Measure of a Man: Wisdom (Self-Control)
Getz has me a little confused in this chapter, and I admit I am primarily to blame for my own confusion. Getz takes term sofrona and interprets it as prudence, which becomes the central concept for this chapter--through his English term "wisdom."
The Greek term sofrona (which has a long 'o' sound as its first verb) can refer to sound-mind, which is incredibly close to the previous term for "temperance." Interestingly, Paul groups two very similar terms together, one with an emphasis on clear-mindedness (Chapter 4) and now one with an emphasis on wisdom. It appears that one term calls the man of God to focus on Christ, the other to use the knowledge gained in a wise way.
Getz says "Some biblical truths can be taught with words alone, such as who Jesus is, how to be saved and many other Bible doctrines. But some things must be taught by both instruction and example. In fact, without modeling, some words are meaningless." (p59)
AMEN.
sophrona is one of these concepts that must be lived, not just known.
I wish Getz would have used the term "self-control" here. Getz emphasizes, rightly so, the need for humility, gratitude, and prayer--all of which are signs of wisdom. But ultimately, it appears that Paul is reminding Timothy to put the reigns on the young servants in his churches. It seems that these servants need to place their enthusiasm and energy into the proper channels of ministry and priority. Thus, the servants need to be wise by showing lives that are not given over to excess. Again, this is very similar to our previous chapter.
So, are you keeping your energy and passion in check? Again, a life balanced on Christ will keep knowledge and emotion centered in the divine will. As servants of Christ, we must model the power of a racing horse with the control of a bridle and reins that are firmly placed in the hands of God. In this way, let your light shine before all--servants empowered by the resurrection of Christ, engaged in the will of God.
Labels: God's wisdom, Measure of a Man, self-control
posted by Randy Rogers at
2:15 PM
3 Comments:
Good stuff.
In regard to bridle and reins. In order to have a horse controlled by bridle w/bit the creature has to have had a patient, strong, unwavering and loving hand in training. Adding pressure with the bit to get the desired result and knowing when to release that pressure are crucial in the training process. Too much pressure applied too long the horse will not develop a tough and unyielding mouth or cause the horse to become confused or frustrated with what he is being taught and acting out is the result. When I compare God as the trainer and myself as the trainee, He always knows when to apply pressure and when to release as affirmation that I am doing what is asked. If I toss my head about and fight him for my will, the amount of pressure he lovingly applies is exactly what I need even though until I yield it's not very pleasant from a trainee's perspective. The bridle and rein illustration makes perfect sense to me since I have seen how a well trained horse yields and there is camaraderie between rider and horse. Same is true for me and you the more we yield as God guides the stronger the relationship is and the less distracted we are by what goes on around us because we have turned our ear toward the Master. Just some equestrianish thoughts on bridle and rein.
CC<>< Connie Christopher
The above was an email from Connie Christopher
I am not sure but what we as a society have lost the true meaning of prudence, substituting or confusing its real meaning for the definition for priggishness. If one is prudent then they have acted in a prudent way and done the prudent thing and sometimes they have gained the confidence of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people and sold a Prudential Life insurance policy--no mean(offensive) feat in itself!
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