Jesus came to save us. Salvation is an on-going process. Not only did He come to save, but He taught us a "higher" way of live; above the depravity of the human soul. We live in a society in which people are becoming increasingly untrustworthy, even in the church! Peter built his ministy on Jesus' words and teachings. 2 Peter 2: 5-8 shows us how to truly know our Lord. He did it by addition! He added self-control to knowledge, and to knowledge he added perseverance, etc. When the list was finished, he said it would produce fruit in your life and make you useful. He called them qualities or virtues.
Self-control or temperance means mastering one's emotions rather than being controlled by them. The false teachers whose views Peter was exposing believed that knowledge freed people from the need to control their passions. A person who exercises self-control will not easily give in to discouragement or the temptation to sin or to quit or give up. If you view all circumstances as coming from the hand of a loving Father Who is in control of all things and that the secret of perserversance is meant to bring growth, then you know the result will be temperance.
Look around. The world shows us what temperance is NOT. So what is temperance?
1. Not so simply put, temperance is the part of us that allows us to turn away from temptation. We are instructed to resist temptation. Resistance brings with it awareness. It's not something you should think about but resist immediately. The longer you wait to resist, the harder it becomes to resist and thereby lessens your chances of growing any self-control.
2. It requires a plan. Any war has strategies to combat the offender. There are times when the plan is to attack and other times to retreat. If you know you are fighting the urge to eat candy, for example, don't go down the candy aisle!
3. Temptation requires self-control to keep from sinning. But it is sneaky. It seems harmless at first. The devil deceived Eve and he's been doing it to us ever since.
4. Temperance is needed in just about everything we encounter.
a. Eating -- Proverbs 23:1-3
b. Sexual appetites -- 1 Cor. 7: 1-9
c. All things -- 1 Cor. 9: 25-27
5. Biblical self-control is not meant to be Pharisaical righteousness. Paul said that to have that type of self-control is of no value. (Col. 2: 16-23)
Temperance is the ability to discern the need verses the want when you have a craving or longing. Discernment must be developed in order for you to be able to know the difference between want and need and the wisdom to make the right choice instead of letting that emotion overpower you. Jesus said that in all things we are more than conquerors.
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