Written by Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

1. Gluttony is a sin exceedingly contrary to the love of God—it is idolatry!
What an odious, swinish, damning sin it is—for a man’s heart to be set upon his belly!

2. Gluttony is self-murder! Though it does not kill suddenly—it kills surely!

3. Gluttony is a deadly enemy to the mind, and to all the noble employments of reason.

4. Gluttony dulls the body as well as the mind. It makes men heavy, and drowsy and slothful.

5. Gluttony is the immediate effect of a carnal mind, and of the damnable sin of flesh-pleasing.

6. Gluttony is the breeder and feeder of all other lusts.

7. Gluttony is a base and beastly kind of sin.

8. Gluttony is a wasteful consumer and devourer of the creatures of God.

9. Gluttony is a most unthankful sin—it takes God’s mercies, and spews them as it were in His face!

10. Gluttony is a sin which turns your own mercies, and wealth, and food—into your snare and deadly ruin. You please your throat—and poison your soul!

11. Gluttony is a thief that robs you of your estates, and devours that which is given you for better uses, and for which you must give account to God.

12. Gluttony is a sin so much the greater—by how much the more delight you have in the committing of it. The sweetest, most voluntary and beloved sin—is the greatest sin. Few sins are more pleasant and beloved than gluttony.

13. Gluttony is the greater sin, because it is so frequently committed. Men live in it as their daily practice and delight. They live for it, and make it the end of other sins. Being turned into beasts—they live like beasts continually!

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
Philippians 3:19

*Here is his sermon on this topic if you want to be deeply convicted and challenged about this sin!

**The other day, I made a video on this topic. Here is an incredible comment a woman made under my video that led me to this sermon:

“My weight gain was mostly due to gluttony and I finally had to admit that. I also found out (after I started healthy eating/exercising) that I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis. So maybe that contributed some, but I know I had a food addiction and was sinning by living a gluttonous lifestyle with food. I listened to a sermon by the Puritan Richard Baxter, called “The Greatness of the Sin of Gluttony” and through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, it broke me.

“I was doing the dishes and had to stop and run to my closet to cry and repent. I’d studied nutrition off and on for years as a hobby, so I knew what I was doing to my body was, essentially, abusive. But all the will power in the world couldn’t heal me from the hold food had on me. I had tried, failed, and run back to food so many times. I was ashamed that as a Christian, I was not exhibiting self-control in this area. Gluttony isn’t the easiest sin to hide, especially when it results in massive weight gain.

“I wanted to truly honor my Savior and I knew this was where I needed help. The Lord mercifully used my getting Covid to wake me up, and then that sermon to break my heart. I’ve lost about 75 lbs since last April, and I give God all the glory! I feel much better and don’t dread getting dressed to go places now. I have more work to do, and I’ll always need to be on guard and vigilant through the power of the Holy Spirit, but He has set me free! Why would I ever go back to those chains?!

“Weight was a very sensitive topic, because I felt so ugly and gross. I knew that my weight could never separate me from the love of Christ, but I also knew that truth couldn’t be my crutch to continue in gluttony. If I loved the Lord, I needed to obey Him in this!

“I praise Him for His grace, power, and love! If you’re overweight due to gluttony, don’t take these posts/videos personally or as offensive. Let them be to you the hard yet loving exhortation we need in order to be pulled from our sin and onto the path of obedience. Sometimes it hurts, but God is our Healer, so we can find comfort and strength in that. ♥️”