Sound-mindedness; clear-headed seriousness; the disposition Paul commands in Titus 2:12 (that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world) and Peter in 1 Peter 5:8 (Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour). The Greek nepho (to be sober) and sophron (of sound mind) are paired throughout the pastoral epistles (1 Tim 3:2, 11; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 4, 5, 6, 12) as essential qualifications for Christian leaders and standards for the whole church. Biblical sobriety is broader than abstention from drunkenness (though that is included); it is the disciplined alertness of mind that refuses both intoxication (literal or metaphorical) and the opposite extreme of fanatical emotional indulgence. The sober Christian is awake, watchful, judgment-engaged, capable of clear thought under pressure — the very disposition required for serving in a hostile world and watching for the Lord's return (1 Thess 5:6-8).