“I’m on a diet, I can’t eat that!”
“Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
The above scripture tells us that everything is permissible but not everything is good for us. Because of the price Jesus paid on the cross, it means that a believer is no longer bound by the laws found in the Bible. It means that we should no longer be ‘slaves’ to the law and rules found in the Old Testament.
In many cases, being on a diet is like following laws – several dos and don’ts about what to do and what not to do. Many people don’t do well with diets like that because it’s nearly impossible to abide by all the dietary ‘rules.’
As the scripture instructs, in Christ, we have the liberty to eat any food. But, not all food is good for us. We can pour sugar on our cereal, but this is not a helpful practice. We can eat cheesecake three times a week, but this is not a practice that dieticians would recommend. We could eat potato chips with every lunch, but this is not a healthy habit. According to the freedom we have in Christ, eating any food is OK…. but it may not be helpful for the body.
Paul writes that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthian 6:19
… and Jesus paid a huge price for your freedom from sin and eternal life.
“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
It’s because of the price that Jesus paid that you have liberty to eat anything. But, because of the price he paid, God desires that you honor him with your body.
I believe that the more you value what Jesus did for you on the cross and appreciate that the Holy Spirit lives in you, the more motivated you’ll be to care for your body…. the more motivated you’ll be to eat healthy.
But here’s the catch, we often want to eat or drink what tastes good…. and we can be selfish…. so we can be tempted to eat how we please because of our selfishness. It’s a choice we all must make many times each day – will I honor God by what I eat, or will I eat to please my selfish and lustful desires?
Questions to Reflect On
Are you honoring God with what you eat on a regular basis? Do you regularly put unhealthy food and beverages into the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Would you consider changing your motivation for eating differently from losing weight to look better to eating better to care for God’s temple?
Helpful Resources
Article – Overweight? Find Freedom from Overeating
Blog Post – Does the Blood of Jesus Motivate You to Care for Your Body?
I strongly believe that manmade chemicals in food are the major cause of diseases in the body of Christ. Of course, there are environmental factors that cause disease as well, but eat foods that God did not design our bodies to digest seems really stupid. If God did not make it (or its ingredients), I try not to eat it. I love organic!
Fresh real foods taste good. The problem is that the man made foods are made to dampen your tastebuds, and addict you. Try not eating man made foods for 30 days, then try it again and see if it tastes as good as you remember, or it you can now taste the chemicals.
Eat the good foods that God provided for us. They are the foods that were designed for our bodies.