Why should I abstain?
Romans 6:12-13Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
2 Timothy 2:4Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
Abstinence can be a way to strengthen our thankfulness, devotion, and obedience to God.
Esther 4:15-16Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king.”
Joel 1:14Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to him there.
Abstaining from food and drink in the form of a fast can help us focus more intentionally on God and help us more clearly discern what he wants to tell us.
Romans 14:6Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
1 Corinthians 7:5Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Abstinence can be pleasing to God as a way to show our thankfulness and devotion to him, as well as our obedience.
Proverbs 4:23Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 28:7Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.
Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
1 Corinthians 6:15, 19Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! . . . Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.
Ephesians 5:18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
Since our bodies are temples of the Spirit of God, we must be careful what we allow to enter. We don’t want to profane God’s temple with the misuse of food, alcohol, sex, drugs, or even our thoughts. Eating is an enjoyable daily experience God has given us; yet overindulging can become an unhealthy addiction. Jesus himself created wine for a wedding celebration, but drinking in excess weakens our self-control and harms our health. Sex within marriage is good and healthy for that relationship, but lust seeks selfish pleasure and leaves wrecked and hollow relationships in its wake. Whether we abstain to grow our self-control, to avoid a common temptation, or to wait for when the time is right, our abstinence shows respect to the “temple” in our care.
Romans 14:21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.
1 Corinthians 8:13So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
Abstinence may be necessary to keep someone else from stumbling in their relationship with God. At times, we may need to stay away from activities that might cause someone who looks to us for guidance to go against their conscience. For instance, if a friend is a recovering alcoholic who abstains from alcohol, choosing not to drink alcoholic beverages in his presence could show respect for his conscience.
Matthew 7:11“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Romans 12:1-2So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
James 1:17Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
When we allow our thoughts and lives to be directed by God’s will, rather than the world’s ways, we will grow to realize how good, pleasing, and perfect God’s desires are. Yes, he wants us to abstain from some enticing sins, but only so he can give us much better pleasures in return. God is the source of all good gifts.
