2 Peter 1:2-6 – “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control” 

How does self control connected to your knowledge of God?  Underneath every sin is a heart that desires something.  Why does the heart desire something?  Because the mind believes something to be true about that thing.  What happens when we believe on Jesus and seek the knowledge of the Lord is that the Truth of God’s word begins to invade those spaces of our mind where unbelief, false belief, and distorted desires have shaped our heart to desire sin rather than God.

Let me flesh this out with an actual example.  Let’s say that I have found myself in a pattern of sin of overeating.  The outward sin may be that my daily pattern includes sitting in bed watching movies finishing off a tub of Blue Bell ice cream.  Underneath that sin includes beliefs that are driving the desire to eat the Blue Bell.  These might include my belief that God does not love me and so I’m turning to Blue Bell for comfort.  It may include pride that I control my own life and body, rejecting God’s call to steward well the body He’s given me.  It may be that I fear being vulnerable in my sorrows with others, so I am hiding in my room with my Blue Bell.  It’s important as Christians, that when we see a pattern of sin in our life, we spend the time to introspectively look at what beliefs are driving our behavior.  This is where the knowledge of God (building on faith) enters in.

Hebrews 4:15-16 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Jesus is our comforter, and He loves me even to the point of death on a cross for me.  Our bodies are a Holy Temple of God, where the Holy Spirit Dwells.  There is no condemnation in Him, no fear of judgment – He bore my judgment.  This is the knowledge of God over Blue Bell.  I’m using a light-hearted example here, but in reality, there is nothing light-hearted about sin.  It robs us of joy, and it leads to our destruction.  We must be killing sin, or it will be killing us.  

What does God say about our beliefs and desires?  Self control is just the next step.  Self control is more than just saying no to eating Blue Bell.  Self-control is saying no to the wrong beliefs, the wrong desires of our heart, and attacking that with the knowledge of God and the gospel.  This was eye opening for me when I first considered it – if you have never spent extended time with God, asking Him to help you understand your own beliefs and desires and where they are not in line with His Truth, that is a great way to spend a few hours.  Stay encouraged wherever you are today.  You are joined by countless other sons and daughters of God, as we are seeking to put to death what is sinful in us, and bring to life the righteousness of God.  

Grace and Peace,

Adam