Gluttony: The Overlooked Sin

Gluttony: The Overlooked Sin

The Hidden Problem

In a culture obsessed with food, indulgence, and endless “all you can eat,” gluttony has become the sin no one wants to talk about. Yet the Bible speaks with striking clarity. Gluttony is not merely eating a large meal on a holiday; it is a pattern of overindulgence that treats appetite as a master. Scripture names it alongside drunkenness, greed, and idolatry—yet in many Christian circles it is scarcely mentioned.

Old Testament Warnings

Proverbs offers vivid cautions:

• “Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags” (Proverbs 23:20–21 NASB).

• “Put a knife to your throat if you are a person of great appetite” (Proverbs 23:2 NASB).

These are not commands against food itself—God created food for enjoyment (Genesis 1:29; Psalm 104:14–15)—but warnings against turning pleasure into idolatry. Israel was called to feast and celebrate, but always in worship and self-control.

Jesus and the Gospels

Even Jesus faced the accusation of being “a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker” (Luke 7:34 NASB), precisely because He ate freely with sinners and celebrated God’s grace. The accusation was false, but it shows that gluttony was recognized as a sin. Jesus warns that hearts weighed down with “dissipation and drunkenness” will be unprepared for His return (Luke 21:34 NASB).

The Apostle Paul on Self-Control

Paul frequently uses athletic imagery to emphasize mastery over bodily appetites.

“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way as to avoid hitting air; but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:25–27 NASB).

Gluttony is the opposite of this discipline. Where Paul makes his body serve Christ, the glutton makes Christ serve the body. Philippians 3:19 (NASB) warns of those “whose god is their appetite.”

More New Testament Teaching

• “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor… drunkards” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NASB). Drunkenness and gluttony are twin sins of unrestrained appetite.

• Titus 1:12 describes false teachers as “lazy gluttons,” showing how overindulgence goes hand in hand with spiritual laziness.

The Spiritual Issue Beneath the Plate

Gluttony is not about body size or calorie counting. It is about disordered love. It puts pleasure above the Giver, comfort above obedience, and momentary satisfaction above eternal joy. Like greed with money or lust with sex, gluttony is a form of idolatry.

Why This Sin Is Ignored

Modern Western culture markets indulgence as normal and harmless, and overindulgence is easily excused. In churches, we condemn sexual immorality or substance abuse but overlook an equally destructive slavery to appetite. Yet Scripture gives no pass.

Christ-Centered Freedom

The gospel does not call us to hatred of food but to freedom from slavery. Food is a gift to be received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4), not a master to be obeyed. By the Spirit, believers can develop habits of self-control that honor God and care for the body He created. Jesus frees us to enjoy meals with gratitude and to say “enough” when appetite demands more.

Conclusion

Gluttony is the elephant in the room—a sin largely ignored, yet plainly condemned in both Old and New Testaments. From the Proverbs to Paul’s letters, God calls His people to self-control, worshipful enjoyment, and freedom from every false master. In Christ we find not only forgiveness for past indulgence but power to live with holy restraint.