THE 8 LAWS OF HEALTH

TEMPERANCE

TEMPERANCE

   "Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is...good for food."    Genesis 2:9

True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything harmful and to use judiciously that which is healthful.

Temperance is not only concerned with drinking booze; good health requires moderation and wise choices in all aspects of life. Over-eating, over-playing, over-working, and over-indulgence of the marriage privilege can all contribute to poor health.  Abstain from all harmful indulgences! Tobacco, alcohol, colas and soft drinks, overeating, eating between meals, sugar-laden foods, strong condiments and spices, all caffeinated foods (chocolates and some sodas contain caffeine, as do coffee and tea), large combinations of foods, grease and fat, excess salt, and animal foods. The bit of pleasure they might give is not worth the misery they cause in the long run!
 "Indulgence in eating too frequently, and in too large quantities, overtaxes the digestive organs, and produces a feverish state of the system. The blood becomes impure, and then diseases of various kinds occur." -- Review and Herald, September 5, 1899
"Abstemiousness in diet and control of the passions, will preserve the intellect and give mental and moral vigor, enabling men to bring all their propensities under the control of the higher powers, and to discern between right and wrong, the sacred and the common." -- Ellen G. White, Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 491
Romans 12:1,2

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

1Cor.6.19,20

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

 AND the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:16-17

The dictionary defines the strange word abstemiousness" (Temperance) as being sparing or moderate in eating and drinking. We have all heard the motto, "Moderation in all things." Usually it is understood that all "good things" are what is referred to. Surely we cannot endorse the moderate use of heroin, moderation in adultery or being moderately disposed to negative attitudes like hate, bigotry or deceit. A precise definition of abstemiousness would be "moderation (avoiding extremes) in those things that are good, and avoiding or totally abstaining from those things that are harmful."

In the introductory scripture God gives us the principle of abstemiousness upon which the right to enjoy eternal life is based. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and had no disposition toward selfish self-gratification and so would naturally practice self-control or temperance. They had no tendencies toward the extremes. They were to practice moderation in their free eating of every tree in the garden. But they were not to eat from one certain tree-the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God wanted them to experience only good. Satan suggested that they ought to  find out what a little evil would be like, too. They distrusted God and ate of the forbidden fruit. They broke the health principle of abstemiousness and decided to go beyond the moderate use of those things that are good and also throw in a little of the bad. Their disregard caused a change to take place in their very natures. Once giving in to a selfish desire, they had now opened the floodgate of intemperance and eventual death. God had warned them, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

If God in His great love and mercy had not intervened, their situation would have been hopeless. God had a plan already in store just in case such an emergency should arise. This plan to save not only Adam and Eve from eternal death, but also all their descendants as well, is the main theme of the entire Bible. It is God's way to restore to the human race perfect self-control, just as Adam and Eve had in the beginning. That way is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. "And this is the record, that God bath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son bath life; and he that bath not the Son of God bath not life." 1 John 5:11-12. The evidence that a person has received the Spirit of God in Christ is described in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

We can summarize what has been said up to this point as follows:

1. Abstemiousness is the moderate use of those things that are good, while abstaining from those things that are harmful.

2. This abstention requires self-control or temperance.

3. Temperance is a gift from God that comes to us only as we receive Christ.

Temperance, then, is required in order to build a lifestyle that is in balance physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. After all, without self-control we could not put into practice the knowledge that we have. Unless we have the power to carry out all our good intentions, they are not of much use.

Once we have the power of God working in us, we can practice moderation in those things that are good. We will avoid extremes-the "over/unders."

Overeating leads to stomach-upset and/or obesity. Under-eating leads to malnutrition or starvation.

Overwork leads to exhaustion or injury. Under-work leads to atrophy and weakness.

Over-rest leads to weakness and laziness. Under-rest breeds mental confusion and exhaustion.

We also need a balanced intake of air, water, and sunlight--not too much and not too little.

Abstemiousness should regulate not only our physical health habits, but the mental and social aspects of life as well. Too much reading, too much talking, too much thinking, too much entertainment, too much sports, too much television, materialism, and fashion-all of these things, if not properly regulated, can overtax the mental powers and even lead to physical breakdown somewhere in the body. It could even be said that they are, in a way, intoxicating when carried to excess. We're familiar with the expressions "glued to the TV" or "sports fan" (short for fanatic). These examples serve to illustrate how one's entire life can be-come unbalanced and the mind somewhat intoxicated or warped by overstimulation. The Bible teaches us, Philippians 4:8. "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things &e of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

This antidote would certainly be effective for many of society's mental and social ills.

Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, as commonly used (excluding rare medicinal usages), do no good whatsoever and have been proved to trigger many harmful side effects, depending on the pattern of use. Each one has its place to some degree in the lineup of prime suspects contributing to the epidemic of the degenerative disease--atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and so on. They also play a role in violent behavior, accidents and fires. There is almost always some degree of dependence involved in their use. Aside from the physical harm done, this dependency is detrimental mentally and socially, as the user is subconsciously conditioned to use them as crutches. The development of important problem-solving skills and everyday coping skills is retarded to the extent that the chemical crutch is used as a substitute. All that the user need do to discover the extent of their dependency is to stop their use.

Illegal drugs should be rejected for the same reasons. They carry the additional drawback of moral guilt and possible civil punishment. Even over-the-counter prescript ion drugs should be avoided. They always carry side effects, many times do not work as they should, and usually there are safer alternative remedies that could be used instead.

Sometimes strong medications are the lesser of two evils, and in such cases their use is justified. Until something better is found, their use may be necessary.

John 15:5. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

It must be remembered that genuine self-control is a gift from God that we can receive only in Christ. Jesus said, We often in this life find ourselves at the end of our rope. But in God we have an infinite store of resources. So much so that the apostle Paul could say,

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."