New Year’s Resolutions: Biblical Style
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NASB
Discipline – Now, it’s the day after. The Western world’s day of resolutions is over. Back to the routine. But the real resolutions that should govern our lives in this new (Roman) year aren’t like the ones we may or may not have made yesterday. No, these aren’t about eating better, losing weight, managing your spending, taking time for the children, working less, etc. These are about sōphronismós (discipline).
According to the TDNT, this word is a late addition to Greek. It is connected to the root sōphrosýnē and linked to aidṓs. But why would you care about the background of a Greek word? Perhaps this will help:
The reference in this word is to a basic attitude that leads to certain modes of conduct. A link with aidṓs may be seen. Proper conduct rooted in aidṓs is marked by restraint or modesty as distinct from hýbris. With dikaiosýnē, sōphrosýnē is a leading civic virtue.[1]
Modesty, restraint, socially correct behavior. Is that what Paul has in mind when he writes to Timothy? Yes, and no. Yes, because many of the character traits that accompany proper behavior among others are the same in the Bible as in Greek thinking. But no, because the motivation and source of these character traits from a biblical perspective is not proper social expectation but rather the movement of the Spirit. Remember the comment of Rabbi Soloveitchik yesterday?
“Cathartic redemptiveness, in contrast to dignity, cannot be attained through man’s acquisition of control of his environment, but through man’s exercise of control over himself. A redeemed life is ipso facto a disciplined life.”[2]
Do we follow Aristotle’s Golden Mean or God’s cathartic redemption? Either one requires discipline, but they take us in different directions. Aristotle’s leads to greatness; God’s leads to submission. Most of us would rather have greatness.
“Dignity is acquired by man whenever he triumphs over nature. Man finds redemption whenever he is overpowered by the Creator of nature. Dignity is discovered at the summit of success; redemption in the depth of crisis and failure.”[3]
Frankly, I don’t like this. I don’t want to submit to spiritual discipline. I don’t mind having enough social discipline to be recognized as a good and noble person, but I want to retain my personal agenda and modify my social behavior to meet my personal needs. God doesn’t work that way. He won’t force Himself upon me, but He continues to call my name, exhorting and warning. The time is shorter now than before. The discipline is harder because it will have to overcome a long past of Aristotelian accommodations. New, spiritual resolutions must be made.
So, let’s start. Prayer upon waking. That’s a beginning of discipline. “Modeh ani lefanekha,” is a place to start. The rest is probably along the lines of Heschel’s remark:
“Each time we are about to drink a glass of water, we remind ourselves of the eternal mystery of creation. ‘Blessed be Thou . . . by Whose word all things come into being.’ A trivial act and a reference to the supreme miracle. Wishing to eat bread or fruit, to enjoy a pleasant fragrance or a cup of wine; on tasting fruit in season for the first time; on seeing the rainbow, or the ocean; on noticing trees when they blossom; on meeting a sage in Torah or in secular learning; on hearing good or bad tidings—we are taught to invoke His great name and our awareness of Him. . . This is one of the goals of the Jewish way of living: to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things.”[4]
Topical Index: discipline, sōphronismós, Aristotle, 2 Timothy 1:7
[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 1150). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[2] Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, The Lonely Man of Faith (Three Leaves Press, Doubleday, 1965), pp. 34-35.
[3] Ibid., p. 35.
[4] Abraham Heschel Between God and Man: An Interpretation of Judaism (Free Press Paperbacks, 1959), p. 43.
