We need to talk about gluttony.
Ok. I said it. Well, I typed it, which means I don’t have to meet your hard stares or sideways glances. But, the gluttony conversation is one that needs to be had in the American church.
We fear this conversation because gluttony is so widespread. it has become an accepted (or even excepted) sin that everyone sort of agrees to overlook. However, if it is a sin, then we can be certain that God does not overlook it and we can be confident that our continued acceptance of the sin does not honor God and it harms our relationship with him and with others.
But what is gluttony? Aquinas defined glutton as an “inordinate desire” for food and drink that goes beyond reasonableness and becomes excessive. Jared Patrick Boyd says gluttony is “wanting more of anything than we actually need.” Gluttony is usually associated with food, but it is not only food. Gluttony has to do with our appetites, so in some sense, we can be gluttonous of food, sex, material possessions, or even fame and fortune.
Most of the Bible’s directives against gluttony are indirect, but they are numerous. Consider a few examples:
The glutton will come to poverty.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. 20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Proverbs 23:19-21
The glutton brings shame to his family.
The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
Proverbs 28:7
Paul warned that enemies of Christ were those who worshipped the god of their belly (their desires).
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from itwe await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Philippians 3:18-20
James warns against those who have fattened themselves in luxury and self-indulgence.
James 5:1-5
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming uponyou. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Yourgold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against youand will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept backby fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters havereached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury andin self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
In Deuteronomy, gluttony was compared with drunkenness, godlessness, and disobedience to parents.
18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice ofhis father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will notlisten to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bringhim out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 andthey shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious;he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
Deuteronomy 21:18-20
How big of a deal is gluttony? Jared Patrick Boyd points out, “The early church fathers talked about [gluttony]–often through sermons about fasting–more than almost anything else in the spiritual life.” Yes. In the early church, gluttony was a huge concern. The Roman Catholic Church lists gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins.
The list of seven deadly sins came about from an earlier list of vices that a guy named Evagrius created. Evagrius Ponticus was an ascetic desert monk in Egypt in the late 4th century. Evagrius and his contemporaries who sought to separate themselves from the world and live a life dedicated completely to Christ identified gluttony as one of the greatest temptations in their lives (You can read a little about Evagrius and his contemporaries in this book).
In the West, we do not talk about gluttony anymore. We accept gluttony as a normal aspect of life and refuse to wrestle with it.
But, if we are going to pursue holiness, we must pursue it in every aspect of our lives and our relationship with food is an important area we must bring under control.
Remember, gluttony is an unhealthy or “inordinate” desire for food. Gluttony is not, strictly speaking, the same thing as obesity. Though gluttony can lead to obesity, it is very possible to be a glutton and not be obese. There are people who are blessed with unusually high metabolisms who seem to be able to eat as much of whatever they desire without gaining weight–that does not mean these people are innocent of gluttony.
Jerry Bridges writes about gluttony this way,
Those of us who can eat what we please without gaining weight may be more guilty of gluttony and indulgent the appetites of the body than the person who struggles–often with failure–to control his appetite for food. On the other hand, the overweight person should not excuse his failure. WE should all examine ourselves as to whether we eat and drink to the glory of God, recognizing that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.
Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, 109
It was once believed that wealthy Romans used a “vomitorium” to enable them to eat until they were miserable, vomit it all out, and then eat again. This belief which made its way into popular culture and–yes–sermon preparation, has enabled some preachers to explain away the Bible’s injunctions against gluttony by pointing to these incredibly excessive Roman feasts that were replete with special rooms designed for the tossing of ancient cookies. In other words, Christians in America have been able to basically explain away gluttony by saying, “Well, we would never do something like that, so we must not be the people the Bible was speaking to.”
Unfortunately, the myth of the vomitorium appears to be completely false.
As a result, we find ourselves right back at square one. Gluttony is a sin, and historically in the church has been considered one of the “big sins.”
So, here we are, having an uncomfortable conversation about gluttony. What do we do? Where do we go from here?
First, we have to accept the truths of God’s word. Gluttony is a sin.
Second, we have to be honest about what gluttony is and how we are guilty of gluttony in our own lives. Gluttony is not the same thing as feasting. The Bible encourages feasting in certain situations and circumstances. Gluttony occurs when we begin to view all of life as a feast. As a sidetone, gluttony also robs us of the joy of feasting. I love carrot cake, but part of the reason I like it so much is because I do not get it every day.
Third, we need to repent of the sin of gluttony and seek help in overcoming that sin. Find accountability. Be honest about your struggles.
Finally, we should all consider the sorts of barriers we need to erect in our own lives to keep us from the sin of gluttony. Angela (my wife) has a rule for herself. She does not buy Doritos. It is that simple. If Doritos make it into our home, someone else brought them there. Why? She loves Doritos and has little self-control over them.
I love homemade biscuits. A lot. Angela makes my favorite biscuits in the world (along with the world’s greatest carrot cake). I only get biscuits once or twice a month because I have such little self-control.
Alcoholics do not go to bars. Gluttons cannot tempt themselves either.
What helps you to wrestle with your own temptation to gluttony?
