First Corinthians 9:24-27 is a fitting passage to consider when thinking about the fruit of the Spirit, which is self-control
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 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.
The context of these verses is Paul’s teaching about the exercise of Christian liberty. Specifically, he calls us to choose love over liberty, which requires the exercise of self-control. The illustration he chooses comes from the ancient competitions of Paul’s day. In addition to the Olympics and two other major events, the Corinthians would gather in their coliseum to watch what was known as the Isthmian games. They were called this because the location of the games was on the narrow on which the city of Corinth was built. The Isthmian games were
…ancient Greek competitions that formed part of a
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