I was struck, in my reading recently, with a particular verse in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
“….. for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but of power and of love and of self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
As with most New Testament texts, this one is translated slightly differently in various Bible versions. What I have quoted above is the direct translation from the original Greek.
Differences
Many versions have used the word ‘fear’ in place of cowardice. I have no idea why, unless it is because the translators are trying to use a more gentle term, but it seems to me that there is an important difference between the two words. Fear is a common human emotion; one that we all feel at least occasionally. Maybe we could think of fear in a similar way to how we understand temptation – something that is not wrong in itself, but only if it is acted upon. I appreciate that scripture generally discourages us from allowing ourselves to be fearful, as evidenced by the often-used expression “fear not”. In that sense, fear isn’t quite like temptation, but the point I am making is that the outcome is the same if we allow ourselves to act upon fear. Cowardice is fear in action; fear allowed to control our behaviour. God has not given us a spirit of cowardice; quite the opposite, as we see in words in the second half of that verse. Those are the words that I want to focus upon, but in doing so, it is important that we note the marked contrast with cowardice.
Power
The original Greek word that is regularly translated ‘power’ is the same root from which we derive the English words dynamite and dynamic. This isn’t a lightweight word. One might even say that it isn’t a measured term, but a dramatic one. When this power is in action, there is kingdom work afoot; God’s work is being accomplished.
Let me ask, how powerful do you feel? I hope your answer is ‘not very’, because we aren’t talking about the strength of any human resource but a heavenly one; one that we need to wait upon God to receive and to use at his bequest in his time. If we look to our own resources, then we may feel tempted to succumb to fear and allow ourselves to be driven by cowardice. Alternatively, we might behave based on a false sense of our own strength and ability. Any natural strength that we might feel we have is of absolutely no use in God’s kingdom; it is alien, foreign and valueless for spiritual ministry. However, even the meekest soul who entrusts themselves to walk with God, in his power, can act mightily, powerfully. (See 2 Corinthians 12:9) We shouldn’t be afraid of this power. God would say to us, “Fear not”; grasp firmly that which I am giving to you and use it under my direction.
Love
That direction is, of course, based on love; our love for him and his for the world that he made. He gave us a spirit of love. Power employed without love is dangerous, harmful. If we cannot love our fellow man, then we should not expect that God will give us a spirit of power. In the verse we are looking at, these attributes are packaged together and not ‘sold singly’. If we want any, we get them all. Love is not optional, neither in this instance nor for us as Christians generally. If we cannot love others, then we fall at the first hurdle. This is the same sort of love as that which God has for us. We might perhaps feel that his love is extreme, but it is the same type of love that he calls us to have for one another in the church, amidst the body of his people. The exercise of God’s power is always to achieve ends that are rooted in God’s love for his creation.
Self-control
In the verse we are examining, Paul lists self-control last of the three things that God has given us a spirit of. As mentioned earlier, this Greek word is expressed in various ways by different translators: sound mind, discipline, sound judgment, self-discipline, wise discretion, sobriety, wisdom and prudence. These all appear to be appropriate. It seems to me that, along with love, self-control is essential if we are also to receive power from God. We only have to think of where we encounter power in the natural world to realise that control is vital. We know how dangerous it can be if the electricity that courses through the wires in our homes is not properly insulated and isolated; it is certainly powerful, but needs to be rigorously controlled, otherwise it is extremely dangerous. We might think of guns in the hands of law enforcement or the military – these are designed to inflict damage, but there has to be strict control and discipline in their application. So it is with the exercise of the power that God gives to us to employ.
Trust
If we are to be entrusted with spiritual power, then surely we need no less to be self-controlled. As the people of God, Christians, we are his representatives at all times and in all circumstances. We must allow ourselves to be both guided by, and constrained in our behaviour by his spirit – this isn’t optional.
God cannot trust us to handle his power appropriately if we cannot handle ourselves appropriately as well. However, we should be encouraged that just as we are told not to rely upon our own strength or power (Zechariah 4:6), we have not been left to exercise self-control on our own; the verse we are considering from Timothy tells us that God has given to us a spirit of self-control. His Spirit at work in us helps us in this area, just as he enables us to truly love, and in a similar way to how he gives us his power to serve in his kingdom.
Options
Most Christians like the idea that we can receive power from God, whether to be effective in our witness for the gospel, in the administration of physical healing, or in prayer. But with God this isn’t a pick-and-mix, where we choose the things that we desire and discard those that we aren’t so interested in. With him, the attributes of power, love and self-control are packaged together; they are interdependent; they are also the work of the Spirit of God in us. We don’t get to choose how he works; we simply accept anything and everything that comes from him. He wants us to be all of these things: to know power, to love deeply and to be in control of our behaviour. He calls us to walk forward in his strength, emboldened not by self-sufficiency but by his Spirit within us, who gives us a spirit of power, love and self-control. How do we actually receive these? We move close to him in prayer, in worship, in soaking up his Word and by learning from each other. We can’t expect to receive from God if we stand back; we need to press in and get ever closer.
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