This article was first published in Tabletalk, the Bible study magazine of Ligonier Ministries. Find out more at TabletalkMagazine.co.uk or try it free for three months today at TryTabletalk.co.uk.
Many commonly tolerated sins are coping mechanisms. They are attempts to fill up what is lacking in our lives and are idols of our own making. As John Calvin once said, our hearts really are ‘idol factories’ that constantly manufacture new gods for us to serve. We destroy one, and our hearts fabricate another seemingly overnight.
Gluttony is a good example of a sin that can function idolatrously as a coping mechanism. Even though it has at times been defined more broadly as overindulgence in any area of life, in the Bible it is more narrowly considered as overindulgence in one specific area – namely, eating food (Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:20–21; Matthew 11:19).
For many of us, overindulging in food is a way to cope with heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, failure, and setback. It’s a way to deal with situations in which we feel totally out of control. Food gives us a sense of comfort and a sense of being in control, at least in some way.
