More Thoughts on Gluttony: What the Bible Says Part 2
Apr 24, 2026
More Thoughts on Gluttony: What the Bible Really Says (Part 2)
*Are you stuck in confusion, shame, or frustration over gluttony? Have you been searching online for biblical answers, only to find diet culture disguised as gospel truth? Let’s dig deep into what the Bible *actually* says about gluttony, and discover freedom from cultural shame and false standards.*
Hi friend, I’m Heather Creekmore—host of the Compared to Who? podcast—and today I want to share my personal journey diving deep into gluttony. I’ll challenge centuries-old interpretations and modern-day misinformation about gluttony, food, and holiness. Are you ready to re-examine everything you’ve heard? Let’s do this together!
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How Diet Culture Distorted My Faith
If you’ve ever wondered why so much “Christian” advice about gluttony feels like it was written by a fitness influencer, you’re not imagining things! I’ve noticed (painfully) just how much diet culture has mingled with our spirituality—even influencing pastors, bloggers, and church communities. It’s wild to realize that home scales weren’t even common until a hundred years ago! Yet today, so much of what Christians say about gluttony is filtered through our cultural fears of weight and food.
> “If you put this word into Google, you get so much information that, in my opinion, conflates diet culture advice with the gospel, with God's word.”
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Where the “Rules” About Gluttony Come From
Much of what I was taught—and what you’ll hear in the church or online—about gluttony doesn’t come from the Bible. It comes from ascetic monks like John Cassian and Evagrius of Ponticus. Their detailed rules around fasting, fullness, and “control of the stomach” eventually shaped how Christians defined sin, virtue, and vice. But let’s be honest: their instructions about things like “stop eating while still hungry” are *nowhere* in Scripture.
These ideas are ancient, but they’re also extra-biblical. Yet somehow, over the generations, their teachings echo through Christian circles, getting repackaged as God’s law.
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What Does the Bible *Actually* Say About Gluttony?
I wanted to know what the *actual* Bible said. So, I opened up my Blue Letter Bible app and did a deep dive—ESV, NIV, KJV—searching for “gluttony,” “glutton,” and “gluttonous.” Can I tell you? These words only appear a handful of times in *the entire Bible!*
Let’s break down two of the main passages:
Deuteronomy 21:20-21
This is where a rebellious son is called “a glutton and a drunkard.” But reading it in context, I found this wasn’t about overeating. It was about rebellion—sustained defiance and disrespect for parents in ancient Israel. That’s what brought consequences, *not* how much someone ate.
> “The problem... is not that this rebellious son is eating too much... The kid is rebellious.”
Proverbs 23
This one’s quoted all the time as healthy eating advice, but it’s actually a poetic warning against *greed* and *craving power*. King Solomon is giving his son wisdom on what happens when you’re seduced by royalty, power, and excess—not literal tips for your next grocery trip.
> “This is advice specific to a situation when you sit to dine with a ruler... and this whole paragraph is a metaphor.”
I wrestled with how often this passage is taken out of context. It’s not advice for Wednesday night dinner. It’s a warning about longing for the king’s privilege and wealth.
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Looking at Proverbs: Not Rules, But Metaphors
Proverbs is wisdom literature. These aren’t promises, and they’re *definitely* not laws. The mentions of gluttony here warn against living for pleasure and self-indulgence—not about getting “fat,” eating certain foods, or following clean-eating trends.
> “Proverbs are not promises and the proverbs are not laws... They're just general instructions, guidance to life.”
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Did Jesus Get Called a Glutton?
Yes! Jesus himself was *accused* of being “a glutton and a drunkard.” Think about that—did he overeat? Of course not! It was the Pharisees’ slur because he associated with outsiders, partiers, and “sinners.”
That accusation was about their judgment and religious pride—not Jesus’ eating habits!
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Colossians: We’re Free from Extra Rules
The New Testament warns us not to get tangled in rules that go beyond God’s Word. Paul, in Colossians 2, says not to let anyone judge us about food or drink—especially not based on human traditions or philosophies.
> “Whose rule are you living by? John of Cassian or Jesus Christ?”
My standing before God is not determined by ancient ascetics or modern wellness gurus. Christ sets me free from all of those extra obligations.
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Key Takeaways: Gluttony Is About the Heart, Not the Plate
What I’m learning is simple, but so freeing:
- **Gluttony, biblically, is about a posture of the heart—greed, lust, and uncontrolled desire**
- It’s *not* about your portion size, fullness level, processed food, or your body size
- Freedom looks like letting go of shame—especially food shame that comes from diet culture and not Scripture
- I don’t add new “laws” or standards about food and holiness—like only eating unprocessed foods—because not everyone has that privilege
It’s time for us to speak truth in our communities. Stop letting diet culture define sin or holiness. Share this episode with a friend, encourage your church to seek the Word, and let’s be part of breaking the shame.
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*This post is adapted using AI from my episode “More Thoughts on Gluttony: What the Bible Says Part 2” on the Compared to Who? podcast. For more biblically grounded body image encouragement, subscribe to the show or check out https://www.improvebodyimage.com/.*
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