Podcast Summary: Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
Episode: Self-Control
Host: Tim Keller
Date: November 21, 2025
Episode Overview
In this sermon, Tim Keller explores the Biblical concept of self-control, drawing from Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 9–10. Keller distinguishes between self-control as a product of sheer willpower and self-control as a fruit of a supernaturally transformed heart. He discusses how the order and direction of our deepest loves and passions determine our freedom and self-mastery, contrasting ancient and modern views of virtue, and ultimately rooting true self-control in the love and work of Jesus Christ.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Defining Self-Control: More than Willpower
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Scripture Focus: Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27
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The Greek word for self-control, egkrateia, means "self-command":
"Self control is self command. And actually, it's a synonym for being free. Because if you're not self controlled, then you're out of control. If you're out of control, then you're a slave to some other forces."
— Tim Keller [03:01] -
Self-control in the Bible is freedom: If you aren’t controlling yourself, something else is.
2. Paul’s Athletic Metaphor
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Keller details Paul’s analogy of an athlete training for a perishable crown (a laurel wreath), paralleling strict discipline for a goal:
"If you want that prize and if you want that crown, then everything else in your life is under control...every single thing in your life is under control, so you get the prize."
— Tim Keller [05:33] -
This illustration is meant to show what it means to have one supreme desire that governs all others.
3. The Competing Philosophies of Virtue
a. Ancient (Greek) View: Mind over Emotion
- The body is bad and emotions must be suppressed by logic and reason.
- Self-control = rational suppression of feelings.
b. Modern View: Self-Expression
- Instead of suppression, the modern era says truth and virtue come from discovering and expressing your deepest feelings.
- Self-control is seen as inauthentic self-denial.
c. Biblical View: Ordered Loves
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The Bible critiques both:
"Self control is not a matter of mind over emotions. It's not a matter of just...being in touch with your feelings. It's loving supreme things supremely."
— Tim Keller [14:48] -
Drawing on St. Augustine’s idea that sin is disordered love, Keller says,
"If you rightly order your loves, you will become increasingly a self controlled, free person."
— Tim Keller [13:25] -
Contradictory desires (e.g., ice cream vs. being fit, career vs. relationships) need to be subordinated to a supreme commitment; otherwise, our lives are “out of control.”
4. What is the “Crown That Lasts Forever”?
- Not just the “heavenly reward” or God’s approval, as the gospel is a gift, not a reward for effort.
- The “crown” is sharing and embodying the blessings of the gospel so completely that you become a living demonstration of its beauty.
"I want to so embody the gospel...anybody at all, who looks into my heart, into my life, will see how the gospel operates, will see the beauty that I see in it."
— Tim Keller [20:40]
5. The Source and Secret of Self-Control: Looking to Jesus
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Paul’s discipline is propelled not by fear or abstract duty but by a singular passion — the gospel and its blessings magnified in community.
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Hebrews 12: Jesus as the ultimate runner:
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross...What joy did Jesus Christ have to come to earth to win that he didn't already have in heaven? … You are his crown."
— Tim Keller [25:25] -
Jesus' self-control came from his supreme love for us; knowing we are his prize empowers us to make him ours.
6. Practical Means for Growth in Self-Control
Keller concludes with three ways self-control grows:
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a. Immersing in Scripture:
"If when you're being tested, the Scripture just comes right to mind, it's an amazing help...You need to so know Scripture, so memorize scripture, so be saturated in it that when the tests come, it comes to mind."
— Tim Keller [30:40] -
b. Practicing Accountability in Community:
"You will never experience growth in self control if you don't open your heart to a few other Christians who can hold you accountable, who can speak into your life…"
— Tim Keller [31:30] -
c. Embracing Trials as Opportunities:
"No one grows in self control unless tests seize you, difficulty seize you, and you just have to cling to God in his faithfulness to get you through it."
— Tim Keller [32:38]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Self-Control as True Freedom:
"If you're not self controlled, then you're out of control. If you're out of control, then you're a slave to some other forces."
— Tim Keller [03:10] -
On Disordered Loves:
"Sin is disordered love. It's loving things out of order...you're loving secondary things as if they were primary."
— Tim Keller [13:16] -
On the Limitation of the Athlete’s Example:
"You can have your body under incredible control and your soul be utterly a wreck."
— Tim Keller [15:50] -
On Jesus’ Motivation:
"What prize did he not have that he could only win if he came to earth and ran the race and went to the cross?... You are Jesus' crown. You are Jesus' glory."
— Tim Keller [26:38] -
How Beauty Unites and Inspires:
"Whenever you see something of incredible beauty, you want other people to see it and share in its blessings, don't you?... your friend's joy in the same beauty completes your joy in it."
— Tim Keller [28:08] -
On the Unity of the Heart:
"Our hearts are divided. That's why we don't have self control. Unite my heart and this will do it."
— Tim Keller [29:07]
Timestamps of Key Segments
- [03:01] — The Biblical word for self-control and its meaning
- [05:33] — Athlete metaphor and its application
- [12:12] — Disordered love and competing desires
- [14:48] — Loving supreme things supremely: the Biblical solution
- [17:55] — What is the “crown”? Not just heavenly reward
- [20:40] — Participating in, embodying, and sharing the blessings of the gospel
- [25:25] — Jesus as the ultimate runner; his self-control for our sake
- [29:07] — Uniting the heart through the beauty of the gospel
- [30:40] — Practical steps for self-control: Scripture, community, and trial
- [32:38] — Trials as an opportunity for growth
Conclusion
Tim Keller’s message reframes self-control as a product of supreme affection for Christ, not as the suppression of desire or the unrestrained expression of feelings. True self-control is the overflow of a heart captivated by the beauty of Jesus and the gospel, producing a unified life ordered around what is truly most worthy. Scripture immersion, honest community, and the refining challenge of life's trials are the practical means God uses to deepen this fruit in us.
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