The best Bible verses for self control (NIV) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for self control (NIV), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,"1 Timothy 3:2
"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,"1 Timothy 3:2
"and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;"2 Peter 1:6
"without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,"2 Timothy 3:3
"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."1 Corinthians 7:5
"As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”"Acts 24:25
"Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined."Titus 1:8
"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance."Titus 2:2
"to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."Titus 2:5
"It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,"Titus 2:12
"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."1 Peter 3:4
"In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool."2 Corinthians 11:17
"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."Colossians 3:10
Translations differ in what they optimise for. Some follow the original wording closely at the cost of a natural English sentence; others read smoothly and make interpretive choices to get there. Neither is wrong, but they produce noticeably different verses.
Each of the 15 verses below is shown in the translation you asked for, and every verse links to a page comparing all six side by side — which is usually the fastest way to see where the translators disagreed.
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The most-cited Bible verses for self control (NIV) are 1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Peter 1:6, 2 Timothy 3:3. This page collects 15 of them, each with its full passage, context and the text in six translations.
Read the verse in its surrounding passage before you use it — a verse that fits in isolation sometimes says something different in context. Compare two translations where the wording is unclear, and pick for the person who will read it rather than for the theme.
Scripture returns to self control (NIV) across both testaments rather than settling it in one passage, which is why the verses on this page do not all say the same thing. Read together they give a fuller answer than any single verse does.
There is no single best translation. The NIV and NLT read most naturally and communicate well to someone outside the church; the ESV and NASB stay closer to the original wording; the KJV carries the phrasing most people recognise. Every verse here links to a page showing all six side by side.
More than any page can list. This one carries the 15 that are most often turned to for self control (NIV), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.