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(18) For many walk, of whom I have told you often,
and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ: (19) whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly
things. New
King James Version Change your email Bible version
We may think such idolatry
is rare among us, but the apostle says there are "many . . . whose god
is their belly," their appetites, their physical senses. They break the first
commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me," because their desire
becomes a higher priority than their Creator and Sustainer. Gluttony breaks the
rest of the commandments as well:
The second, when we serve or relinquish control to our physical desires. Colossians 3:5 says, "Therefore put to death your members
which are on earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
which is idolatry." We "bow down" to a false
god when we gratify our lusts of the flesh and of the eyes (I John 2:16).
The third, when we fail to uphold God's name—and all that it represents—in
glory and honor. Many call themselves Christians and claim to follow Christ, but lack the holy character God
wants us to have (I Peter 2:5, 9). Is "Glutton" the name God wants His holy
people to have? I Peter 1:15 answers, "He who called you is holy, you also
be holy in all your conduct."
The fourth, when we use the Sabbath, a feast day, to crave and overeat.
Sometimes we do this under the assumption that, since we are fellowshipping, we
can eat excessive amounts. Eating or drinking too much is seeking our own
pleasure, which Isaiah 58:13-14 warns against in the context of the
Sabbath:
If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My
holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and
shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor
speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the LORD. . .
.
The fifth, when we do not wisely use the many years of support and training
we received from our parents. A child of any age who does not have self-control
is a worry and an embarrassment to his parents. The glutton, abusing his body
with excessive food, may not live even as long as his parents, fulfilling the
inverse of the commandment's promise.
The sixth, by systematically and continually destroying the body and mind
that God has given into our care. It is slow suicide. If parents are gluttons,
they teach their children to do the same, thereby eventually killing them as
well. Since our bodies are the Temple of the Holy
Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19), to destroy it knowingly is sin.
The seventh, when we over-eat, over-buy, over-accumulate as a "get" way of
life. Our way of life is our religion, and if it is a lifestyle of excessive
desire, our religion is in competition with God's way of life. This, in effect,
is spiritual adultery,
as seen in Jeremiah 3:6-10. God says in verse 9, "So it came to pass,
through [Judah's] casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed
adultery with stones and trees." These idols, worshipped on the high places,
became the object of Judah's excessive desire, just as food, drink, or any
material thing can be.
The eighth, when we take more than what is balanced and needful, thus more
than God has given. In addition, by hoarding for ourselves we steal from others.
Certainly, when there are people without enough, for us to consume more than we
need is wrong (Proverbs 22:9; 11:24-26). A society that over-consumes at the expense of
others is, at the very least, greedy. Wastefulness is a by-product of gluttony,
and Americans no longer live by sayings like, "Waste not, want not!" We live in
a careless, throw-away society, but the day will come when this gluttonous
nation will lose everything and be taken into captivity. Proverbs 23:21 predicts, "For the drunkard and the glutton
will come to poverty."
The ninth, when we are gluttonous while calling ourselves Christians. This is
a lie and hypocritical, misrepresenting God. Commonly, gluttons blame a thyroid
problem or claim it is a disease, thereby relinquishing responsibility. If this
is not true, it is a lie. It is also a lie if we think that giving into
excessive desire will not hurt us. God speaks of such self-deception in Jeremiah 7:8-10:
Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder,
commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods
whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is
called by My name, and say, "We are delivered to do all these
abominations"?
The tenth, when we are not satisfied with what we have and desire the
possessions of others. A glutton wants even more than he has. Children must be
taught not to want the biggest piece of cake or the most ice cream. Solomon had
one wife, then he wanted another and another and another until he had hundreds.
Solomon was a glutton, which his power and wealth made easier.
As James says, if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10). With gluttony, we can specifically break each
one. It is not a trivial matter!
— Martin G. Collins
To learn more, see:
Gluttony: A Lack of Self-Control (Part
Two)
Related Topics:
Appetite, Control of
Belly as god
Control of Appetite
Desire
Get Way of Life
Gluttony
Idolatry
Lust
Relationship With God
Self Control
Self Discipline
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