Gluttony and Temperance

October 20, 2002

Proverbs 13:25

Philippians 3:4b-21

 

 

  1. Introduction
    1. 7th sermon in a series Dan and I have been preaching on Sin & Virtue
    2. And, it is a real finger-wagger.                                         Gluttony and Temperance
    3. I must admit that many of these sermon topics have struck me as being so simplistic as not to deserve any specific teaching. I mean for heaven’s sake, what we all know about gluttony and temperance could be summed up in a sentence. Don’t be such a fat guy and temper your animal appetites.

                                                               i.      I suppose it is good simple advice that we could all hear again

                                                             ii.      It certainly ends the whole pastoral perfection debate. Clearly, I am not particularly qualified to preach on this topic.

    1. Nevertheless, I have thought about this topic rather squarely for a couple of weeks, and I think I might be able to say something worthwhile if you would give me about 30 minutes of your time

                                                               i.      But your kinda’ stuck, so I hope I will not disappoint.

  1. Prayer
  2. Gluttony
    1. From the Latin gluttire, which means to swallow or gulp down
    2. While there is no clear admonition against Gluttony in the Scripture, there is certainly an association with the wicked.

                                                              i.      Proverbs 13:25,  The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

                                                             ii.      Ez 16:49 "'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.'"

                                                            iii.      Pr 23:20-21 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

                                                           iv.      Pr 28:7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

                                                             v.      Ti 1:12-13 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith.

                                                           vi.      Mt 11:18-19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

                                                          vii.      Php 3:18-19 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

                                                        viii.      Pr 23:1-4 When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

 

    1. Thomas Aquinas, the “Angelic Doctor” argued that gluttony occurs in five ways:

                                                               i.      Too soon, too expensively, too much, too eagerly, too daintily

    1. While food and drink is an obvious place to begin, I suspect that the issue of gluttony is best understood in broader terms of indulgence. In other words, indulging in more of anything than we need. I also think we are most likely to sin in terms that are most pertinent to our animal desires. Food, drink, sleep, procreation, etc

                                                               i.      In the argument of what makes humans different than other animals, Millard J Erickson describes us as the only Spiritual-Animal. Which means we are animal

                                                             ii.      These sins seem obvious in our culture; we are fatter, drunker, lazier, and more promiscuous than ever.

1.      John Wesley makes a very compelling argument regarding our gluttonous sleep that keeps us from the worship of God and profitable work.

a.       From sermon # 93, "Sleep is such a dull, stupid state of existence, that, even among mere animals, we despise them most which are most drowsy. He, therefore, that chooses to enlarge the slothful indolence of sleep, rather than be early at his devotions, chooses the dullest refreshment of the body, before the noblest enjoyments of the soul. He chooses that state which is a reproach to mere animals, before that exercise which is the glory of angels.

2.       Odd really, in an era that has more leisure time than any other in the history of the world, we are constantly reminding ourselves of our need to relax and get some downtime.

                                                            iii.      Beyond that the list of our gluttonous vice seems almost never-ending in the consumer driven economy

1.      We do not control our speech and gossip runs amuck

2.      If  only John Wesley knew of Television!  On average the American household watches 8-10 hours of TV a day

3.      We have so much stuff, we have to rent storage from someone else, and pay to store our stuff that we are not using!

    1. The ugly truth about serving self in gluttony is that the sin only grows.

                                                              i.      There are simply some itches that when scratched only itch more

1.      One more brownie than I will quit. One more cigarette, one more drink, one more show, one more pair of shoes, one more fantasy.

    1. So how then are we to control our animal desire? I am afraid that the remedy to gluttony cannot be found in evolutionary humanism. For there is little reason we should show restraint, other than fitness for survival. But if Millard Erickson is right, that we are spiritual animals, than it is our bounden duty to honor our creator. Temperance is a direct result of our spiritual nature.
  1. Temperance
    1. Latin tempere, means to mingle in due proportion
    2. Probably most recognizable instruction in Aristotle’s Golden Mean. Temperance is finding the virtue that lay between any two extremes (e.g. Generosity as the mean between stinginess and wastefulness). Not that I want to argue with the Philosopher but I think it may be more complex than that.


      It seems to me that there are really three types of temperance.

                                                               i.      Temperance against vice

                                                             ii.      Temperance in balance

                                                            iii.      Wicked Temperance

    1. Temperance against Vice

                                                              i.      Probably the best understood form, it really belongs with the synonym “moderation.”
Most of the time the sin here does not lay in the thing itself, but rather the abuse of it.

1.      To eat is not a sin. Even to enjoy easting is not a sin. But to eat only for enjoyment, and to your own physical harm and in complete ignorance of the starving in your own city…that is a sin.

2.      Wine is not the sin, drunkenness is

3.      Sex is not the sin, adultery is

4.      Sleep is not the sin, sloth is

5.      Money is not the sin, greed is

6.      Self-esteem is not the sin, pride is, and so on and so on.

    1. Temperance by Balance

                                                              i.      While more complex it is proportionately more interesting as well.

                                                            ii.      I think Aristotle is partially right and partially wrong. While a tempered response to the extremes may be the sanest thing to do, I believe his system assumes there are no true goods. The true good does not always sit in the middle of two wrongs. The good is itself often its own extreme. What to vices does holiness sit between?. For certainly holiness is not mitigated self-righteousness?

1.      I agree with Aristotle when we speak of temperance in food, but moderation seems to solve for those occasions

a.      Nevertheless the mean between gluttony and ascetic self-starvation is indeed balanced consumption

                                                          iii.      But what about a temperance that is the balance between two extreme goods, not vices?

1.      Should we love God with passionate emotion, or rigorous intellect?

a.      Jonathan Edwards and the Candle

                                                           iv.      I am intrigued by this type of temperance or balance. It is a balance that adores its poles!

1.      Two weeks ago Dan mentioned the idea of Balance by Abundance, and I have to admit it has occupied my thinking since. That is exactly it!  This type of temperance is not the lessoning of anything. In fact the balance only grows stronger as the poles grow more intense!

2.      Have you ever read Plato’s Charmides? It is a dialogue between Socrates, Charmides and Critias about temperance. Although the never reach a conclusion, which is typical of the Socratic method, one of the first things Socrates divests his young friends of is that temperance is quiet or slow.  Which is finer in an athlete, student or a laborer, speed, clarity and agility or slowness and quiet? 
Temperance is not boring!  Temperance is not the cautious way. Otherwise, it is not always good.

3.      For example, here are some other tempered responses we must live with

a.       Joy of salvation – Pain of sin

b.      Joy of life – Empathy of the suffering of others

c.       Care of self – Care of others

d.      Abandon to Christ – Common responsibility

                                                                                                                                       i.      My response to the video

1.      Go wild and be marginalized

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Impacted by the do-abilty of the gospel! (Merlin)

1.      We have a calling to live here, not China. Some will receive that calling others will not. Someone has to make the money!

e.       Indeed Christ and the gospel throw a major wrench in the Golden Mean for he said give yourself radically to me! Push the poles to the extreme. Love more emotionally, think harder. Feel the joy more piercingly and the pain more deeply. Enjoy your live and live it fully, while also being terribly impacted by the suffering of others.

f.        It is in fact the lack of strong commitment that is my third category - wicked temperance

    1. Wicked Temperance

                                                               i.      In the Philippians passage that Bill read, Paul understanding his position as a human, who has received divine sanctification, seeks to press toward the goal with all that he has! With all passion.

                                                             ii.      In Revelations 3, to Laodicea the Lord warns that he will spit out the lukewarm

                                                            iii.      Moderation in these cases is just lazy!

  1. So What?
    1. Obey the obvious, spurn wicked indulgence.

                                                              i.      Eat healthy, drink in moderation, sleep enough but not too much and enjoy your marital privilege, just that its.          Use moderation in all things. . .

    1.  Unless of course we are speaking of the gospel. In which case I say spurn moderation and live it fully!