English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Continue reading with a subscription
Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.
Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.
Summary
- Overeating is a spiritual issue: The Bible connects overeating to gluttony, lack of self-control, and prioritizing physical desires over spiritual growth. It can be a sign of deeper emotional or spiritual needs that only God can satisfy.
- Moderation and self-control are key: Scripture emphasizes the importance of temperance and self-control in all areas of life, including eating. We are called to be good stewards of our bodies, treating them as temples of the Holy Spirit.
- Biblical principles align with modern science: The Bible's emphasis on moderation and self-control aligns with modern scientific understanding of healthy eating. Both recognize the importance of balanced eating for physical and mental well-being.
- God's grace is sufficient: While the Bible warns against the dangers of overeating, it also offers hope and grace. Through prayer, fasting, community support, and reliance on God's strength, we can overcome unhealthy habits and cultivate a healthier relationship with food.
Bibliography (Click to show)
Annesi, J. (2011a). Moderation of Fatigue and Stress in the Carry-over of Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy for Exercise to Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy for Managed Eating. Psychology, 02, 694–699.
Annesi, J. (2011b). Moderation of Participant Characteristics in the Relationships of Changes in Self-Regulation for Exercise with Self-Regulation for Controlled Eating, and Self-Efficacy for Exercise with Self-Efficacy for Controlled Eating. Psychological Reports, 108, 329–337.
Baránková, M., & SládkoviÄÂová, R. (2022). Distorted body image in women: Emotion focused training for self-compassion and self-protection as an effective instrument for its moderation. Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.
Beekman, J. B., Stock, M., & Howe, G. (2017). Stomaching rejection: Self-compassion and self-esteem moderate the impact of daily social rejection on restrictive eating behaviours among college women. Psychology and Health, 32, 1348–1370.
Hagger, M., Hankonen, N., Kangro, E.-M., Lintunen, T., Pagaduan, J., Polet, J., Ries, F., & Hamilton, K. (2019). Trait Self-Control, Social Cognition Constructs, and Intentions: Correlational Evidence for Mediation and Moderation Effects in Diverse Health Behaviours. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.
Kang, J. ., Katsumata, Y., Lennie, T., Chung, M., Biddle, M., Miller, J. M., & Moser, D. (2022). Sustained effect on diet quality of a self-care intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk among informal rural caregivers of people with chronic illnesses: does health literacy matter? European Heart Journal.
Laghi, F., Bianchi, D., Pompili, S., Lonigro, A., & Baiocco, R. (2018). Metacognition, emotional functioning and binge eating in adolescence: the moderation role of need to control thoughts. Eating and Weight Disorders, 23, 861–869.
Nansel, T., Lipsky, L., Faith, M., Liu, A., & Siega-Riz, A. (2020). The accelerator, the brake, and the terrain: associations of reward-related eating, self-control, and the home food environment with diet quality assessed by 24-hour recalls during pregnancy and postpartum in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS) cohort.
Partridge, S., McGeechan, K., Bauman, A., Phongsavan, P., & Allman-Farinelli, M. (2016). Improved eating behaviours mediate weight gain prevention of young adults: moderation and mediation results of a randomised controlled trial of TXT2BFiT, mHealth program. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13.
Saltzman, J. A., Bost, K. K., McBride, B., & Fiese, B. (2019). Household Chaos, Maternal Emotional Responsiveness, and Child Eating Behavior: A Moderation Analysis. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Zelkowitz, R., Kehle-Forbes, S., Smith, B. N., Vogt, D. S., & Mitchell, K. (2023). Associations between DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder Criterion E2 endorsement and selected self-destructive behaviors in recent-era veterans: A focus on disordered eating. Journal of Traumatic Stress.
Books received. (2000). Nursing Ethics, 7, 550–551.
Freeman, D., & Abrams, J. Z. (2001). Healing, Health and Holiness Illness and Healing in the Jewish Tradition; WritingsJFom the Bible to Today.
Gunderman, R. (2000). Illness as failure. Blaming patients. The Hastings Center Report, 30 4, 7–11.
Holub, M. (2001). Healing, Health, and Holiness – A Review of Illness and Healing in the Jewish Tradition: Writings from the Bible to Today, edited by David L. Freeman, M.D., and Judith Z. Abrams. 65, 73–79.
Leonardo_37-5_357-426. (2004). Leonardo: Journal of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology, 37, 421–422.
Lindemann, R., Adler, A., & Ansbacher, R. (2012). Running head: SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ADLERIAN AND BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES 1 The Similarities between Adlerian Principles and Biblical Principles.
Mazokopakis, E. (2020). Food addiction in the Christian Patristic Tradition. Eating and Weight Disorders, 26, 405–406.
Mboya, R. (2014). ‘There is death in the pot!’Exploring the agency of faith communities and the bible as an asset in addressing mycotoxin contamination of food and animal feed. Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Missiology, 41, 256–269.
McCarron, J. (2004). An Integration Of Biblical Principles In Counseling: Psychology Filtered Through Scripture.
Merwe, D. V. D. (2020). The use of interactive storytelling, cartoon animation and educational gaming to communicate the biblical message to preschool children. Hts Teologiese Studies-Theological Studies, 76, 10.
Pallavicini, P. (2021). An Approach to Biblical Christianism: A Study Based on Life Histories.
Passmore, R., & Swindells, Y. (1963). Observations on the respiratory quotients and weight gain of man after eating large quantities of carbohydrate. British Journal of Nutrition, 17, 331–339.
Shim, J. (2021). The study of a Christian 12-Step Program for Christian Smartphone-Addicted Adolescents: A Biblical Perspective. Journal of Religion and Health, 60, 1780–1795.
Sudarmanto, G. (2022). "SELF SPIRITUAL THERAPY KRISTEN SUATU KAJIAN INTEGRATIF TEOLOGI SISTEMATIKA, PASTORAL KONSELING DAN EMOTIONAL SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT (ESQ). Jurnal Misioner.
Zwart, H. (1996). Ethical Consensus and the Truth of Laughter.
Akkuş, H. H., & Richardson, B. T. (2023). Bible Translations for Turkish-Speaking Muslims: Contemporary Considerations. The Bible Translator, 74, 431–452.
Carey, G. (2018). Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible: Metaphor, Culture, and the Making of a Religious Concept by Joseph Lam. Theology Today, 75, 114–115.
Cleaver, B. (2023). Oral Bible Translation and Its Role in the Future of Bible Translation. The Bible Translator, 74, 5–20.
Crislip, A. T. (2023). Spirituality, Illness, and the Bible in Late Antique Gaza. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 77, 143–153.
Favieri, F., Marini, A., & Casagrande, M. (2021). Emotional Regulation and Overeating Behaviors in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Behavioral Science, 11.
Gearhardt, A., & Hebebrand, J. (2021). The concept of food addiction helps inform the understanding of overeating and obesity: Debate Consensus. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Hartley, G. P. (2012). Lower Sacraments: Theological Eating in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis.
Hebebrand, J., & Gearhardt, A. (2021). The concept of food addiction helps inform the understanding of overeating and obesity: NO. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Komen, E., & Kim, R. (2023). Consultant-Checking Oral Bible Stories: A Case Study. The Bible Translator, 74, 21–41.
Kuczok, M. (2023). The biblical metaphors of sin: a cognitive-semantic perspective on the English version of the Bible. Linguistica Silesiana.
Lam, J. (2016). Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible: Metaphor, Culture, and the Making of a Religious Concept.
Lam, J. (2018). The concept of sin in the Hebrew Bible. Religion Compass, 12.
Lam, J. (2019). Lesley R. DiFransico. Washing Away Sin: An Analysis of the Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and Its Influence. Leuven: Peeters, 2016. xiii + 256 pp. AJS Review, 43, 195–197.
Owiredu, C. (2021). Sin is a Person: Some Ontological Metaphors in the Bible. Acta Theologica.
Song, S., Zilverstand, A., Gui, W., Pan, X., & Zhou, X. (2021). Reducing Craving and Consumption in Individuals with Drug Addiction, Obesity or Overeating through Neuromodulation Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of its Follow-up Effects. Addiction.
Toorn, K. (2021). Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible: Metaphor, Culture, and the Making of a Religious Concept. By Joseph Lam. Journal of the American Oriental Society.
Toorn, K. V. (2020). Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible: Metaphor, Culture, and the Making of a Religious Concept. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 140, 270.
