A 52 Word Journey for Bible Study in 2014:Words 11 and 12: Self-Control and Self-Discipline

In January, I began a series of blog posts summarizing what I'm calling my 52 word journey of Bible study. I'm taking one word from Scripture a week and studying it as part of my personal Bible study. As a means of helping to organize my jumbled notes (and often equally jumbled mind!), I'm sharing my journey of study on my blog. Over the last two weeks, I've studied the words self-control and self-discipline.

Self-control

The words "self-control" or "self-controlled" are only mentioned 13 times in the Bible and only twice in the Old Testament--both in the book of Proverbs.Examining the original Hebrew Solomon used gave me a better understanding of what self-control really is. Proverbs 16:32 reads, "Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city."The Hebrew, mashal ruwach is translated as self-control in English. A literal translation of those Hebrew words in the second part of Proverbs 16:32 would read "he who reigns over his spirit than one who takes the city". I often understood "self-control" as having control over my actions, but it's really more internal than that. To be sure, having the self-control not to eat a second piece of chocolate cake or not to yell at someone who cut you off in traffic, is  indeed exercising self-control of one's actions. To have true reign over your spirit, however, means that you are able to squash the desire for a second piece of cake or that you are able to control your emotions in such a way that you do not have an emotional reaction to the driver who cut you off that might lead to the desire to yell at him or her. Exercising self-control is nipping our sinful desires in the bud.

In the New Testament, 5 of the 11 mentions of self-control/self-controlled are found in the book of Titus, and 4 of these come in the context of Paul's teaching to Titus to ensure that the church was of sound doctrine. In Titus 2, Paul encourages Titus to teach various groups within the church to be self-controlled, and in verse 11-12, Paul notes that the grace of God teaches us "to live self-controlled". The Greek word translated self-controlled--sōphronōs-- more literally means "of sound mind".

 It is a God of grace that teaches us to be of a mind and a spirit of self-control. It's not a God of overberance and spiritual micromanagement. Self-control is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). To be self-controlled is not to be a robotic, self-killjoy, it is to reign over your own spirit as fruit of the Holy Spirit because you have allowed God's grace to teach you.

Self-discipline

I was somewhat surprised to find that a form of the word "self-discipline" is only found in the Bible once, in 2 Timothy 1:7 where Paul notes that God gave us a Spirit of self-discipline. The root of the Greek word translated as self-discipline is the same as the one I noted above that is translated to self-controlled. Because there was only one use of  "self-discipline" in the Bible, I decided to expand my study this past week and also study the concept of discipline as it is portrayed in Scripture.

In the Old Testament especially, there is a clear message about our receptivity to discipline in our lives. In Proverbs, Solomon notes that a bad attitude toward discipline can lead to death (5:23), poverty and shame (13:18), and to despising self (15:32). On the other hand, several verses note that being receptive to discipline can lead to blessing:

• Psalm 94:12-"Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law"
• Job 5:17-"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty"
• Proverbs 10:17-"He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray".
• Proverbs 12:1-"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid". 
• Proverbs 19:20-"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise".

Discipline is often cast in a negative light, but really it is helpful (albeit often painful) to enable us to become better people and followers of God.

In Hebrews 12, the author discuss God's discipline and how it comes because of the relationship that we have with Him--as His children. Just as earthly parents discipline their children because they love them and want them to grow and mature, so God disciplines us so that we grow and mature spiritually. This is what separates discipline from punishment. Discipline is rehabilitative; punishment is punitive.

Previous posts:

 Introduction to the 52 Word Journey

 Words 1 and 2: Confidence and Peace

 Words 3 and 4: Perseverance and Works

Words 5 and 6: Humility and Compassion

Words 7 and 8: Kindness and Faithfulness

Words 9 and 10: Goodness and Pride

A 52 Word Journey for Bible Study in 2014:Words 9 and 10: Goodness and Pride

In January, I began a series of blog posts summarizing what I'm calling my 52 word journey of Bible study. I'm taking one word from Scripture a week and studying it as part of my personal Bible study. As a means of helping to organize my jumbled notes (and often equally jumbled mind!), I'm sharing my journey of study on my blog. Over the last two weeks, I've studied the words goodness and pride.

 Goodness

 One of the reasons I wanted to study the word "goodness" in the Bible was because I struggle to clearly distinguish between the ideas of goodness, kindness, and righteousness. If someone is good, how is that different from that person being kind or righteous? To be sure, if someone portrays any one of those attribute in their lives, they are likely going to display the others. They aren't exclusive of each other, but how are they different? My study showed me that goodness is truly an attribute of God, but that we have the opportunity to reflect that in our lives because of His Spirit. I've read the story of Moses and his encounter with God in Exodus 33 many times, but discovered something I hadn't realized before in verses 17-23 (emphasis mine):

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Notice that in verses 18 and 19, Moses asks for God to show His glory, and God responds by indicating that His goodness will pass in front of Moses. In verse 22, God says that He will allow His glory to pass by.   Interestingly, the Hebrew words Moses uses in the book of Exodus for "goodness" and "glory" are different words. This may all seem like abstract semantics, but in my quest to discover what goodness is, this helps to make it distinct from kindness. It makes it a truly godly attribute--as if God's goodness and glory are one in the same.

David notes God's goodness throughout the Psalms as well, as does Solomon in his dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 6:41). "Goodness" is in the NIV Old Testament only 12 times, and of those, 8 are from either David or Solomon.

In the New Testament, interestingly, like I discussed in my last post regarding the word "kindness", the word "goodness" does not appear in the Gospels either. However, it is mentioned other times in the New Testament, including twice being mentioned by Paul--in Ephesians 5 and Galatians 5--as a fruit of either light or the Spirit. It is something that God produces through us in our lives.

Pride/Proud

About a year ago, I read John Piper's book What Jesus Demands from the World which discusses 50+ things that Jesus "demanded" in the Gospels. One of the sections in that book--on pride and humility-- continues to challenge me. It made me realize that I struggle with a certain type of pride--unapplauded pride. As Piper writes in his book (a PDF version is found on his website here):

 Boasting is the response of pride to success. Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering. Boasting says, “I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much.” Self-pity says, “I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much.” Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak. Boasting sounds self-sufficient. Self-pity sounds self-sacrificing. The reason self-pity does not look like pride is that it appears to be needy. But the need arises from a wounded ego, and the desire is not really for others to see them as helpless but as heroes. The need that self-pity feels does not come from a sense of unworthiness but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response of unapplauded pride. 

I'll consider my spiritual toes stepped on with Piper's words. I do not want to, however, put Piper's words over God-breathed Scripture. Scripture has a lot to say on the topic of pride, too.The Old Testament writers identified that pride leads to bad things including downfall (2 Chronicles 26:16), disgrace (Psalm 11:22), destruction (Proverbs 16:18), and forgetting God (Deuteronomy 8:14). It almost sounds like a list of side effects for a drug, and perhaps, in some sense, it is. We often self-medicate with pride.

There is another (and very different) context in which the word "pride" is used--in the phrase "take pride". People often say they are proud of their children or proud of a family member's or friend's success. We even may have a sense of pride in something we have achieved personally. This is different than a sinful pride. In Scripture, the phrase "take pride" is used in 6 verses. As an example, Galatians 6:4 discusses how we should test our own actions so that we can "take pride" in ourselves without comparing ourselves to others. We are to "take pride" in ourselves, but only as part of a honest introspection. The Greek translated to the phrase "take pride" is kauchēma, which means to glory in or boast.  This is not the kind of  pride that Piper discusses in which we're seeking recognition from others for either our accomplishments or sacrifices. In this context, we can quietly glory in our spiritual growth. This provides a clear contrast from a pride that seeks a response from others.

  Previous posts:

 Introduction to the 52 Word Journey

 Words 1 and 2: Confidence and Peace

 Words 3 and 4: Perseverance and Works

Words 5 and 6: Humility and Compassion

Words 7 and 8: Kindness and Faithfulness

A 52 Word Journey for Bible Study in 2014:Words 7 and 8: Kindness and Faithfulness

In January, I began a series of blog posts summarizing what I'm calling my 52 word journey of Bible study. I'm taking one word from Scripture a week and studying it as part of my personal Bible study. As a means of helping to organize my jumbled notes (and often equally jumbled mind!), I'm sharing my journey of study on my blog. Over the last two weeks, I've studied the words kindness and faithfulness.

Kindness

The word "kindness" is used dozens of times throughout the the Bible. In my study,  I found that there are three general contexts in which the word is used--God's kindness, others' kindness, and God's call to us to be kind. Many of the "big names" in the Old Testament expressed thankfulness for the kindness of God or others or they prayed for kindness to be shown to them:

• Genesis 24- Abraham's servant prayed for God's kindness in finding a wife for Isaac, and God was kind in providing that this servant 
• Genesis 32- Jacob prayed for God's kindness in re-uniting with his brother Esau
• Genesis 39- Joseph was shown God's kindness
• Joshua 2- Rahab, a prostitute, is noted for showing kindness to the Israelite spies
• Ruth-Naomi and Boaz recognized both Ruth's and God's kindness

In the New Testament, I found it somewhat surprising is that the word "kindness" is not found in the Gospels, and that includes searching through three versions--the NIV, KJV, and ESV. The reason for this may be that the Greek word that is often translated "kindness" is "philadelphia" --brotherly love or kindness. In some instances, perhaps those who translated the Bible into English may have chosen to translate philadelphia into "love". This, however, does not mean that Jesus did not call people to be kind or that God's kindness is not recognized. In Paul's writings he frequently notes the kindness of God and our need to clothe ourselves with kindness (Galatians 5:22) or to produce the Spirit's fruit of kindness (Colossians 3:4).

The most challenging message of Paul in regards to God's kindness, at least to my heart, is that found in Romans 2 when Paul challenges those in the Roman church regarding their judgment of others for doing the same things that they themselves do. Paul writes in verses 3 and 4, "So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things , do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? "Contempt for God's kindness--that is a very strong phrase, but Paul notes that is what we do when we aren't introspective of our own hearts in relation to our judgment of the hearts of others.

Faithfulness/Faithful

The use of  "faithfulness/faithful" in Scripture center around either on God's faithfulness or His call for us to be faithful. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "aman" which means believe, assurance, or faithful is often translated as faithful. In the New Testament, the Greek word "pistos" which means faithful or believe is often translated "faithful". If one is faithful, it means you can believe what they say they are going to do--it's spiritual integrity.

Throughout the Old Testament, the writers note God's faithfulness in the context of His other, numerous virtues. In Deuteronomy 7:9, Moses writes how God is faithful in keeping His covenant of love. In the Psalms, David notes how God's works are faithful (Psalm 114:7 and Psalm 146:6). In Jeremiah 3:12, Jeremiah praises God's faithfulness in spite of Israel's lack of faithfulness. In Lamentations 3:22, Jeremiah again writes of the greatness of God's faithfulness--as faithful as the morning--and that His compassion never fail.

I found a common phrase in the book of Psalm--"faithful servants". David writes frequently of God's promises to His faithful servants. In Psalm 85:8, God promises peace to His faithful servants. In Psalm 148:14, His "faithful servants" are praised and deemed people close to God's heart. In Psalm 4:3, David writes that "faithful servants" are set apart for God. Faithfulness to God is important, but our understanding of our relation to God is equally important. We need to see ourselves as His servants.

There are also many times in the New Testament where the word "faithful" or "faithfulness" is used, but I'm only going to discuss one. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, " No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted , He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it". It seems that this verse often gets interpreted in the context of trials, not temptations. People often say in reference to this verse that God won't give you more than you can handle. While I understand this verse to express God's faithfulness to us in giving us what we need,  it is about God's faithfulness to us when we face temptation, not trials. To be sure, we may face certain temptations when we face trials, but this verse is talking specifically about the temptation to sin, not facing trials. Perhaps, this is merely a semantic discussion, but I think it is important to see God's faithfulness in our spiritual battles with sin, not solely in our earthly (and spiritual) battles with trials. He is going to be faithful to us. In that vein, I feel the need to share this song, one of my favorites in my high school days:

 

  Previous posts:

 Introduction to the 52 Word Journey

Words 1 and 2: Confidence and Peace

 Words 3 and 4: Perseverance and Works

 Words 5 and 6: Humility and Compassion