If we look at what the Doctrines of Christ are, it is goodness, kindness, charity, patience, joy, peace, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. Which of these traits are not virtuous and desirable? The last three are questioned by some, but modesty is much more than dress. It is meekness. Because people love pleasure they default on chastity, and because people don't like being controlled, they even hate controlling themselves. Why should they control the pursuit of pleasure? That is the majority view.
It seems that people reject the Doctrines of Christ because they do not want to be controlled. They don't deny that those precepts are beneficial but they are not for them. For most of them, even wicked people prefer them in others. Evil people want to be treated good by others but care little for the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The nature of man is to "Do what thou wilt," in the words of the Satanist Anton Le Vey. That is in contrast to doing God's Will.
Christians, the ones who truly are, have those "gifts" because they are from God. Scripture refers to them as the "twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit" and they are found in the Latin Vulgate Version of the Bible (Gal 5:22-23; in the other versions only nine are listed), and are made reference to is Revelation 22:2.
Since they are "fruits of the Spirit" only those with the Spirit have them! That is what should make Christians "peculiar people" (1 Pet 2:9). I prefer "special people" but even better is "righteous people". Those twelve fruits should be evident in Christians out of principle! Although they are of God, and are gifts, Christians must use the gifts for them to have utility. What good is peace, for instance, unless one is peaceful. What good is patience unless one is patient? The Christian Principle is to practice until perfect those Christians Principles. Combined they are righteousness. Scripture says:
"If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (1 John 2:29, ESV).Therefore, the test of conversion is having Christian Principles! "Born of Him" is what Jesus called "born again" (John 3:7) which Jesus said one must be. The born-again Christian has Christian Principles. They by nature do right things because they are the right thing to do. Christians control themselves; we must exhibit self-control. People seem to hate that because that puts God in control. Self-control is harmonizing our own will with God's Will. No longer are Christians to do what we wilt but what God wilt have us to do, using the language of King James' time. Even Christians reject that authority. We are supposed to be "new creatures" (2 Cor 4:17) but still have the principles of the subtle serpent sneaking around and doing what we desire to do.
A Christian without principles is weak in the flesh albeit their spirit may be willing (Mat 26:41). Believing that God is in charge, those without Christian Principles are doing the will of Satan. It's seems ironic that the nature of people is to reject God but willingly submit to Satan! Satan does offer temporal pleasure but look at what God offers: eternal life in blissfulness!
I'll stray off for a moment to address those who depend on drugs for existence. What is it they seek? Blissfulness! Tranquility! What is it that they get? Pandemonium - living Hell. I've never been high but I've seen the outcome of insobriety. Alcohol is indeed the Devil's brew and marijuana is the Devil's weed. Why do Christians favor the legalization of either? It is so people can do what they wilt without inhibition.
Doing things will not send anyone to Hell. God doesn't work that way. On the other hand, God will judge on what we are not willing to do. If our will does not correspond to God's Will, we will be judged harshly. Out of principle, even though I have liberty to sin, I choose not to sin because I have Christian Principles. This is not to be confused with obedience because of the Law, but it is willingness is spite of the Law.
If my memory serves me, as a youth I enjoyed cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. As far as I was concerned drugs were for druggies, and contrary to Clinton's assessment, most people of our era never smoked dope. I figured only dopes do that. Now I choose not to smoke or consume alcoholic beverages because those things were only for my pleasure. Truthfully, smoking and drinking and the milieu associated with them seemingly offered more pleasure than God's joy. I was wrong. Now I know peace and joy. Now I abstain out of principle; I am doing what God wants me to do because I know it is the right thing to do! Sure, I fail at times with other things but God convicts.
Peter warned that Christians must be sober and vigilant because Satan is out to devour us (1 Pet 5:8). If Christians have principles, Satan cannot devour us. Satan attempts to get us to leave God since God will never leave nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).
Of course there are more important Spiritual matters than not smoking, drinking, and getting high but when we are doing what we want to do, are we doing what God wills us to do? Be honest... we're not. It goes much further than that! When we lust or have anger, are we doing God's will? Hardly. Self-control and patience are God's Will for us. We are to do those things just because they are right, even the trivial things. Satan uses trivial sins to compound sin in number and severity. As an example, when I smoked, I wasn't doing it to magnify God but satisfy me. Therefore, I sought to satisfy myself in other ways because my will was already against God's Will. I chose more agregious things to do. I forsook God's Principles for my own pleasures.
We must take care in doing what's right for righteousness sake:
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled (1 Pet 3:14, KJV).
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