New life = a new life!

The Bible says that salvation is a work of God from beginning to that day His people enter eternity. He choose us, redeemed and saved us from sin. We belong to Him, not by coercion or against our will — for by professing faith in Jesus Christ, God’s people willingly belong to God.

Not only that, He changes our lives. No matter what a person might have been involved in before they became a Christian, God gives us the ability to choose new behaviors. In Christ, we have new life. This is why God says:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

“And such were some of you, but . . .” God washed away those sins, setting His people apart for Himself, considering them in Christ and just as if they had not sinned. Again, He gives us freedom to choose and because of the love of God and the power of His Spirit living in us, we can live godly lives.

The Apostle Paul knew the truth of this from his own experience. He had persecuted Christians prior to meeting Christ and receiving new life. At that point, he realized his freedom, yet he also realized God did not give that freedom to him so he could live as he once did. He wrote these words to others who were once living sinful lives . . .

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:12–20)

Why did they need this admonition? Anyone who has been saved from a sinful lifestyle knows why — our sinful nature is not yet out of the picture. We remember the so-called pleasures of sin and the strong temptation of things forbidden. Our lying enemy has a far greater likelihood of pulling a former addict, a former thief, a former adulterer back into their sinful life than convincing someone who has never tried any of these destructive sins. They, and all believers need to be reminded Who we belong to and how sin violates the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

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Jesus, truly my old sinful nature resists total submission to You. Your people sometimes stumble and fall. Restore those who crash, and keep us in Your will. I am grateful that when temptations come, You remind me that I am a child of God, an heir and joint-heir with You. You provide everything I need as a father provides for his children. You guide and protect me because You are my Shepherd and my King. I belong to You. Heighten my desire to do Your will, not to serve my own interests or give myself to the interests of anyone else. Hold me close. Keep me aware that I have no other concern or mandate but to live in sweet surrender — because everything I am and have belongs to You.

Obesity and gluttony

We are visiting our daughter in a city that she describes as: “People move here and get fat.” I understand why. The food is fresh, excellent, and unbelievably low-priced. I’m trying to eat properly, but even with being careful, the scales do not lie; my weight is up a couple pounds.

This morning I read the following passage of Scripture . . .

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:12–20)

The sexual immorality part is easy to understand. Sinning in that way is wrong because my body does not belong to me nor can I do with it whatever it may desire. It belongs to God and therefore such sin is not only a sin against Him but also against my spouse and against me.

However, there are two self-indulgences in this passage. Paul majored on the sexual sins, but he strongly suggests that being dominated by food is also sinful. The Bible calls it gluttony.

Over-eating is a big problem in America. Our son-in-law wrote a major paper on this topic. From what he tells us, part of the problem is ignorance about nutrition, but seeking the comfort and pleasure of food is also an issue. We see many people who are grossly overweight. Some of them are middle-aged, but most of them are milliennials or younger, and too often children.

Like others, I enjoy food. I’ve no food allergies and few dislikes. This is dangerous, particularly in a city where a tray of chicken in the grocery store costs about ¼ of the price it is at home. Most restaurants are also easy on the budget but heavy in the calorie department. Since my A-fib problems mean low-sodium, I’m somewhat restricted in diet, which is a good thing, yet I’m continually aware of the need for self-discipline. Since self-discipline is a “fruit of the Spirit” then I’m continually aware of my need to abide in Christ.

Abiding in Christ produces spiritual fruit and is necessary to grow and become more like Jesus. He does not want me to abuse my body and violate that which belongs to Him. While unnaturally skinny can be a Hollywood value, eating myself fat isn’t a good idea for all sorts of reasons; health, energy, appearance, and also a life of faith. Obesity displays lack of trust in God as well as self-indulgence.

I’m thankful for this timely reminder. For me, giving into a week of temptation could spell a trip to the ER with an out of control heartbeat. Besides, over-eating while on holidays is a slippery slope, an easy habit that is difficult to overcome when arriving home.

However, the most important thing God is telling me is that I need to consider poor eating habits is as much a sin as any other, and that I must remember that I am not my own nor is my appetite. Instead, I belong to Him.