The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges Chapter 11 Holiness in Body

Is it a sin to eat food?

What if you eat twice what you need. Is that a sin What if you eat twice what you need? Is that a sin? What if you eat 4 times what you need? Eight times? What about eating food in class? Is it a sin?

What is gluttony? Is it a sin?

Is it a sin to NOT eat food? What about a diet? What about eating less than what is healthy? What if you purge?

Bulimia & Anorexia People with bulimia will eat a large amount of food in a short time (binge). Then they will do something to get rid of the food (purge). People who have anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight. They severely limit the amount of food they eat and can become dangerously thin. © 1995-2010 Healthwise, Incorporated.

So, what is right answer about eating? Should we eat or not? What did God say about food in Genesis 1? (Creation is the setting of our story.) VERY GOOD!

instrument of righteousness. Romans 6:13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an … instrument of righteousness. (New International Version, ©2010)

1 John 2:16 For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. New International Version 1984, ©1984)

Michel Quoist The Christian Response If your body makes all the decisions and gives all the orders, and if you obey, the physical can effectively destroy every other dimension of your personality. Your emotional life will be blunted and your spiritual life will be stifled and ultimately will become anemic. What do you think? Is he right?

Susannah Wesley What do you think? Is she right? Whatever increases the strength and authority of you body over your mind – that thing is sin to you.

Who is your master? 1 Corinthians 9:27 …but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1995 by the Lockman Fourndation Who is your master?

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. New International Version, ©2010

Gluttony forms the habit of giving life to the sinful nature Gluttony forms the habit of giving life to the sinful nature. If we do not say no to gluttony, it will be harder to say no to lust or another temptation.

Thomas Boston They that would keep themselves pure must have their bodies in subjection, and that may require, in some cases, a holy violence. What do you think? Is he right?

So, what’s wrong with a little greed? Materialism So, what’s wrong with a little greed?

Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. New International Version, ©2010

Materialism starves our new nature. We become discontent and envious. We pamper and indulge, becoming soft and lazy. Our physical softness leads to spiritual softness.

Ruled by our feelings… Our spiritual disciplines cannot be governed by how we feel. We must do what we need to do to become spiritually healthy because we desire to be holy, because we want to be like Christ.

How can we master our bodies? 1. We must order our lives to reduce temptation. 2. We must study or analyze our sins.

1. We must order our lives to reduce temptation. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22  (New International Version, ©2010)

1. We must order our lives to reduce temptation. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:14  (New International Version, ©2010)

1. We must order our lives to reduce temptation. The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Proverbs 27:12  (New International Version, ©2010)

2. We must study or analyze our sins. To labor to be acquainted with the ways, wiles, methods, advantages, and occasions of the success of sin, is the beginning to this warfare. - John Owen

Holiness in Body Who is responsible for keeping the sinful desires of the body under control? Do we have the strength to do this? Can we control our sinful desires? What role does the Holy Spirit play in this? What should we do when we fail?