Being cleansed is better than being disciplined.

Colossians 2:2023

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

New Living Translation

When Paul wrote this, he was not saying that we should throw all self-discipline out the window. He was a very disciplined man himself, at one point saying that he daily brought his body into submission so when this race of life is over, he wouldn't find himself disqualified for the prize.

Instead, Paul is combating a religious idea that was gaining acceptance in the early church. This was the notion that though you were saved through faith, more was needed. You not only had to be good from now on, but you had to be SUPER good! This concept is called asceticism. It led to extreme practices such as climbing up stone steps on one's knees, to self-flagellation.

Paul's point was very clear. These extreme behaviors will do you no good. In fact, they may harm your spirit instead of help. The reason is that if you are going to such extremes to be accepted by Christ, you have gotten your eyes off of Christ, and are once again firmly focused on yourself and your own efforts. And the whole point of turning to Christ for salvation is that we cannot save ourselves.

So how do we practice self-discipline in a way that is Godly, and not mere self-idolatry? The first step is to realize that no amount of self-control will ever change our desires.

Have you ever gone on a diet? If so, I bet that your efforts at controlling what you eat did not in any way change your appetite. In fact if you are like most dieters, it made you want your delicious treats even more than you did before you began the diet. This illustrates a frustrating truth - self-denial tends to magnify the desires we are trying to control, not squelch them.

The only answer is in Jesus. He promises that when we turn our lives over to Him, He will change us from the inside out. We saw this in yesterday's passage. When we exercise discipline in conjunction with the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit (as Paul did), then discipline becomes our ally, not our downfall.