The Bible and Sensual Indulgences

 

There are activities which involve indulgences of our fleshly desires that involve moral wrong not to others, but to the love and attention deserving to God.

Without honor toward God, we see no 'harm' to these activities, and thus indulge them. Some try to make us feel guilt because we are harming ourselves. But more than that, we are not honoring God with our time, talents and attention by excessive indulgence of the flesh.

Areas where this can be true are:

• eating to excess
• video-game playing to excess
• sexual lusts
• money lusts

The Bible may also say one or more of these are per se wrong in some exact way. But also, the inordinate attention to any one of them is destructive of your love of God. You could say these diversions become a temporary idol because they rob time from God and selfishly grant them to yourself.

Jesus tells a parable of a Prodigal Son and a Parable of the Talents (in the Original Gospel of Matthew) which both talk of one who takes an inheritance / talents and "wastes" it on harlots and flutewomen.

Some tell me there is no precise law saying not to be with a harlot or flutewoman. However, there are many proverbs that warn such women will sap a man's strength and money. Why can wasting money and time on them be a sin? Because it violates the command to love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, mind and soul.

End