No. Can one sin eating unhealthy food? Yes. It is a bit simplistic the syllogism commonly used to condemn those who enjoy an occasional bacon cheeseburger. It goes like this, “We are commanded to be good stewards of our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Eating a bacon cheeseburger is a failure to be a good steward. Therefore eating a bacon cheeseburger is sinful.” One way we can know there is a flaw in this syllogism is that Jesus tells us that all foods are clean (Mark 7:19) and because Paul tells us we must not let anyone condemn us for what we eat or we drink (Col. 2:16). No syllogism is needed to get to these conclusions.
Stewardship is vital. All that we “have” is, in the end our Lord’s. We are to care for all that He has placed under us. This doesn’t mean, however, that we slavishly reject everything that doesn’t fully maximize a return on investment. If I’ve been given charge over $100 and earn return of 4.7% that doesn’t mean I’ve failed if I could have earned 4.8%. On the other hand, if I’ve simply buried the money in the ground, I would have failed as a steward. In like manner, if all I ever ate was bacon cheeseburgers, I would not be stewarding well the body God has given me.
Some years ago a friend expressed a principle she had learned from a purportedly Christian weight loss guru, that any time we eat beyond satisfying our hunger we are in sin. It sounds pious enough. It just doesn’t sound like the Bible. The Bible doesn’t present food as merely fuel for the body. It presents food as a gift from God. Indeed, after life and each other, the first gift God gave man was food. It presents food as a sign and surety of friendship and peace. We are called to delight in it, to not merely eat, but to feast.
Like every good gift from God, abuse is possible. It may, in fact, be common in many of our lives. I’m not arguing that most of us might not do a better job of stewarding our bodies, that a few more salads and a few fewer bacon cheeseburgers wouldn’t be a good idea. Instead I’m arguing that we should not let anyone, including our friends, the devil, or even ourselves, add to God’s law and put Pharisaical burdens where the Lord has left us free.
The true issue, as Jesus and Paul both pointed out, is in our hearts. There is where the sin lies. And there is where gratitude flows from. Whatever we eat or drink, let us eat or drink as unto the Lord (Romans 14:6). Let us not build towering syllogisms on a foundation of sand, but rest secure in the unchanging Word of God.