What Is the Fruit of Self-Control?
Before we speak about the fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is important to begin with the Spirit’s work in applying salvation to the life of a believer. As the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches, our effectual calling comes from “God’s free and special grace alone” (10.2). Nothing in us contributes to it. We remain passive until the Holy Spirit renews us, gives us spiritual life, and enables us to respond to the call of the gospel. The same Spirit who brings us into salvation is the One who produces fruit in our lives.
This calling also brings with it the Spirit of adoption (WCF 12). Through Him, we are given bold access to the throne of grace and are able to cry out, “Abba, Father.” This means the Holy Spirit is deeply involved in our regeneration, adoption, and sanctification. His presence becomes visible in the believer through the fruit He brings forth as evidence that we truly belong to the household of God.
In Galatians 5:23, Paul lists self-control as the final fruit of the Spirit. The King James Version calls it “temperance,” a word that carries the idea of inner strength, mastery, and the ability to govern one’s desires and impulses. This is not something we grow by our own effort. It is rightly called the fruit of the Spirit because it is the natural result of His work within us. When we are united to Christ, He forms His likeness in us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” This newness is the ongoing work of the Spirit, and among the fruits He produces is the essential virtue of self-control.
The Old Testament also reflects the value of this fruit. Proverbs 16:32 tells us,
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
The wording may differ, but the idea is the same: Self-control is a strength greater than physical power. Scripture also shows us how easily even great leaders can fall when they lack this virtue. Moses lost control of his anger and struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Saul acted in fear and offered an unauthorized sacrifice. David failed to restrain his desires and committed adultery with Bathsheba. Solomon, gifted with wisdom, still allowed his passions to lead him into idolatry. These examples remind us how serious the absence of self-control can be.
When Christ governs the inner life, the outward life naturally reflects His character, and self-control becomes one of the clear signs of His work in us.
Today, Christians face similar struggles. We often fail to guard our tongues, emotions, and thoughts. Scripture warns us against harsh, crude, and careless speech and instructs us to let our words be seasoned with grace. Paul calls us to live soberly and chastely, warning against fornication, adultery, quarrelling, drunkenness, and all forms of excess. Where self-restraint is difficult and one might “burn with passion,” he commends marriage as the proper remedy (1 Cor. 7:9). His message is clear: Our lives must reflect the disciplined character that the Spirit works in us.
The growth of self-control is gradual, but it is certain, because God Himself nourishes this fruit in His children. Our part is to cultivate it intentionally through prayer, repentance, watchfulness, and obedience. As we do, the Spirit strengthens us from within and aligns our desires with the will of Christ.
In the end, self-control is the mark of a heart and mind brought under the rule of Christ. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:5 call us to bring every thought into obedience to Christ and show what this fruit looks like in practice. When Christ governs the inner life, the outward life naturally reflects His character, and self-control becomes one of the clear signs of His work in us.
