The overindulgence and overconsumption of something to the point of waste, as defined by the internet, is gluttony. It extends beyond mere overeating, encompassing drinking, screen use, and other fixations on worldly pleasures. Scripture warns of the dire consequences for individuals who succumb to the sin of gluttony, urging us to tread carefully.
“Avoid being around drunkards or gluttons because they will end up in poverty and sleep will make them wear rags when they sleep.” -Proverbs 23:20–21
Many people walk as adversaries of Christ’s cross, as I have frequently warned you and will do it again with tears in my eyes. With their minds focused on earthly things, they gloat in their disgrace, their god is their belly, and their destiny is devastation. Scripture: Philippians 3:18–19
Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, conflict, jealousy, outbursts of rage, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, jealousy, drunkenness, orgies, and similar behaviors are now clearly visible. As previously, I caution you that individuals who engage in such behavior will not be able to enter God’s kingdom. Galatians 5:19–21
There is a part of me that believes gluttony to be the most deadly sin. Now that I think about it, I realize that’s the easiest one to fall for, even though it’s not necessarily true or truthful. The best this or that, the one product that will fix all our issues—everything is thrust at us in this world. And we risk being consumed by those messages if we are not attentive. Are material belongings bad, then? No. Is pleasure a sin? No. And you may be missing the point if you’re beginning to believe that’s what the sin of gluttony is trying to tell you.
A false route to comfort is gluttony. It satisfies a deeper yearning in each of us by using things [such as food, worldly items, etc.]. I’m first in line for this one as well; when I’m feeling a little depressed, I want to eat or buy anything I can find in the hopes that it would somehow make everything better. However, when we consistently succumb to gluttony, it actually reveals a weakness we have: self-control.
Self-control comes last on that list. Furthermore, it’s not necessarily the least just because it’s the last. In this case, self-control may fall under the category of “saving the hardest for last.” Why? Without it, I believe we are more susceptible to all the deadly sins, including gluttony.
Consider it this way. You can easily succumb to the sin of rage if you are unable to manage your anger [more on this next week]. You are preparing yourself for a life of jealousy or avarice if you lack financial control. Additionally, you will commit the sin of gluttony if you are unable to control what or how you consume. The list could go on forever, but you get the idea.
How, therefore, do we fight the sin of gluttony and practice self-control to walk in the spirit?
Perhaps we should take some time to identify the areas of our lives where we are allowing our fleshly wants to rule us. Then, understanding that finding our ultimate fulfillment in Jesus is the cure to gluttony, let’s return them to the Father’s care and start walking by the Spirit.
Consider yourself on a gravel road, if you will. It’s a dirt road with plenty of traffic on it. As time has gone by, the tires of past vehicles have formed ruts on the road. Even though the ruts were initially minor, they have grown into deep grooves that your tires almost appear to be drawn to. As a result, you may easily stay in the same section of the road as all those earlier vehicles thanks to the ruts. Because it is so much easier to keep rolling in the ruts that have been worn into the road than it is to get out of them, there are moments when it seems as though the car can steer itself. It’s almost as if the road guides you to your destination. Additionally, the road is better defined by the ruts. Because of the ruts that have been worn into the road, you are more aware of its location and characteristics.
Our so-called “reptile brain” takes control, storing them so deeply that conscious cognition is no longer necessary. Consider this: How often do you need to give each step of the tooth-brushing procedure conscious thought? Similar to ruts, our habits determine who we are as individuals, both to ourselves and to others. What we routinely do makes us who we are. When we continuously help others in need, we establish a reputation for generosity. On the other hand, we become recognized as thieves if we steal from individuals on a regular basis.
Virtues and vices are what we really mean when we discuss habits in regard to our beliefs. While vices are patterns of negative behavior, and virtues are patterns of positive behavior, good deeds and sins are individual positive or negative actions. Virtues and vices guide us through life and even assist to define us, much like ruts in the road. They play a significant role in how we see ourselves and serve as the foundation for the opinions that others have about us.
Though its success is partly undoubtedly due to the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas’s later use of Aristotle’s work, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with creating the first framework for thinking critically about virtues and the most prevalent one in Christianity. According to Aristotle, virtue is the middle ground between two extremes: excess and insufficiency. (1) Since we sometimes consider virtue to be simply an abundance of some positive attribute, it may initially appear odd to consider virtue as a midway ground between extremes. The virtue of courage may be the most straightforward example to comprehend this paradigm. When you think about it, courage lies somewhere between cowardice (the tendency to take fear too seriously) and foolhardiness (the tendency to take fear too lightly). Furthermore, vices are typically one or both extremes if virtue is the middle ground between them.
Finally, all of this leads us to overeating. Despite the fact that gluttony is frequently called a sin, it is perhaps more correct to consider it a vice. Gluttony is more than just one bad deed or unbridled impulse. It is a pattern of conduct that develops when bad deeds or uncontrollable emotions become routine. It is a pattern that is difficult to break once established due to the power of habit. Although the phrase “capital vice,” which comes from the Latin capitus, which means “head,” may be more useful, gluttony is also sometimes referred to as a deadly sin. The vice of gluttony is the root cause of numerous other sins that it might cause. Discussing gluttony in connection to temperance, the virtue it is traditionally seen as opposing, may also be beneficial. Perhaps the best example of the classical definition of virtue is temperance. In actuality, temperance—also referred to as moderation—is the middle ground between two extremes. At the most basic level, it is not giving in too much or too little.
Especially when it comes to food, gluttony is frequently thought of as simple overindulgence. However, this definition of gluttony is incredibly limited, and it frequently gives us the erroneous impression that we have escaped it. Additionally, it can quickly result in demonization and a feeling of superiority toward other people. It’s simple to believe we are not gluttons while still being able to identify some individuals who we believe to be gluttons if we define gluttony as merely overeating. Naturally, gluttony encompasses much more than just overindulging. Gluttony is the vice of choice that many of us fall victim to because pleasure is so… well, delightful, even though we never really selected it. We are heading toward gluttony whenever we regularly indulge in overindulgence or satisfaction.
This is the reason overeating is so pernicious: Anything that makes us physically comfortable can make us gluttonous. We also enjoy bodily comfort! Comfort on a physical level is both beneficial and essential! However, this does not imply that all methods of achieving it are neutral or even beneficial. Our desires can be satiated in ways that are destructive, unhealthy, and perverted. By now, you might not even be surprised to learn that individuals have considered every possible dangerous or twisted manner we can satisfy our cravings. Even a useful acronym exists: FRESH. We may indulge in too much, too quickly, too lavishly, too ravenously, or too meticulously. (4) While all of these sins include excess of some kind, four of the five are far more complex than just indulging in an excessive amount of a particular pleasure. They are more related to our attitude toward pursuing pleasure or how we go about doing so. We can be overly meticulous or finicky about the little things, and we’re never content until everything is just right. We may eat until we are never satiated or get overly hungry. Perhaps what we commonly consider gluttony—the pattern of consumption or indulgence that exceeds reasonable bounds—is overindulging. Refusing to enjoy the pleasure is the result of consuming too quickly. Other options include overindulging or focusing just on items that will give us the most pleasure (or, if we are perceived as consuming them, the most prestige). The majority of these patterns of consumption are far more difficult to recognize than the question of how much is too much, and even that question is sometimes more difficult to answer than we are prepared to acknowledge.
You may be asking, “What is it about these consumption patterns or habits that are so harmful?” Is being picky really as terrible as overindulging or overconsumption?
These gluttonous habits are bad for us, to start. Because of the way our brains function, we injure ourselves when we overindulge. Dopamine is a vital molecule in our brains that serves a variety of functions, but its primary function for us is to enable us to feel pleasure. More precisely, it gives us a sense of pleasure or accomplishment for a task well done. Dopamine contributes to our sensation of happiness when we engage in activities that we find physically enjoyable. However, there is a decreasing return on the pleasure that dopamine gives us. Over time, we experience less pleasure from a similar behavior that we find rewarding or pleasurable the more we engage in it. Furthermore, over time, the more we do that same activity, the less enjoyment we get from anything else. Overindulging in pleasure actually makes us less receptive to dopamine’s benefits, which lowers our level of satisfaction in general. Furthermore, the only way to return to experiencing the same, initial level of enjoyment from enjoyable activities is to temporarily refrain from doing them. In other words, gluttony deprives us of the enjoyment that excellent things are supposed to provide. We can only truly enjoy things as they are intended to be enjoyed by adopting a temperance mindset.
The crises of deforestation, excessive waste and trash production, an increase in endangered animal species, rising air and water pollution, depleting natural resource reserves, and more are all caused by our habits of consuming more than we need. Our quest for pleasure has grave repercussions. The majority of those who are most likely to overconsume are shielded from those effects. The people who experience the most immediate effects are invariably the ones who are first the poorest and most disadvantaged. When we succumb to gluttony, our consumption ceases being a source of delight and instead becomes an end in itself. We begin consuming without considering the repercussions, which simply speeds up the depletion of the planet’s natural resources.
Furthermore, we are unable to love our neighbors as God intended when we put our own happiness above all else. Taking into account the needs of others is supposed to limit our own desires and consumption. The silver you keep buried in the ground is for the poor, the shoes that are rotting away from lack of use are for those who have none, the garments you keep stored aside are for the naked, and the bread you are keeping back is for the hungry, according to St. Basil. As a result, you are unfair to as many people as you could have helped and didn’t. (5) We harm our neighbors by depriving them of sources of delight and frequently fundamental necessities if we concentrate too much on our own pleasure.
Gluttony is a practice of unhealthy excess and consumption that interferes with our relationship with God. Jesus literally commands us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him, even though self-denial is hardly the most well-liked spiritual practice.
We shall eventually be defined by the patterns we create. Our need for pleasure will eventually take precedence over all other motivations if we establish a practice of overindulging or overconsuming. We shall turn into gluttons—people who are harder to please, more heartless toward others, and more estranged from God.