Special Tests for Special Purposes – Part 15

So, the sooner we learn to endure, the more rapid will be our spiritual progress. In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul – like the writer of Hebrews uses the example of an athlete: And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate (exercises self-control) in all things, only if we cultivate self-control, will we have the strength to endure.

In 2 Peter 1:5-7 Peter lists seven successive steps that lead upward from the foundation of faith to the supreme completion of Christian character: agape love. These steps are:

1. Virtue (moral excellence)
2. Knowledge
3. Self-control
4. Perseverance (endurance)
5. Godliness
6. Brotherly kindness
7. Love

This makes it clear that self-control is an essential prerequisite for endurance. Every test of endurance is also a test of self-control and it will expose any weakness in any one of the various areas of our personality. James 1:12 NKJV “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”