And now we are concluding Principle 5: Healthy Blood Through Moderate Eating.

In this series, we first examined the role that food plays in the world around us. Food was not an after thought of God. He did not just create man and leave him alone to figure out how to find food. Rather God planted a beautiful garden with all kinds of food that was pleasing to the eyes and healthy to the body. He placed man in the garden to tend and keep it — and to eat of its wonderful bounty.

The Importance of Food in the Bible.

Here is what we learned in the Bible about food:

1. Food brought death to an entire race of people, sealing their fate for eternity (apart from Christ). Read more: The Bite of Food that Sealed the Fate of Mankind.
2. A special food that grew on the Tree of Life promised eternal life to those who ate. Did the fruit contain a divine anti-oxidant? Or did it offer everlasting life in a different way? Find out: The Food that Could Have Saved the Human Race.
3. Esau valued a bowl of pottage above an eternal legacy and the family blessing. His rejection of the promises of God set two nations at war with each other for centuries. Learn more: The Stew that Set Two Nations at War.
4. God sanctified the entire nation of Israel through dietary laws concerning food. Read more: The Food that Sanctified an Entire Nation.
5. In the Old and New Testaments, at least 9 miracles occurred around the subject of food. These miracles demonstrate God’s concern for the basic provisions of His creatures. Read about it here:  Nine Miracles in the Bible About Food.
6. 3 Jewish Refugees refused to eat from Nebuchadnezzar’s table. See why the young boys risked their lives for a bowl of vegetables:  The King’s Food Rejected by Jewish Refugees.
7. God could have used anything as a symbol of the New Covenant, but He chose food. Find out more: Food: A Sign and Seal of the Covenant.
8. Many people don’t realize that eating this common Christian food can bring judgment from God. Learn about the warnings associated with Communion: The Food that Brings Judgment from the Almighty.
9. Food is important historically, culturally, familially, and relationally (especially in relation to God). Learn how: Food Fosters Fellowship and Community.
10. Food can cause the weakest to stumble, both believer and non-believer. Find out how to eat for the glory of God: Food a Stumbling Block for Believer and Unbeliever.

Moderation and Idolatry.

Next we looked at the topic of moderation in the Bible and saw how food has become an idol for many. Yet the Bible clearly teaches that we are to discipline our bodies for the sake of righteousness. This discipline includes the food we eat. We should not overeat, nor under-eat. We need to provide our bodies with all the necessary nutrients to live the abundant life that Christ has for us.

Read more:

• Eat Only What is Necessary: Introduction. The Apostle Paul made his body a slave for the sake of the gospel so he would not be disqualified from the race. We too, should disciple our bodies for the sake of righteousness.
• Is Eating Too Much a Sin? 7 Bible Verses on Overeating. Here we shared 7 Bible verses that demonstrate that we have the power to live disciplined lives in the area of food. We can not let eating food become an idol in our lives.
• Eat Until You Are Satisfied! (Are You Eating Enough?) Not only is eating too much harmful for the body, but so is eating too little. Our bodies require certain nutrients to survive and thrive. When we don’t get enough, disease and illness are inevitable.
• Which Type of Eater Are You? Many people, Christians included, have abandoned God’s primary purpose for food, choosing to let the palette determine food choices. Pleasure eating can cause a host of illnesses and diseases if left unchecked.
• Food Is Made To Energize the Body: 14 Bible Verses! Here we shared and discussed 14 Bible verses that demonstrate that food’s purpose is to nourish and energize the body.

When we apply the above principles, it helps the body to maintain healthy blood as God has designed. This topic of moderation is number 5 one among 7 principles for healthy blood. We have discussed the first four previously:

1. Healthy Blood Through Cleanliness
2. Healthy Blood Through Fasting
3. Healthy Blood Through Rest
4. Healthy Blood Through Environment

Where We’re Going!

We will discuss principles 6 and 7 in future posts. These next two principles are also on the important topic of food. This topic is so important that we have divided it into three sections.

Here are the three principles which talk about food:

• Principle 5: Healthy Blood through Moderate Eating (which we just finished discussing)
• Principle 6: Healthy Blood through Real Food
• Principle 7:  Healthy Blood through Pure Food

God cares about what we eat because He cares about our physical bodies that He created. We are a whole person, a complete unit, created in a physical universe that God declared VERY GOOD before the fall. But the fall did nothing to destroy the goodness of God’s creation; it only brought a curse upon it. And now the creation itself groans, Paul tells us in Romans 8:22, wishing to be free from the curse.

As Christians, we are not to let the thorns and thistles take over God’s world! We are to fight against the results of the curse, bringing all things into subjection to Christ, taking every thought, idea, realm, and philosophy captive to the obedience of Christ. This includes the subject of food.