Temperance

Temperance (Greek enkrateia, self-control; sophrosyne, sobriety of mind) is the virtue of moderation and self-governance in appetites, passions, and pleasures. In the NT it appears as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23) and as a qualification for church leaders (Tit. 1:8; 1 Tim. 3:2). Paul uses the metaphor of an athlete to describe Christian self-mastery: "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:25–27). The temperance called for in Scripture is not asceticism — God provides good things to be received with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:3–4) — but the avoidance of excess in eating, drinking, and passion. The OT condemns drunkenness (Prov. 20:1; 23:29–35; Isa. 5:11) and the NT exhorts sobriety as the moral counterpart to eschatological readiness (1 Thess. 5:6–8; 1 Pet. 1:13; 5:8). Peter lists self-control as a foundational virtue to be built on faith (2 Pet. 1:6).