Why No One Talks About the Sin of Gluttony
In the modern Church, you hear the bold admonition of pastors who are 50 or more pounds overweight, preaching to you against lust, drunkenness, greed, pride and a multitude of other sins. But what about gluttony? That’s the sin no one dares to name. Why? Let’s dig in.
In a nutshell, the moment a pastor or teacher addresses unhealthy foods and over-eating… even in love and truth… you risk being accused of body shaming. You also lose your congregation. Today, holding up God’s Word on this topic is often branded as “hate speech.”
But let’s be clear: calling believers to repentance is not hate. It’s GODLY LOVE.
If we can’t speak truth about the sins that enslave people because we’re afraid of offending them, then we’re no longer preaching the Gospel. We’re selling a lie dressed in kindness.
With those in recovery, this is an especially urgent message because all too many go from drugs and alcohol to food – believing that it’s harmless.
A Dangerous Cultural Shift
We live in a world that tells us:
“Love your body just the way it is.”
“Don’t let anyone shame your size.”
“Food is freedom.”
“Health is a personal choice.”
These mantras may sound empowering, but they mask the deadly truth: many people are in bondage to their appetites, and the enemy is using an addiction to comfort food to destroy them slowly and quietly.
“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”
—Philippians 3:19 (NKJV)
We’re not called to glorify the body. We’re called to honor God with it.
Gluttony isn’t a “body type.” It’s not about someone’s weight. It’s about who’s on the throne of the heart. And if their belly rules their life, Jesus doesn’t.
What Gluttony Really Is
Gluttony is not just overeating. It’s using food like a drug. It’s feeding emotions instead of feeding the soul. It’s turning to ice cream for comfort instead of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
It’s not about pounds on the scale… it’s about pounds of spiritual weight we carry because of the un-repented sin of idolatry.
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
—1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV)
Food is fine as long as it’s healthy for your body. But when it has power over you, and it’s you ‘go to’ for comort… it’s become your master.
When the Church Goes Silent
When we avoid the sin of gluttony to avoid offense, we are failing as the Body of Christ. A preacher who wouldn’t dare remain silent on porn, drunkenness, or adultery must not ignore food addiction—especially when it’s destroying the very temples of God that he is overseeing (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
We’ve made “body positivity” into a god, and in doing so, we’ve forgotten that the Bible calls us to holiness—not indulgence, not cultural comfort, and not cowardice.
If we truly love people, we will call them to freedom—not affirm them in the chains they’re dying in.
The Real Cost of Gluttony
- Health Consequences: Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, fatigue, depression, and shortened lifespans.
- Spiritual Dullness: You cannot walk in the Spirit while feeding the flesh at every turn (Galatians 5:16–17).
- Hypocrisy in Witness: How can someone call the addicted to sobriety while justifying their food dependency that so obviously can’t be hidden or joked about?
- Lost Intimacy with God: When people continually choose food as their source of peace, then they are training their hearts to ignore the true Bread of Life.
There Is Grace. There Is Freedom.
The good news is: gluttony, like all sin, can be repented of. You are not defined by your cravings. You are not stuck in a cycle of guilt. You are not beyond transformation.
But you must first bring it to the light.
Jesus doesn’t want you trapped in secret shame or cultural confusion. He wants you free, healed, and surrendered.
Questions for Honest Self-Examination
- How many times a day do I run to food more often than I run to God when I’m overwhelmed?
- Am I more afraid of being called judgmental than I am of compromising the truth?
- How have I replaced prayer, fasting, or rest with emotional eating?
- Do I label conviction as “shame” to avoid dealing with the real issue?
- What would change in my life if I truly gave this area to God?
Stop Sugar-Coating Sin
This isn’t about judgment—it’s about freedom.
This isn’t about shame—it’s about truth.
This isn’t about skinny bodies—it’s about clean, healthy, Spirit-filled temples.
Gluttony is a stronghold. But it’s one that Jesus can demolish as He does for any sin or addiction.
It’s time to silence the lies of culture, speak the truth in love, and confront the god of the belly once and for all.
I leave you with the verses below to meditate on
🔹 Proverbs 23:20–21 (NKJV)
“Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”
This is a clear warning: gluttony, like drunkenness, leads to ruin—both materially and spiritually.
🔹 Philippians 3:18–19 (NKJV)
“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: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”
Paul equates serving the belly (appetite) with being an enemy of the cross—because their desires, not God, govern them.
🔹 Proverbs 28:7 (NKJV)
“Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, But a companion of gluttons shames his father.”
Gluttony is associated with foolishness and shame. Keeping company with gluttons reflects badly on one’s character.
🔹 Ezekiel 16:49 (NKJV)
“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”
Though not always quoted in gluttony discussions, this verse shows that Sodom’s sin wasn’t only sexual perversion—it also included pride and overindulgence (gluttony) while neglecting the needy.
🔹 Deuteronomy 21:20 (NKJV)
“And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’”
Here, gluttony is associated with rebellion, stubbornness, and disobedience—serious heart issues, not just lifestyle quirks.
🔹 Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”
While this doesn’t name gluttony directly, it tells us that self-control—the opposite of gluttony—is a fruit of the Spirit. A life controlled by the Spirit will not be ruled by cravings.
Summary:
- Gluttony is directly condemned in Proverbs and described as being as destructive as drunkenness.
- It is symbolic of deeper spiritual rebellion—serving the flesh instead of God.
- Self-control, the biblical antidote to gluttony, is a mark of walking in the Spirit.
- If you’re a pastor or other Christian leader, confess your sin of gluttony to those who are accountable to you, and ask them all to hold you accountable to them. Repent!
- Why not form a group that talks about food that will bring health back… believers that hold each other accountable by prayer and fellowship.
Be blessed knowing that I love you all enough to bring you this message that very few others will. I care too much about your spiritual and physical health and well being.
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