Is “gluttony” a sin? Is it a sin to be “gluttonous”? Well, to answer this question, we have to go back to my sermon last week: we have to study the Bible. Let me show you what I have found in the God’s word…
The word “gluttonous” is found four times in the OT: Deut. 21:20; Prov. 23:20-21; 28:7. The Hebrew word translated “glutton” is found a total of eight times. Jeremiah uses the word in his book and in Lamentations: Jeremiah 2:36; 15:19; Lamentations 1:8, 11. None of those other passages relate to what we understand as “gluttony.”
The passage in Deuteronomy 21:20 is the description of a rebellious son, by his parents, of being “gluttonous.” In that text, there is no biblical definition of “gluttony.” In the passage from Proverbs 23:20-21, the wise man warns God’s people to avoid “heavy drinkers of wine” and “gluttonous eaters of meat.” Why? Because they will come to poverty. So, what is the definition of a “gluttonous eater of meat”? How much is too much? Health professionals today advise we eat one gram of protein for every 1 kilogram of weight. That means I should eat 70 grams of protein each day. If I eat 71 grams of protein, am I being gluttonous? If I eat 80 grams of protein each day, am I being gluttonous? What if the medical professionals change their opinion about what is healthy? What if they drop the number down to 60 grams per kilogram? If I still eat 70 grams, am I being gluttonous? If the medical professionals up the limit to 80 grams, am I no longer gluttonous if I eat 80 grams? What’s the standard? How do I know if I am sinning against God by being gluttonous? What’s the definition?
In the last passage from the OT that uses the word “gluttonous” or “glutton”, Proverbs 28:7, the wiseman warns God’s people not to be a companion of those who are “gluttonous” because you will humiliate your father. But in that context, the first part of the verse shows that “gluttonous” refers to someone who does not keep the law of God.
So, the OT does not help us at all in determining whether it is a sin to be gluttonous and how to define that sin. Of course, we know that we are not accountable to God under the Law of Moses, so let’s turn our attention to the NT:
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The word “glutton” or “gluttonous” or “gluttony” is used in the NT three times: Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34; Titus 1:12. In the Matthew 11 passage and Luke 7 passage (they are parallels), Jesus is quoting Jews who were criticizing Jesus for being a “gluttonous man” and a “drunkard.” But, we don’t know what they meant by that. What is “gluttony”? In the Titus 1:12 passage, “lazy gluttons” comes from a quotation Paul uses of a Greek writer who is criticizing the people from the island of Crete. So again, I’m not helped in understanding about “gluttony” and how to avoid it, how to know if I have committed the sin.
Is it sinful to have a “body mass index” (BMI) that is too high? Is it a sin to be “obese” according to your BMI? Who defines what is sinful? Last year at this time, my BMI put me into the “overweight” category. Was I guilty of the sin of “gluttony” because I was “overweight” by man’s standards? This year, my BMI dropped just below the “overweight” category. Does that mean I’m not guilty of gluttony anymore?
I have dealt extensively with this point for this reason: man comes along and tries to define what sin is and he confuses others; or he comes along and ignores what God has defined as sin, and he, again, confuses others. Only God can define what is sin and what is not sin. The word “gluttony” or “gluttonous” is not found in any list of sins in the NT. If you look at the list of sins in Romans 1, Colossians 3, Ephesians 4, Galatians 5 and the works of the flesh – there is no mention of gluttony and no synonym for gluttony.
Tomorrow, we’ll consider the context and lesson from Mark 7.
Paul Holland
