Add to Your Faith – Self-Control

Our series of articles has been building the case that faith was never meant to remain idle or static, but to grow intentionally into a complete and fruitful Christian character. By first establishing the foundation of grace & peace — then faith, virtue, and knowledge, we have seen that spiritual growth is both God-enabled and personally pursued with diligence. Now, as we turn to adding self-control, we do so understanding that knowledge must shape behavior — because genuine faith matures when what we know about Christ begins to govern how we live.

Recent Articles: What About Faith | Grace and Peace | But Also For This Very Reason | Add to Your Faith – Virtue | Add to Your Faith – Knowledge

It is our goal to establish that while we may not know much about virtue in the beginning, we will gain virtue as we add knowledge.

Similarly, we will find that self-control is related to knowledge.

Let us read 2 Peter 1:5–9 again:

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

As we have acknowledged several times, this passage is progressive — one quality building on another.

It is not as if we work on one quality until we have mastered it and move on to the next.

Instead, we will cycle through this pattern of growth, over and over again, throughout our lives — leveling up, if you will.

In our last message, we discussed the apparent contradiction of being asked to add knowledge to our lives while understanding from Paul that “knowledge puffs up.” I asked, “How do we reconcile these two ideas?”

We looked at a few passages that help us understand, while also thinking in broad terms about how we study our Bibles — how we add knowledge, the knowledge God wants us to gain.

We noted from 2 Timothy 2:15 that just as Paul taught Timothy, we are to “present [ourselves] approved to God … rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We discussed that this means we can’t just focus on a single word or phrase as found in one passage, but we have to search the Scriptures for context.

We started by looking at the Greek word “Gnosis,” which we found is translated as knowledge in several passages and that it is coupled with other words that led us to understand that God is asking more from us than simply amassing knowledge, but to gain understanding.

One other verse we read, in particular, taught us that we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

This leads us to take a deeper look at 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and see how this relates to self-control:

Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Knowledge can puff up.

What do we learn from the thirteen verses of 1 Corinthians 8?

We learn that by our knowledge, we can hurt other Christians.

To fully understand 1 Corinthians 8, in all of its depth, will take more time than we have for this study. One needs to read 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul goes deeper — and several other passages.

Here is the breakdown:

At Corinth — and all over the early church — there were new Christians who had come from the pagan world, and their pagan rituals included sacrificing animals to their false gods.

These young Christians would not eat meat sacrificed to idols to avoid a problem with their consciences.

These meats sacrificed to idols were sold in the meat market.

Those Christians coming from a Jewish heritage ate any meat they purchased because they knew the idols were nothing and there was no sin in eating the meat.

This caused a crisis for the Gentile believers who were struggling to separate themselves from their past pagan lives.

This is where self-control comes into play — adding to our knowledge.

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul teaches on this same subject of meat sacrificed to idols.

He says in 1 Corinthians 10:23–24, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”

We understand that Paul is employing a figure of speech — one that I have read was common in Corinth at that time — “all things are lawful for me” — embracing liberty where there is no law.

Certainly, just as we know today, the Corinthian brethren knew full well that not all things were lawful. Paul takes this opportunity to teach them that even though some things are lawful, it does not follow that they are helpful or build up the church.

Let’s read from 1 Corinthians 10:25-33:

Verses 25–26

Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness.”

Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 10:14 and Psalms 24:1. It is knowledge that permits eating whatever is sold in the market.

Verse 27

If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.

Knowledge permits one to eat — and knowledge permits us to take a meal with an unbeliever. Perhaps it is over the dinner table that we are able to talk about Jesus.

Verse 28

But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness.”

Now self-control comes into play. It is no longer about what we are permitted to do — but about what is best for the situation.

Verses 29–30

“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

There is an interesting acknowledgment here. Some believe that Paul is dealing with an objection.

Our liberty is not abridged by God because of another man’s conscience. Instead, it is self-control — in love — that causes us to limit ourselves to the benefit of others.

Verses 31–33

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Whether we eat or drink — or whatever we do — do all to the glory of God.

What a perfect encapsulation of our goals as children of God.

Knowledge will permit us to do many things — but just because we can do a thing doesn’t mean we should do a thing.

We have to ask ourselves, “Does this bless or challenge my brother? Will my liberty cause another to struggle?”

And yet — what about some specific practical application for us today?

We do not deal with meat sacrificed to idols today. However, we do deal with pagan rituals in every society. We must ask ourselves, “Is this harmless — or am I being asked to participate in a type of worship not authorized by God?”

If the practice is harmless to us — is it harmless to a brother or sister in Christ? If we participate — are we harming the conscience of another Christian who has been influenced in the past by this activity?

Let us consider 1 Corinthians 10:31–33 again:

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

“Give no offense” means not to cause someone else to stumble into sin.

Self-control is difficult — and we have only scratched the surface.

It might be important to notice 1 Corinthians 11:1, which some would argue easily belongs at the end of 1 Corinthians 10. Paul writes, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

We are reminded of how he closes 1 Corinthians 8 with these words, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

Are we struggling with self-control?

Do we not know where to begin?

Consider again a passage from Paul that we read in a previous article, Philippians 3:17, “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”

It begins with faith — and is built upon virtue and knowledge.

If we are willing to add self-control to our lives, it will guide us toward the next quality — perseverance.