Freedom Fruit: the Fruit of Self-Control

What's the balance between living rightly and living freely?
We know that we need not behave well to be considered righteous. So how do we look at the fruit of self-control correctly?

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41b)
There is a battle going on between our willing spirits and our earthly, weak flesh. The battle is decided by which side we YIELD to. (Romans 8:11-15)

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation." (Matthew 26:41a)
Self-control is keeping watch over your life to recognize temptation and be on guard against it. And it is praying for grace and mercy (Hebrews 4:16) to overcome it when it does come against you.

When I was doing my word study on the Fruit of the Spirit, "self-control" (or "temperance") wasn't an act of doing something to be disciplined or righteous. It was simply an attitude of abstinence. Self-control is a defense, not an offense. It's about yielding to the desires of the Spirit rather than the desires of the flesh.

So that's the definition of self-control. Now let's examine how it's applied from a place of freedom.

Jesus' sinlessness is what gives him the authority to condemn sinners or have mercy on them (John 8:7). He uses that authority and his position of favor to plead on our behalf (Hebrews 4:15; Romans 8:33-34). That is why we can approach God's throne with boldness (remember Matthew 26:41: "...pray so that you will not give in to temptation") to ask for the grace we need, and for mercy in those moments when we do yield to temptation (Hebrews 4:16).
Because just as no one would dare accuse Jesus of sin, so no one would dare accuse us in his presence (Romans 8:33-34).

That's how self-control is lived out as a freedom. Because it comes from a place of forgiveness and right standing with God through the death and new life of his Son (Romans 8:33-34).

Another cool link between self-control and Jesus' intercession on our behalf:
1. The Greek word for intercession in the context of Romans 8:34, according to Strong's concordance, is entugchanō (pronounced "en-toong-khan'-o"). This word has two roots: en, which means "a fixed position" and tugchanō, which means "to affect". So put together, entugchanō means, "to entreat (in favor or against)", "to deal with", or "to make intercession". Basically, to have a "fixed position" and to use it to "affect" a judgement pertaining to someone else. Like a lawyer uses his position of favor with the law and the court to act as an intermediary on behalf of a citizen or a corporation.
2. The Greek word for "self-control", in the context of Galatians 5:23, is egkrateia (pronounced "eng-krat'-i-ah"). The root for this word is egkratēs ("eng-krat-ace"), which is derived from that same root en ("fixed position"), as well as the word kratos, which means "strength", "power", or "dominion". So egkratēs literally means "a fixed position of dominion" or "a fixed position of power" or "a fixed position of strength", and is therefore translated as "masterful". The phrase used in Galatians 5:23 adds a feel of containment or restraint to this base word, and applies it to yourself. So it could literally means, "to fix yourself in a position as your own master".

So, basically, one word describes a person whose position gives him authority over another person, to speak either for or against them. The other word describes a person whose position gives him/her authority over him/herself. However, in our case as Christians, we know that to exercise authority over ourselves is to act in rebellion against God's authority over us. So instead, we subject ourselves to the authority of Jesus, and let his will rule over ours. That is self-control: to yield ourselves to Jesus. To give him a fixed position in our hearts as our master. Yet he is also our intermediary. Therefore, he is both our advocate and our master. In other words, he is both our High Priest and our King. The ultimate authority for our "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9).