Engaging Scripture

Throwing light on the shadow side of lawn care – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 5

When I refer to the shadow side of the Great American Lawn, I don’t mean the grass that is growing in the shade of a tree. When I say “shadow side,” I’m referring to the possibility that lawns of grass might not always be a good thing. Who gets to decide that freshly clipped grass lawns is a cultural good? A New York man mows an American Flag on his lawn, and he says, “You can look at it, and it makes you feel good.” Why?

What if a wild, over-grown lawn makes other cultures around the world feel good?

Michael Pollan says, “The irony of the American Lawn is that it is so exposed, that nobody spends any time there.” Pollan is referring to the front yard. It’s in the front where people drive by. So it’s unlikely that a person will sunbathe there, or sit and read a book or have a campfire. Why? It’s busier, noisier, and people happening by can look at you. Generally-speaking we prefer peace and quiet, and we don’t want to be looked at, like we’re in a zoo. So what do we do? We spend most of our time in the back yard. But we still mow and landscape our front lawn. We still invest resources in making a perfect front lawn. Just because we spend the vast majority of our time out back, that doesn’t mean we let the front lawn go to pot, right? As a result, Pollan says, “The front law is purely a symbol.” Our front lawns are status symbols. Statements about who we are. Can lawns, therefore, become idols?

They certainly can become idols, if we let them. Anything that we give worship to, anything we give inordinate amounts of time and money can become idols. Do you spend too much time, too much money on your lawn? The Scriptures don’t say anything about how much time and money is appropriate for lawn care and landscaping. When do you cross a line from healthy co-creative artistry (which we talked about in previous posts in this series here and here) into unhealthy obsession? I can’t say. Instead I would encourage you to talk about it with other Christians who have a different approach to lawns, ones that don’t spend as much time on their lawn as you do. Ask them to explain their rationale. Start to question why other cultures have a different approach to lawns. Is the American culture the only right way? Of course not. Perhaps a different culture might have a better way?

“We forget,” Pollan says, “Grass lawns are a very unnatural landscape.” We call them natural because they are made of nature. They are not brick, sidewalk, parking lot, building. They are green. But they are actually unnatural because left to themselves, they will never become lawns. Pollan says that our lawns are “more natural than asphalt, but that’s about it.”

Another theological consideration is that lawns can be about power and the domination of creation. And yet, our domination of creation just might be having the ironic counter effect of destroying creation. Lawn care can require the use of water for something that is most often unused space, while so many places in the world suffer drought. The spreading of pesticides and fertilizer has been linked to cancer. The greenhouse gases from our mowers and equipment affect the environment.

Are there alternatives? Can we legally have something other than lawns? What would happen if we just stopped mowing (which is an illegal alternative in most places)? We know. We would be fined and jailed.

Are there other options for those who feel compelled to have something other than lawns? Make front yard produce gardens. Plenty of Amish here in Lancaster County do it. It might look very different from your neighbors, but it could be done in a very appealing beautiful way. Some of the Amish front-yard gardens I run by are very attractive. If you have a home-owners association, please check with them first!

Another option would be to consider using landscaping that does not require water. This to can be a practice of artist creativity to glorify God. Also imagine the time and money you’d recapture that wouldn’t be spent on lawns. In 2022 Faith Church budgeted $4200 for lawn maintenance. That doesn’t include all the volunteer landscape work that is given to the church each year. That’s $4200 to maintain lawns that are rarely used.

Hear me clearly on this. I am not saying that it is wrong to have lawns. I’m saying that we would do well to consider every aspect of our lives theologically, from God’s perspective. Let’s not just assume that a part of our lives, like our lawn, is just a neutral part of life because everyone else has one. Perhaps God is calling us to something different, something that would be more in line with his heart and the mission of his Kingdom.

After reading this five-part series on a theology of lawn care, perhaps you need to take better care of your lawn. Or perhaps you need to scale back. I urge you to apply the principles we studied to your perspective on lawn care.

Your lawn matters to your community – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 4

A second way that The Great American Lawn is theologically instructive for Christians is related to community. While a property owner does have individual say over the state of their lawn, they are also part of a community. We Christians are right to see ourselves as part of a community. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Paul says this about Christians and community:

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Also in 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul writes: “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

The way we live is the aroma of Jesus to others. Therefore, how we handle our lawn gives others an impression of Jesus. We don’t necessarily need to have a mini-Longwood Gardens around our house, but we would do well to at least consider what would be respectable to our neighbors.

Michael Pollan remarks, “Your front yard belongs to the community as much as it does to you. The conceit of the American suburb is that we’re all in a great park together. That’s what America is. [One great big park.] The front lawn symbolizes that continuity. [Our piece of the park.]

There is a togetherness about lawns. Our lawn connects us to our community. “How well you take care of your lawn,” Pollan says, “is your expression of solidarity with your neighbors. It’s a gesture toward your neighbors as much as it is to you.”

Did you ever feel that way about your neighbor’s lawn? That it affects you? As I was researching this a few weeks ago, I thought about a nearby property with a lawn with grass that had not been mowed in weeks, and the grass was now about two feet high. Driving by, you cannot miss it. The overgrown is a blight on the community. I imagine that it must feel awful to be that person’s neighbors. They must hate it.

I wonder if it affects their home values if they want to sell? Could it be a justice issue in that regard? I have wondered if the neighbors have even been so affected by that overgrown lawn that they themselves have been tempted to mow it. Or maybe they have called the Township office to complain? Then I thought, “Is that high grass in violation of a Township ordinance?”

So I contacted East Lampeter Township to learn more. The Zoning Officer pointed me to Nuisances Ordinance No. 280. Section (e) enacted in 2009, says that no person may “[permit or allow] the growth or any grass or weeds or other vegetation not edible or planted for some useful or ornamental purpose, to exceed a height of six inches, to throw off any unpleasant or noxious odor or to produce pollen”.

So what happens if someone violates this? The Ordinance goes on to say that the Zoning Officer or his assistants will serve written notice, either personally or by certified or by first class mail, asking them to remove the nuisance. If the person does not comply within 15 days after receipt of the notice, or request a hearing within such time before the Board of Supervisors, the Supervisors may remove or arrange for removal of the nuisance, and charge the person for the cost of removal and a penalty of 25%. If the person persists in not paying the fine, the Township will bring the matter before the District Magistrate or Justice which will result in a fine of $300. If the person does not pay that fine, they can be sent to Lancaster County Prison for 30 days. Of course, as you can imagine, things can escalate from there.

Think about that. Our local community has an enforceable ordinance that requires you to cut your grass. I asked the Zoning Officer how often they’ve had to enforce the ordinance. He said that in his 17 years, the Township has had to get the grass cut and then lien the property owner if they don’t pay. Most of the time, though, the people themselves receive the violation notice and then cut the grass themselves. In his 17 years, violations have never resulted in people going to jail. But it could. Think about that. A person could be jailed for not mowing their lawn.

What we see then is that your lawn has quite a significant connection to community, especially when viewed from a Christian perspective. We Christians should be law-abiding and community-oriented, when the following of laws is in line with God’s heart, which it almost always is, especially in a community and country like ours that is based on the principle of justice for all. Of course, we know that doesn’t mean all always receive justice. Therefore we are right to call laws into question if we have reason to believe they are unjust. So are there ways in which The Great American Lawn, and the cultural apparatus the sustains it, like East Lampeter Township’s Nuisance Ordinance No. 280. might be unjust or not in line with God’s heart? Think about that, pursue justice, and what it might mean for you to view your lawn as part of the community park.

In the next post we move to the shadow side of lawn care, and I’m not talking about the part of your lawn that is under a tree.

Photo by Tom Rumble on Unsplash

Your lawn as co-creative art – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 3

How does God think about lawns and lawn care? First of all, we start in Genesis. Page 1 of the Bible. In Genesis chapter 1, God creates the cosmos, including the earth, and in verse 11 we read, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, etc. The land produced this, and God saw that it was good.” God declares that his creation is good. Furthermore, as the creation story progresses, God creates animals that dwell on the land, nourished by the vegetation growing on the land. And God declares land-dwelling animals to be good also.

Finally in verses 26-27, God creates humankind, and notice how when God creates us he declares that we are unique from the rest of his creation. How so? God says, “’Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

We are created in God’s image. As image-bearers we are unique in all creation. So what does it mean to bear the image of God? It is a bit mysterious, and theologians and bible scholars through the ages have debated its meaning. So I am not going to claim that I have it figured out. Clearly, when we bear the image of God, we should not think that we are equal to God. Image-bearers likely refers to our human ability to reason, to choose, and that we are not nearly as driven by instincts as are animals. For our purposes today, as image-bearers, God gives us at least limited ability to co-create with him. We see God refer to this in the next verse, Genesis 1:28:

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Over the years, this passage has been used incorrectly to suggest that humans can treat creation with disrespect, because, God says we’re in charge and we should subdue it, right?” Instead, God’s desire for us as image-bearers is to co-create with him in a caring way. When God create the world, he saw that it was good. We would do well, then to continue treating creation so that it continues to be good. Christians should be leading the way for environmental concerns. This God-given desire for caring co-creation has wonderful applications to our lawns.

Our lawns can be a source of creative work. Some wonderfully beautiful work has been done in the area of landscape art. You may take pride in their work you do to care for your lawn. It is appropriate, even, to view it as a work of caring co-creative artwork, that you enjoy as an act of worship to God.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Care for your lawn to the glory of God as one who is co-creating with him.

Photo by Gus Ruballo on Unsplash

A perfect lawn makes you a model citizen? – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 2

In the previous post, we watched a video stating that lawns date back at least to the 1600s, when the aristocracy in Europe developed the first lawns. When they built castles, they removed the forests around the castles, so that the soldiers inside could have a clear line of sight as they watched for invaders. At the time, lawns were likely not the turf grass that we are used to, but instead were probably wildflowers.

In the American colonies, cattle ate the natural grass, and thus European grass was imported to feed hungry cattle. That means the turf grass on our lawns is not indigenous to America. It’s European.

Also for centuries in our country, lawns were for aristocracy, just as they were in Europe. Lawns were a status symbol of the wealthy because of the cost of maintenance. Most people couldn’t afford to devote space, time and money on caring for something that was only for looks.

That began to change in the 1870s due to two major inventions. The lawnmower, and sprinkler systems, attached to public water systems. Slowly more and more people could have what had only previously been accessible to the wealthy, a well-manicured lawn. It was around this time that a book titled The Art of Beautifying Suburban Home Grounds said, “Having a perfect lawn is part of what makes a model citizen.”

Is that true? Whether it is true or not, it sure seems a lot of people bought into that idea, and now 150 years later, people continue to buy into the idea that they need to have a perfect lawn. In fact, as we will see, having a perfect lawn has become more than just an idea that people could choose to pursue if they wanted to be a model citizen. Communities also began creating lawn care minimums that landowners are required to abide by, under law, and if they choose not to abide by those lawn care minimums, they can face legal trouble. So again I ask, is it true that having a perfect lawn is part of what makes a model citizen?

After World War 2, though, home lawns became part of the symbol of the American Dream. One video said that after the war, “many Americans found themselves in possession of and possessed by their lawns.” How about you? Are you in possession of a lawn? If so, does it also possess you?

That brings us to a theology of lawns.

The lawn at my house has slowly become more and more weedy over the years. In ten years of living there, I’ve not treated the lawn, except for one year putting down some sort of dry granule treatment in the front yard that was supposed to get rid of weeds, because the dandelions were really taking over. I think it helped a bit. I wish my entire lawn looked nicer, but it’s hard to know how much to invest in it. Our next door neighbors seem not to have hardly any weeds, and I don’t believe they do any treatment, either. What does it matter? Are weeds really bad? Are well-manicured lawns really good? What could the Bible have to say about this?

In the next post, we’ll begin looking at what God might have to say about lawns and lawn care.

Photo by Petar Tonchev on Unsplash

The Great American Lawn – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 1

In the USA on July 4^th we celebrate Independence primarily by launching fireworks. What other American cultural classics are a part of July 4^th? Getting together with family for a cookout where we eat burgers, hotdogs and apple pie. Then we play baseball or maybe a game of wiffle ball. You know what those activities need?

A lawn! The Great American Lawn is a normal part of family gatherings not just on the 4th of July, but all spring, summer and fall when the weather is nice. Have you ever wondered what God thinks about your lawn? This week on the blog we’re going to try.

Did you know that lawns are known around the world as a classic cultural artifact of the United States of America? Michelle and I have friends who lived away from PA, internationally and in other places in the USA, and they used to say that whenever they would come back to the Susquehanna Valley, they would immediately notice the lawns, how much time and effort when into lawn care.

Around the world, and even in other places in the USA, lawn care is not nearly as important as it is to us. If you drive around the community where I live, East Lampeter Township, you will notice that just about every single property has well-manicured lawns and landscaping. Why? There is a reason for it. I encourage you to watch the brief documentary below as it does a wonderful job telling the history of the Great American Lawn.

Did anyone learn anything new from the video??? Let’s reflect on some statements from this video and some other research I found. First of all, let’s talk about lawns by the numbers.

80% of all homes in America have grass lawns. How many of your homes have grass lawns?

Lawns are the most irrigated crop in America. At 40 million acres, the space used by lawns is three times more than the acreage for corn. Stop reading this post, and take a look around you. I suspect you’ll see that nearly every business, residence and public place has grass. Lots of grass.

That grass requires care. 3 billion man-hours is used for lawn care every year. The equipment used to care for lawns accounts for 4% of all carbon emissions.

9 billion gallons of fresh water is sprinkled on lawns every day. One third of all public water is used for lawns.

78 million pounds of pesticides and 90 million pounds of fertilizer is used on lawns every year.

How did we get here?

In the next post, we’ll learn more.

Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash

Self-control is choosing – Fruit of the Spirit, Self-control, Part 5

Editor’s Note: This post is written by guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary.

I want to leave you with one last thought as quoted from the author, Max Lucado.

He states,

I Choose Love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I Choose Joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so I may live.

I Choose Patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so, Rather complain that the wait is to long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I Choose Kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for that is how God has treated me.

I Choose Goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.

I Choose Faithfulness…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My friends will not question my word. And my family will not question my love.

I Choose Gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I Choose Self-Control…
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

In conclusion, as Donald Barnhouse writes about the Fruit of the Spirit, “Love is the key. Joy is love singing. Peace is love resting. Long-suffering is love enduring. Kindness is love’s touch. Goodness is love’s character. Faithfulness is love’s habit. Gentleness is love’s self-forgetfulness. Self-control is love holding the reins.”

Instead of using “I’m only human” as an excuse to walk in the flesh, why don’t we use “I’m saved” as an excuse to walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Photo by Raquel Martínez on Unsplash

Why self-control is vital to leadership – Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control, Part 4

Editor’s Note: This week welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary.

Self-control is so important to Paul, that several times, in several letters, Paul includes it in his list of requirements for Church leadership. Paul states in Titus 1:7-8, “Since a leader manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.”

When phrases and words are repeated in Scripture or in a message, we should pay attention. Next we turn to Titus 2:1-15, where Paul continues instructing Titus on who and what to preach regarding what he calls “sound doctrine.” Have you ever wondered what doctrine is sound and what isn’t? Paul explains it. He also repeats something from the earlier passage in Titus.

Here’s how Paul explains sound doctrine. Also look for the repeated concepts. Paul states, “You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. 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. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

Four times, the apostle Paul mentions the word “self-controlled.” Four times referencing four separate groups of people. Paul must think that the soundness of this particular doctrine of self-control is pretty important. That’s Paul, though. Was it his concern alone? Do any of the other apostles mention it?

In 2 Peter 1:3-11, we read the following:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

Why you ask? Peter explains,

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.“

Peter gives us the key right in this passage! First, he tells us that we CAN participate in the Lord’s divine nature because He has given us His very great and precious promises! We can and should be participating in them! Not by participating in the corruption of this world through evil desires, but we should be making every effort to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Why does he push this line of thinking?

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the whole reason pastors preach every Sunday. This is the goal of every Sunday School teacher. They want to see you grow in increasing measure and to keep from being ineffective and unproductive in your walks with the Lord, and self-control is foundational to that kind of growth in Christ. They want you to learn to walk in step with the Holy Spirit so that His fruit, as it’s made manifest in all of our lives, would bear all of the characteristics mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Self-control can and should be applied to growing all the characteristics.

In the last post in this series, we’ll take a final look at how and why those characteristics called “Fruit of the Spirit” are so important in our lives.

Photo by Francois Olwage on Unsplash

Mastery over your passions – Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control, Part 3

Editor’s Note: This week welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 the Apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

So, here Paul uses the analogy of a race. We know that people in the Ancient Near East used to participate in games all the time. They would have been familiar with this. They also would have been familiar with the schools that were raised up throughout Rome to train the competitors.

Think of all of the things that Olympians today put themselves through in order to compete. They literally have to beat themselves into shape. They have to train relentlessly because unlike many sports today, there are no participation trophies. There was only one winner. Today, the Olympic Gold is actually worth something. In ancient Rome, they competed for a crown, usually woven together into a wreath they wore. It was essentially a wreath of withered celery.

Here, Enkrateia, (which is often translated “self-control,” as we learned in the previous post here) means “power over oneself in the sense of persistence, endurance or restraint, mastery of one’s appetites and passions.” Socrates included enkrateia as one of the chief virtues. Plato, Aristotle, and Stoic philosophers, from various disciplines, celebrated the man who could control, suppress or moderate his impulses and desires. Paul uses the term in the classical sense, but with a significant difference. For Paul, enkrateia ultimately is not an independent human achievement: enkrateia is a fruit of the Spirit, a supernatural byproduct of responding by faith to grace, and walking by the Spirit, as we are led by the Spirit.

Christians are called to exercise self-control, but we cannot manufacture authentic self-control, any more than we can manufacture agape love. The most we can do—without the power of the Holy Spirit—is to carry out a life of “don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch.” Paul clearly condemns this type of approach, although many Christians—both ancient and modern—seem to prefer it.

Paul does tell us though, that we don’t have to do this alone! In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul states, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” While the word used here for “self-discipline” is different in the Greek, it can be translated as either “self-discipline” or “self-control.” The Spirit here functions in a way that Christians can learn to exercise good judgment or “temperance.” That’s a good “old-timey” word. Self-control is so important to Paul, that several times, in several letters, Paul includes it in his list of requirements for Church leadership.

We’ll take a look at how Paul connects self-control and leadership in the next post!

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What the Bible says about self-control – Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control, Part 2

Editor’s Note: This week welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary.

In his book, The Three Edwards, Thomas Costain describes the life of Raynald III, a 14th century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means “fat.”

After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year, a prisoner of his own appetite.

In Galatians 5:23, the last characteristic listed is self-control which is the Greek word enkrateia. Enkrateia is defined as “the trait of resolutely controlling one’s own desires (which would produce actions); especially sensual desires.”

Why is self-control so important? Does Scripture have much to say about self-control?

In Proverbs 16:32 we read, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” You can’t really add much to that. This “better than” proverb shifts our attention from the writer of Proverbs as the exalted teacher, to people exercising self-control as the ones who are to be emulated. To the disciple, this reminds him that the foundation of righteousness is his ability to rule over his naturally unruly spirit when provoked.

One commentary states, “Without the disciplined, wise conquest of oneself, mastery of the external world and its problems—in any area and of every sort—is not possible.” This proverb encompasses a battle of the inner self; it considers self control as the highest kind of human power. “The taking of a city is child’s play, compared with this ‘wrestling over flesh and blood.’ Comparing the taking of a city, which might only take a day. The wrestling over control of one’s natural desires is the battle of your entire life.”

Next consider Proverbs 25:28, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Here, the fool is portrayed as lacking self-control. In the Ancient Near East, in order for a city to be built, the potential location needed to have four things. It needed to have a good water source, a good place to raise and cultivate food, it needed to be near an area or have access to an area for commerce, and it needed to be defendable. The chief of these, was the city’s defense. The decisive characteristic of a city is its protective wall. If the enemy destroys it, the city is left defenseless and open to all sorts of mischief. The subject of this particular verse, is the person who lacks self control. This, coincidentally, presents a person who seems to has no ability to defend against his enemy from without. Their unchecked desire drives them like an attacking enemy. Unless one can master their lust, their temper, and their evil tendencies, sin will overpower them.

So, with that happy little bit of news, let’s look at the New Testament, to Matthew 19:8-12.

“Jesus replied, ‘Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. The disciples said to him, ‘If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.’ Jesus replied, ‘Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.’”

In this passage, there are three reasons given why a men might be a eunuch. One was by birth, one was because it was inflicted upon them, the last was by choice. The second one is probably the most understood, because the deliberate castration of men in order to provide “safe” attendants for married women or over a harem was widely practiced. A person born that way was indicative of someone born with a condition rendering them physically incapable of procreating. However, to refer to those who choose to live that way, is not an indication of someone who mutilates oneself, but rather chooses to live a celibate life, to master one’s natural inclinations to live a life holy to the Lord. Proverbs 6:27 reads, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” This is suggestive of what can happen when one looses control of one’s passions. So here, Jesus indicates that choosing to bridle and gain mastery of ones passions is choosing to do so for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Why is self-control so important? Talk about eunuchs and castration… That’s all pretty drastic! You would think that if self-control was that important, we would have heard more about it, right?

In the next post, we’ll try to answer those questions!

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

The concerning effortlessness of “works” – Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control, Part 1

Editor’s Note: This week welcome guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary.

One of the interesting things that I read this week in preparation for this blog series, is that when Paul lists in Galatians 5 what the New International Version of the Bible refers to as the “acts” of the flesh, and some versions refer to them as “works, Paul calls the products of our flesh “works” and the products of God’s Spirit through us “fruit.” Why the difference?

Until recently I would have said: because “works” implies effort and “fruit” implies ease. After all, God’s will is that we experience love, joy, and peace with ease. But then I noticed that many of the “works of the flesh” are just as effortless for a worldly person as the fruit of the Spirit is for the person who trains themselves to walk in step with the Spirit. For example, anger doesn’t require any effort. If you cross a worldly person, anger seems to be the natural result. Look at today’s news regarding the recent Supreme court decision to see that. How about envy? No one has to work to be envious. It just blisters up like old paint under Zip Strip. So I doubt that when Paul called these vices “works,” it’s because they require effort to produce. A bad tree can bear bad fruit effortlessly.

Author, Daniel Akst, in his article titled, “Who’s in Charge Here?” wrote:

“Life in modern Western cultures is like living at a giant all-you-can-eat buffet offering more calories, credit, sex, intoxicants, and just about anything else one could take to excess than our forebears might ever have imagined. With more possibilities for pleasure and fewer rules and constraints than ever before, the happy few will be those, able to exercise self-control.”

So, for the last eight weeks, we have learned that when we walk in step with the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will grow in our lives. We learned that the list in Galatians 5:22-23 is not a list of separate types of fruit, but one fruit with several characteristics. What are those characteristics? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and finally, self-control.

What I’m hoping to accomplish this week is to talk about what self-control is, what scripture says about it, why it’s important, and finally, how we can develop it in our lives.

In the next post we get started!

Photo by Chris Thompson on Unsplash