What is Gluttony, Really? What the Bible Really Says About Gluttony

What Is Gluttony, Really? What the Bible *Actually* Says—A Personal Reflection

Are you tired of feeling weighed down by shame and guilt about what you eat? Have you ever wondered if your relationship with food is at odds with your Christian faith? As a woman who’s navigated years of diet culture and church messaging, I’m convinced that many of us are living in unnecessary fear and condemnation when it comes to “gluttony.” In this post, I want to share my heart and what I’ve learned—straight from my latest episode of *Compared to Who?*—about what the Bible actually says about gluttony. My prayer is that you walk away from this blog post feeling lighter, freer, and more loved than ever before.

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Have We Gotten Gluttony Wrong?

I’ve got to be honest with you. I think most of us Christians, especially women, have been held hostage by a misunderstanding of gluttony. Our churches, whether we realize it or not, have absorbed diet culture’s message that if you aren’t eating “just right,” you’re probably guilty of this deadly sin.

But in my years of mentoring, counseling, and simply listening to other women, I see so many who barely eat enough—and yet carry crushing guilt, wondering if they’re “gluttons” for food. Friend, that is just not what gluttony means at all. The standard so many of us use does *not* come from Scripture.

> “The enemy has held us in guilt and shame and condemnation around gluttony according to a standard that is not the Bible standard at all.”

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The Real Roots of Gluttony: History & Church Culture

Would it surprise you to learn that the idea of gluttony as “eating too much” isn’t actually from the Bible? Thanks to Kevin DeYoung’s writing, I discovered that the notion comes from a desert monk named Evagrius of Pontus—who was later condemned as a heretic.

This monk, living with basically none of life’s normal temptations, ended up hating the body’s needs—like hunger. That distaste for the body’s cravings actually comes more from Gnostic heresy than biblical truth.

> “Any theology that detests the body, or doesn’t appreciate the body, is not good theology.”

God created our bodies and made them *dependent* on food for a reason—on purpose and for a purpose!

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Body Shame, Diet Culture, and Sin

If you grew up in diet culture, you probably learned somewhere that “good” people ignore their hunger and go to bed empty, that the more you restrict, the more spiritual you are. I bought these messages too. And, honestly, years of restriction left me confused about my own body’s hunger cues.

But if gluttony were really just eating more than a restrictive plan says, wouldn’t that mean God set us up to fail? That just isn’t the God I know—who numbers the hairs on my head, not the macros on my plate.

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What Scripture *Really* Says About Gluttony

Here’s where things get exciting (and freeing!):

- **Scripture is overwhelmingly positive about food.** Think feasts in the Old Testament, and the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven—where, by the way, we’ll eat for sheer joy, not necessity.
- In my research, I was shocked to find that the ESV uses the word “glutton” only **four times**—and always in connection with “drunkard.” It’s never about body size or simply having a big meal.
- Gluttony, biblically, is really about **self-indulgence, hedonism, and living for pleasure without regard for God or others**.

C.S. Lewis’ “Gluttony of Delicacy”

I love C.S. Lewis, and he actually had a brilliant take on gluttony—not just as overeating, but as being “persnickety,” always demanding food cooked exactly your way or bending every meal to your preferences. I’ve been there! When I demanded gluten-free meals for the sake of a diet, or got exasperated when others didn’t cater to my rules, that—according to Lewis—can be a form of gluttony too.

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Debunking “Gluttony” Verses You May Have Heard

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Scripture misused to shame people about eating.

- **Proverbs 23:2—“Put a knife to your throat if you’re given to gluttony”**
Read it in context: this chapter is really about longing for wealth and “craving the delicacies" of the rich, not about second helpings at dinner.
- **Philippians 3:19—“Their god is their stomach”**
Paul is describing “enemies of the cross of Christ,” not believers wrestling with food issues.

Let’s not use these verses as a club over tender-hearted Christians fighting to heal their relationship with food.

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So What Actually *Is* Gluttony?

After digging through every passage, here’s what I believe:

- Gluttony is **not** eating more than your old diet allowed.
- It’s **not** gaining weight in midlife.
- It’s **not** needing extra food after restriction or fasting.
- It’s **not** celebrating with a big feast and realizing 30 minutes later you’re “stuffed.”

Gluttony is a *heart posture*—using food (or anything) to numb out, to chase pleasure for its own sake, or to put your wants and needs above others or God.

As Kevin DeYoung writes (and I wholeheartedly agree), a glutton is “a loafer, a partier, and a profligate...the prodigal son wasting his life on riotous living.”

What *Isn’t* Gluttony?

Just to be clear, sisters, let me say it again:

- Eating more than your diet plan says: Not gluttony
- Eating when you’re hungry after years of restriction: Not gluttony
- Weighing more than you did in your 20s or 30s: Not gluttony
- Feasting and *enjoying* rich food: Not gluttony

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Freedom From Shame: Embracing Biblical Truth

If you remember nothing else, please let this sink in: **Gluttony is about the heart, not about “how much did you eat.”** I love how RD Leslie Schilling says it: “Gluttony is a heart problem, not a what you eat or how you eat problem.”

In over 20 years as a registered dietitian, Leslie has “never met a glutton,” but she’s met countless Christians wrecked by shame-based teachings.

God’s greatest concern is *not* what’s on your plate, but how you love Him and others.

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Final Thoughts

More than anything, I want you to know freedom is possible. Imagine life without the food police in your head. Imagine *enjoying* food as a gift from your Father. Imagine living in the security that you are loved—no matter your weight, your diet, or the kind of day you’ve had around the table.

> “What if the truth is God’s not mad at you about the way you’re eating? What if he actually wants you to enjoy food?”

Let’s ditch the shame, turn down the volume on diet culture, and walk in grace. God invites you—yes, you!—to freedom, joy, and peace in your body and your life.

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**Did this resonate?** I’d love to hear from you! Email me at [email protected].

And if this post encouraged you, would you consider leaving a podcast review or sharing the episode with a friend? Your words help more women find freedom.

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*This post is adapted from my episode “What is Gluttony, Really? What the Bible Really Says About Gluttony” on the Compared to Who? podcast. For more biblically grounded body image encouragement, subscribe to the show or check out [Compared to Who?](https://comparedtowho.me/).*