Self-control or God-control? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Titus 2:11,

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

From behind the pulpit the pastor cries out, "Who is at the controls of your life? If it is you, then maybe you need to slide over and let God take over!"

So, who is it that should be controlling our lives? If we listen to Paul in his letter to Titus, it is clear God wants us to take control of our own lives, that is, to be "self-controlled". If we listen to our pastor, he says we need to get the "self" part out of the way and let God take control.

We normally associate "self-control" with remaining resolute with what we know to be right. However, it points to the conversation around who or what is in control of our lives. 

I'm still looking for that passage in my Bible where I am told that God wants me to abdicate my will so he can begin to make all the decisions for me, to take over "the controls" of my life. Absent Paul telling us to cease controlling our own lives so God can, he exhorts us repeatedly to be self-controlled. He speaks of it four times in this chapter. Older men are to be self-controlled, older women are to urge the younger women to be self-controlled, younger men are to be self-controlled and our above passage tells us that the offer of salvation within the gospel, the expression of God's grace, teaches us to live self-controlled lives. Indeed, in Galatians 5:23 we read that self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit active in our lives. The whole specter of Job's story is not God making decisions for Job but God and Satan observing Job exercising his own will, his own control of his life.

It makes no sense to me whatsoever that there exists some kind of metaphysical and mystical dynamic where I can transfer my will to anyone else. Even if that prospect were possible, it could not happen at the exercise of my own will to bring it about anyway, now could it? It would obviate any exhortation to do so. If I were to allow my wife to make all my decisions for me, would that not be an exercise of my will at every turn to do so? In fact, I would be deferring to her (and certainly much better) judgment which really means I am exercising my own will, I'm still at the controls deferring to her better judgment. (I'm certain she would tell you it would be much better if I did more often.)

Not to be too hard on the pastor above, we really know he is not suggesting that we abdicate our wills, but to exercise them in the pursuit of deferring to God's direction, God's desires in the choices we make. However, we live in a time in the church where much of contemporary evangelical theology struggles with the notion of free will, that we are free to make our own decisions. The challenge for some is that they are unable to conceive how God can be still be sovereign in his creation if he allows his creatures to exercise the volition he himself gave them.

I have to admit I am fully perplexed at the inability of so many to understand the transcendence of God's sovereignty over and beyond the will he has given each one of us. For me, it is as simple as seeing a father who tells his daughters to go to their room. They can do whatever they want in there (with some obvious guidelines) but  they have to stay in there while doing them. Has the father of these girls abdicated his authority (his "sovereignty") in letting the girls do what they want in their room? Is he not exercising his parental authority in sending them there and yet letting them decide how to spend their time? Hopefully you get the idea here. God's sovereignty over his creation is in no way threatened by allowing his creatures to exercise their own wills, to make their own choices. After all, he was the One who created us this way. Adam and Eve made a choice, and each of us have a choice to make when we are confronted with the gospel.

Here is a thought: Is God glorified through my decision to follow him in a matter, recognizing him as the Lord of my life? Or, conversely, is he glorified by my actions as he makes the choices in what I do? How do you see the account of Job fitting in here?

Just a few thoughts this morning...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com