The Flesh Series Part III: Is it a Sin to Be Fat?

If you haven’t clued in yet, I am an uber fan of the Scriptures. I believe that the Holy Book is a living and active, God-inspired manual for life. In fact, the book of Romans has been my “go to” book in the Bible when it comes to my battle against the flesh. I believe that the words of scripture themselves are life-giving (Philippians 2:15) and impart faith (Romans 10:17) and that the meaning of those words is useful for actually changing (2 Timothy 3:16).

Because of this, I take the warnings of the Bible seriously, like this one:

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book”

Revelation 22:18

In other words, don’t make stuff up that isn’t in the Bible. Like the Pharisees in Matthew 23:4, we can inadvertently impose rules on people where none exist. I do not want to be guilty of “going beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6), so let’s be careful not to turn everything into a sin. After all, Jesus was called a “glutton and a drunkard”. There are many instances of God-ordained feasting in the Bible. Food itself is not sinful or bad. So where is the line for us?

Although “people of size” are discussed in the Bible, there is very little indication that the state of obesity itself is a sin. In fact, when we ask if obesity is a sin, we are really asking the wrong question, aren’t we? I mean, is it a sin to have cancer? Is it a sin to be poor? Is it a sin to be in a car accident? Each of those questions describe outcomes, not behaviours. Moreover, each of those outcomes may or may not be caused by sinful acts (cancer, poverty, and car accidents often follow from a mix of environmental factors and poor behaviours, but not necessarily so).

Many people deeply desire to change the consequence of obesity, but are unwilling to address the behaviours and spiritual heart conditions that serve as a precursor to obesity. They are spending their efforts and willpower on the wrong thing. I argue that this is a strategic error that confuses the situation for most people. Gillian Riley once said that people who smoke would never say that they have a “coughing problem”. They know that their problem is an addiction to cigarettes. The coughing is due to chronic cigarette use. In the same way, obesity is the result of a sustained set of eating behaviours. And yes, some of those behaviours are sinful.

It is far more useful in the grand scheme of things to talk about our actions rather than our state. Someone once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” It is our pattern of life that is causing us trouble. I submit that it is a preoccupation with the desires of the flesh that causes us to become enslaved to its impulses (read Romans 6,7,8).

Let’s think about some of the specific behaviours that set people on the road to obesity. Feel free to join me as I nerd out a bit with these terms:

Gluttony, Debauchery, and Idolatry

Gluttony has never been spoken of in a positive light in the Bible. In the Old Testament, one definition describes a glutton as a “waster of his own body”. The New Testament definition means “given to eating”. So overconsumption of food ain’t good. Proverbs 23:2 even says to “put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony”. Yikes!

I recall frequently going to a German restaurant while in middle school. The owner easily weighed 400-500 lbs and served the most delicious schnitzel with pan fried potatoes. The food portions he served were truly mountainous. I recall how impressed my family was when, at the age of 10, I could polish off an entire plate. I remember the giant German lumbering out from the kitchen to congratulate me on my hearty appetite. I took this as a point of pride, and thereafter set out to prove that I could eat more than anyone in my family. I learned to eat to the point of pain. To the point of sickness. I am convinced that I forcibly stretched my stomach in such a way that it wanted more. My gluttony lead to my ruin, from a health standpoint.

Debauchery is an old-fashioned term sometimes translated sensuality in the New Testament. It refers to the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of one’s fleshly appetites. Those who commit the sin of debauchery are preoccupied with physical pleasures such as food or sex.

So debauchery is the idea of uncontrollably eating only for the sheer pleasure of it. This might be the kind of desire that kicks in at the end of a meal, after your body’s need for food has been satisfied. The flesh is enticed by cravings for more.

Idolatry refers to the worshipping of false gods. Practically, an idol is anything you put ahead of God or are otherwise enslaved to. I would argue that if you find yourself lying, sneaking, or prioritizing the compulsive consumption of unhealthy foods above your health, relationships, or faith, then food is your idol. And that’s a sin. I think you know what I am talking about. If you are like me, you NEVER miss a meal. It is your divine right to eat! All other things line up under your top priority: your stomach.

The scriptural “ace in the hole“

If those preceding paragraphs don’t convince you that your eating might be sinful, consider this final scripture:

“Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin”

James 4:17

If you were a smoker in the 1930’s, you might have been able to plead ignorance to the ill effects of smoking. In modern times, however, smokers have no excuse. In the same way, if you are morbidly obese, your problem is self-evident: you clearly have a problem with the overconsumption of food (with some medical exceptions). The research is pretty straightforward that this state is harmful to you. I contend that while the fact of obesity is not a “sin”, how you got there is. If you do nothing, knowing what you know, you are guilty of sinning against God (and I would argue also sinning against your family and even yourself).

The good news is that as long as your heart is beating, you can turn from your sin and escape the trap of the flesh. You can win your freedom with God’s help.