The American poet, Robert Frost, wrote a poem entitled “The Mending Wall” that spoke of a man’s wondering about a stone fence that defined the border between his and his neighbor’s property, and which he was repairing. The speaker in the poem seemed to be pointing towards opposing such barriers, but the neighbor uttered those now-famous lines which many mistakenly believe was the main idea in the poem: “Good fences make good neighbors.” In fact, the main point of the poem was the man’s wondering about the fence’s very existence, summed up in his observation of the elements’ constant decay of the wall: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.”

No, “good fences” do not make good neighbors; they divide, separate, distinguish, and delineate, but they seldom make good neighbors. It used to be that we could walk from one side of town to the other without running into a fence or wall but, nowadays, everyone puts up a wall to keep someone out, to draw a line of distinction to clearly illustrate where one’s property begins and ends, or just for privacy. It used to be that men could let their sheep or cattle roam free on the western range, but a lot of friction, anger, and bloody conflicts were begun when the barbed-wire fence was invented. What used to be land that was freely crossed and used by cattlemen and shepherds moving their herds and flocks became battlegrounds that became folklore of the American West for its contentiousness and the violence that resulted when men began to understand what that metal strand meant. No, good fences do not make good neighbors.

In spiritual terms, though, disciples must recognize the value and necessity of the right kind of walls. Let’s take a few minutes to see why this is true.

The wise writer tells us, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Prov. 25:28). A city without walls is a city without a defense, and a man without self-control is just as defenseless and is in great spiritual danger. It is self-control that prevents a man from falling to temptation, giving up in the midst of trials, or simply giving up and going back into the world. That wall of self-control keeps out the sin and defines a man’s spiritual borders - where he can and cannot go. If the wall is to be effective, it must be strong and it must be reinforced and examined regularly for weaknesses or defects. Be certain that our enemy is looking for a crack in that wall that will allow him an opportunity!

Self-control is listed amongst the fruit of the Spirit, and we must admit the truth of what Paul meant when he added, “against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22, 23). While there may not be any laws against self-control, it seems to be something that is questioned and - more and more often - maligned by many. More and more, we are told that restrictions - even self-imposed restrictions - are “bad” and “oppressive” and that we should just throw off all restraint and do whatever we feel like doing.

Such is the talk of the hedonistic society in which we live that believes self-pleasure is the highest goal of life and that any restriction of that pursuit is evil. The apostle Paul warned of dangerous times that would come in which many would be “lovers of self…without self-control” and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2nd Tim. 3:1-3). That time is now. We should not be surprised, then, when they oppose the suggestion of any kind of restrictions or restraint - even if self-imposed. To those who live this life, any barrier or hindrance to self-pleasure is unwelcome and evil!

But we should not look down on those who live this life because they are where we all once were. Consider the words of the apostle Paul when writing of the life of one before coming to Christ: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph. 2:1-3). Living for fleshly pleasures is the way of the world, but not the way of God, and we all once followed that path. As ones who are now in Christ, though, we must exercise self-control if we seek to please God and not self, and if we seek salvation from sins and eternal life in heaven. One cannot pursue the pleasures of this fleshly life and expect to be rewarded by God, in the end.

If we truly seek to please God and if we truly seek eternal life, then we must have a high, sound, and impenetrable wall of self-control. As fleshly beings, we will be susceptible to the appeals of the flesh, and our enemy knows that (cf. Jas. 1:14, 15). He will be seeking to lure us outside those walls at every opportunity and will talk to us like the Rabshakeh of Assyria did to those inside the walls of Jerusalem: “On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?” (2nd Kings 18:19, 20). He will try to mock the building of the wall, as did the opponents of Nehemiah’s efforts: “Yes, what they are building - if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (Neh. 4:2). The Devil believes he can win every time, and he will if we do not build up and strengthen our walls, or if we simply open the doors or tear down our walls. Resisting the devil (Jas. 4:7) means exercising self-control.

This wall of self-control is what serves as the line of distinction between a spiritually-focused life and one that is set on the things of this earth. There can be no mixing of the two, for as Paul rhetorically asked, “For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2nd Cor. 6:14, 15). As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24). Self-control is the wall between a life of righteousness and the life of sin, and must be maintained at all times to be effective.

The apostle Peter urges us to add to our faith self-control, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and “there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2nd Pet. 1:5-11). Is that not what we truly seek? If so, then self-control must be a part of our everyday lives. Without it, we are vulnerable to the attacks of our spiritual enemy and defenseless against the temptations of the flesh.

Friends and brethren, the wall of self-control will not make good neighbors because what it separates is righteousness from unrighteousness, and good from evil; those are to be separated because they are not alike and cannot live together. If we seek to please God, let’s live in righteousness and build up our walls to keep out the unrighteous and that which will destroy us. – Steven Harper

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