties before Yah's altar (I Peter 2:5). It means that we must, first of all, be priests by our inward consecration and then we must lay our outward life on the altar in TMH's service. This is what our works accomplish.
Almost from the beginning of the Bible, sacrifice is one of the great keywords of TMH's way. Yah clearly alludes to Messiah's sacrifice in Genesis 3, and the first sacrifices occur in Genesis 4. The principle of sacrifice is then woven into the fabric of virtually every book until beginning with Yahusha, the Founder of Christianity, it becomes perhaps the master-word for the outward life of His followers.
Sacrifices are inherently costly to the giver, or there is no real sacrifice in the offering. David explains in II Samuel 24:24, "Then the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my Elohim with that which costs me nothing.'" Yahsua amplifies this principle with a statement of far reaching day-to-day consequences: "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). What could be more costly than a person giving his life in service by living a way of the very highest of standards that his mind and body do not by nature and habit want to live? It requires a decision that will from time to time bring intense pressure upon him to control himself against strong drives to go in an entirely different direction. But he must control himself if he is to work in the service of Yah.
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The Fruit of The Spirit: Self Control Pt.2
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
in Pick Up Your Cross
Is Self-Control Negative? Week 2
When viewed carnally, self-control—especially when linked with self-denial and self-sacrifice—seems to be essentially negative. However, when confronted with a true understanding of what human nature produces, we can see that the fruits of self-control are entirely positive.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, the apostle Paul strongly exhorts us to self-control:
Paul then says the victorious runner sets Christians an example of rigid self-control
"Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things." It is not only a matter of concentrating while he is racing, but in all areas of life because his whole life impacts on the race. The runner religiously follows a rigorous program within a rigid schedule each day: He rises at a certain hour, eats a breakfast of certain foods, fills his morning with exercises and works on his technique. After a planned lunch, he continues training, eats a third planned meal, and goes to bed at a specified hour. Throughout, he not only avoids sensuous indulgences, but he must also abstain from many perfectly legitimate things that simply do not fit into his program. An athlete who is serious about excelling in his chosen sport must live this way, or he will not succeed except against inferior competitors. He will suffer defeat by those who do follow them.
We can learn a great deal here about self-indulgence and self-control. It is not enough for us to say, "I draw the line there, at this or that vice, and I will have nothing to do with these." We will have a very difficult time growing under such an approach, as Paul shows in Hebrews 12:1:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Many unsinful things are "weights" simply because they are so time- and mind-consuming. Because we do not want to fail in accomplishing the highest purposes for which we were called, we must run light to endure the length of our course successfully.
On the surface, being a Believer appears easy to do, in as much as a Believer is basically a man that trusts in Christ. No one is more worthy of our trust, and He is fully able to bring us into the Kingdom of Yah. But this is a mere surface observation. The truth is that being a follower of Yeshua can be very difficult because the real Believers is one who, because he trusts Christ, must set his heel upon human nature within him and subordinate the appetites of his flesh and the desires of his mind to the aim of pleasing Him. No wishy-washy, irresolute, vacillating, lukewarm, disorderly and unrestrained Believer will please his Master and glorify our Father.
Yahusua says, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14). Paul writes, "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier" (II Timothy 2:3-4). The Child of Yah is exhorted to control himself and run to win.
In I Corinthians 9, Paul illustrates self-control in its positive aspects by showing what it produces along the way and—most importantly—in the end. Yahsua makes it clear in Revelation 2 and 3 that the overcomers (conquerors, victors) will go into the Kingdom of Yah. Self-con
trol plays a major role in bringing victory through our trusting relationship with Christ. Andrew MacLaren, a Protestant commentator, states, "There are few things more lacking in the average Believers life of today than resolute, conscious concentration upon an aim which is clearly and always before us." Self-control is not the only factor we need to do this, but it is a very necessary one. Its fruit, good beyond measure, is worth every effort and sacrifice we must make.
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