Preface: The text below represents my opinions and understandings of the issues at hand. I do not claim to be a Biblical scholar or expert on the subject, I am merely providing my personal understandings and opinions for consideration. It is also important to note that this issue is something that each person must decide based on their personal convictions. I believe we are all held to the same standard, but that the actualization of God’s truth in our lives might look different from person to person.
Philippians 3:18-19
“For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and
their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
Colossians 2:20-23
“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
PART I: Defining the major issues
A. Food – nourishment for the body
a. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (eating to bring glory to God)
b. 1 Corinthians 6:20 (glorify God with our bodies)
c. Genesis 1:29-30 (God gave us food from the earth to eat)
d. 1 Corinthians 8:8 (certain foods are not sin in themselves, but the manner or intent can make them sinful)
e. Ecclesiastes 8:15 (God gave us food and drink to enjoy)
f. 1 Samuel 30:12 (food provides nourishment for our bodies)
g. Luke 12:23 (life is more than food)
h. Genesis 25:29-31, 33-34 (just as Easu easily gave up his birthright for hunger, we often sacrifice things that are important for easy/quick/instant/etc. food)
B. What should we eat?
a. 1 Corinthians 10:23 (everything is permissible; everything is not beneficial)
b. Genesis 9:3 (God gave us all food from the earth to eat, animals and plants)
c. Proverbs 30:8-9 (a. eat food that is beneficial for our bodies, b. being too full with the things of this world, such as food, decreases our need for God)
d. Romans 14:1-23 (God gives us each convictions about what is right to eat)
e. 1 Timothy 4:3-5 (the food God made is good)
f. Psalm 104:14 (food comes from the earth and is grown by God)
g. Hebrews 6:7 (crops cultivated in the land)
h. Isaiah 55:2 (food that nourishes our bodies)
i. Psalm 104:15 (food that strengthens our bodies)
j. 2 Corinthians 7:1 (we should keep contaminants out of our body and spirit)
C. Sin – separates man from God
a. Genesis 3:17-19 (sin entered the world; man must grow food through hard work)
b. Ephesians 2:1-10 (the story of sin and salvation)
c. Romans 3:23 (everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God)
D. Gluttony – the sin of excess eating or drinking; over-indulging in food or beverage
a. Proverbs 23:20-21 (warning against gluttony)
b. Proverbs 28:7 (gluttony as shame)
E. Idolatry – worshipping something other than God; holding something in higher regard than God
a. Ezekiel 6:9-10 (God hates our idolatry)
b. Philippians 3:18-19 (our stomachs are our gods; idolizing the things of the world leads to shame and destruction; idolatry makes us an enemy of the cross)
c. Haggai 1:2-8 (we spend too much time investing in and worrying over the things of the world, food is used as an example)
F. Self-control – having the ability to lay down our desires in favor of godliness
a. Hebrews 12:1 (sin entangles and hinders us from God’s work; we must get rid of it)
b. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (self-control as a virtue)
c. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 (desire for pleasure vs. self-control)
d. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (holding our thoughts and desires captive)
e. Galatians 2:22-23 (self-control is a fruit of the Spirit)
f. Galatians 2:24 (we crucify our flesh, our desires)
g. Luke 9:23 (we deny ourselves and follow Christ)
h. Ephesians 4:22-24 (we are to put off our old desires for a new life in Christ)
G. The Spirit and our bodies
a. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit)
b. Galatians 5:16 (live by the Spirit, not our sinful desires)
c. Philippians 3:20-21 (our bodies should be under God’s control)
d. Romans 12:1-2 (our bodies are living sacrifices)
e. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (when we are weak, we receive the power of Christ)
f. 1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (God does not let us be tempted beyond what we can handle and provides a way out for us; flee from idolatry)
H. Hunger as an analogy - Hunger for food used as an analogy for our desire for God. Looking at our physical cravings makes us better understand our spiritual cravings.
a. 1 John 2:15-16 (Our cravings for the things of the world are not of God)
b. Psalm 42:1-2 (just as we crave water, we thirst for God)
c. 1 Peter 2:2-3 (we crave God just as babies crave milk)
d. Psalm 143:6 (thirst for water is analogous to thirst for God)
e. Exodus 16:2-4, Deuteronomy 8:3 (the Israelites received manna from heaven as their portion, creating a reliance on God’s provision)
f. Psalm 34:8 (taste is used as an analogy for experiencing God’s goodness)
g. Psalm 84:1-2 (we are faint without God, our flesh desires God)
h. Matthew 4:1-11 (Jesus was tempted by Satan to eat in the desert, but responded that we live on spiritual bread not physical bread)
i. Luke 8:15 (growing a crop is an analogy for spiritual growth)
j. Galatians 2:22-23 (spiritual disciplines are seen as the fruit of the Spirit)
k. John 4:34 (our “food” is to do the work of God)
l. Psalm 73:26 (our bodies fail, but God is our portion)
m. Isaiah 55:8-12 (just as crops are grown and eaten, God Word takes root in our lives and produces “crops” to his glory)
n. Psalm 107:9 (just as we physically hunger and thirst, we spiritually hunger and thirst)
o. Psalm 106:14 (the Israelites gave into their cravings in the desert – desert can be an analogy for spiritual emptiness)
PART II: Analysis of the issues, making sense of it all
We eat food because we have a physical hunger, a biological need for nourishment that can only be derived from ingesting nutrients (Genesis 1:29-30). To exist, we must eat (1 Samuel 30:12, Isaiah 55:2). God made food for our enjoyment (Ecclesiastes 8:15). We often see the disciples breaking bread with Jesus and enjoying both the food and each other’s company. Eating food is not a sin, but the manner and intent of the consumption can be a sin. As Romans 3:23 tells us, all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; therefore, our actions, thoughts, and the creations of our hands are tainted with imperfection. Speaking specifically about food, we have turned something that God made to be good into something that can be bad if misused.
Unhealthy foods (for example, candy and fast food) are human creations, and therefore they are tainted by our sinful desire for pleasure or convenience, among other things. God gave us animals and vegetation to eat to His glory and the nourishment of our bodies (Genesis 9:3). In the Bible, we are instructed to eat food that nourishes and strengthens our bodies, all the while keeping contaminates out of our bodies (Isaiah 55:2, Psalm 104:15, 2 Corinthians 7:1). Just as Easu willingly gave up his birthright for food, we often sacrifice important things such as nutrition for easy, quick, instant meals (Genesis 25:29-31, 33-34). We all like to indulge in a treat every once-in-a-while, but how often are unhealthy foods a part of your diet? Does the food you choose to eat build you up or hold you back? It is crucial to note that foods are not sinful; they are inanimate objects incapable of sinning against God. Rather, it is the way in which we use them or the intent to which we use them that causes us to sin. God gives each of us convictions about what is right to eat, but those decisions must be made prayerfully and in consultation with God’s Word (Romans 14:1-23). Does the food you eat nourish and strengthen your body for God’s glory?
So what does the gospel have to do with food? The gospel is not that God saved us for ourselves and the pursuit of our own desires, but rather as His “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” that God has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:1-10). We are given a new life that does not belong to us (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:19). Our desires for the things of this world must be submitted to Christ so that we can be free to follow him with abandon (2 Timothy 3:1-9, Galatians 2:24). Our worldly, sinful desires hinder us from accomplishing God’s work and we need to get rid ourselves of anything that can hold us back (Hebrews 12:1). For example, we may be are addicted to certain foods that consume our minds or dictate how we live our lives; use food as an idol and seek to comfort, award, or self-medicate ourselves by eating in times of anger, sadness, despair, joy, happiness, or celebration; or we may eat too much unhealthy foods that cause our bodies to function improperly, gain weight, become sluggish, tire easily, or experience changes in mood or behavior. Each of these things can and will hold us back from doing God’s work if we let our lives be ruled by food.
Overindulgence in food, gluttony, always has consequences – it compromises our health, diminishes energy to pursue our calling, and affects the way we feel about ourselves, just to name a few. In reality, there is a more serious issue at the root of gluttony. Overstuffing ourselves with food or drinking until we get drunk or getting wrapped up in the affections of an adulterous relationship are all desperate attempts to silence the cries of a hungry soul. Whether we are talking about food, wine, sex, shopping, or anything else with which we try to fill ourselves, nothing in this world can ever fill us like God’s portion. Nothing else can truly satisfy. It is also important to note that not all gluttony is caused by emotional responses; sometimes we overindulge because we lack the self-control to say enough is enough. (Made to Crave, Lysa TerKeurst)
We all know what it is like to be physically hungry. In the Bible, hunger is often used as a tool to help us better understand spiritual hunger. Just as we use food to fill the void in our stomach and provide nourishment for our bodies, so God’s Word fulfills our hearts and nourishes our souls. The Bible is replete with examples of physical hunger illustrating the power, dynamics, and force of spiritual hunger. We are to crave God like babies crave their mother’s milk (1 Peter 2:2-3). Do you consume the Word and time with God with the same voracity that you consume your food? When we are hungry, it’s all we can think about. Do you hunger for God in this way?
God made us capable of craving so we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them. You have to ask yourself, “is my craving for food stronger than my craving for God?” Through our sinful cravings, we attempt to get our physical needs met outside the will of God. We, in essence, take control of our lives and pursue our desires rather than His. Our flesh buys into Satan’s lie that it’s not fair for things to be withheld from us, so we give into our temptation and Satan writes “shame” across our heart. When we feel consumed by our unhealthy desires, we can rely on God’s power to break the temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us; no temptation, no desire, no craving is too strong for God’s power or too small for His attention. God loves us from the inside out, every bit of us, so why would he not care about our every problem? Rely on his promises and his provision.
In the end, pursuing self-control knits our hearts closer to God’s and enables us to receive what He wants for us each day (2 Peter 1:5-7). We yield control of our desires and trust in His promises; we turn from the things of the world and place our full faith in His power to heal and redeem us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). No matter the craving or desire, we have to deny it’s control on our lives and yield to God’s power (Philippians 3:20-21). God wants us to rest in Him and rely on Him alone, not on the things of this world that try to captivate our hearts and minds. Letting go of our ties to the world only increases our desire for and faith in God.
