As you’ll see in the examples below, there are a variety of ways to answer questions. Some of our writers are a bit more verbose whereas others are a bit more direct and to the point. Some questions need more explanation whereas other don’t. Response style also changes depending on the questioner profile and the content of the question. There isn’t one “right way” to go about answering questions. We hope these examples will encourage you and also help you as you continue to seek to serve our questioners well.

** The below is a good example of meeting a questioner where he is, explaining relevant issues involved to demonstrate how to think through biblical issues, defining terms, recognizing and taking the discipleship opportunity this particular question presented (given the profile information), and connecting personably with the questioner. **

Question: “If I know about the sin of gluttony, should I finish what food is on my plate or waste it?”

Questioner profile: Male, Under 18, North America, New Christian

Answered by: Rhonda Maydwell, who has been a volunteer with us since September, 2016.

Answer: Hello! And thank you for your question! I can tell you that it sure caused some interesting discussion in my home! Is it more gluttonous to overeat if one is full, or to waste food by throwing it away when a state of fullness has been reached? You might be interested to know that questions smaller than this one have caused fractions within the church for years. There is a fine line between an earnest desire to obey God’s Word and legalistically dissecting His Law. When we gravitate towards the legalistic side, we tend to forget that God gave us commands for our benefit—not to try to trip us up. So, as I answer your question, let’s both remember that God loves us, is full of grace, and His desire is for an eternal relationship with us. With that perspective, perhaps we will be less likely to slip into legalism over the (very serious) sin of gluttony. Fair enough?

First, let’s make sure we are on the same page by looking at the definition of gluttony and a couple verses from the Bible about God’s opinion of it…

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gluttony as “excess in eating or drinking,” or “greedy or excessive indulgence.” Gluttony most often is connected to the overindulgence of food or alcohol.

Gluttony comes from the Latin gluttire meaning to swallow or gulp down. In the Bible, gluttony is understood to mean an over-indulgence or over-consumption of food, drink (alcohol), or wealth to the point of extravagance or waste. Proverbs 23 tells us something we have probably experienced ourselves a time or two—when we overeat we become tired and lazy (Proverbs 23:20-21). A good portion of the American population experiences that on Thanksgiving day! Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie…thirty minutes after that feast we are sacked out on the couch while we watch some football! The problem with gluttony is that God created you and me for a purpose! He has stuff for us to do! For that we need to be awake and alert to His leading. We must study the Bible and pray so that we constantly get more and more attuned to God. When He says “Go,” we want to have the energy, drive, and focus to reply, “Yes, Lord!”

The best way to avoid the sin of gluttony is to develop a deep reverence for God’s provision. When we realize that God provides everything for us—food, clothing, talent, skills, opportunities, money…we become thankful to the One who provided it. The best reason for praying before meals is that is serves to remind us that while someone may have worked to earn the money for groceries, someone else may have worked to grow or raise the food, and yet someone else may have prepared the meal, God is ultimately the one who put the food on your table. Without Him, we would have nothing.

So, going back to your question—I think it is equally important to eat healthy portions of food and to work hard at not wasting any of God’s gifts. When sitting down to eat try these steps to maintain a proper perspective of God’s provision for your needs:

1) Thank God in prayer before you eat.

2) Take smaller portions than you feel like you will actually eat.

3) Eat slowly, and concentrate on eating—no electronics, TV, or other distractions that might cause a person to eat more than they needed because they weren’t paying attention.

4) After you have eaten, it’s okay to take a second helping if you are still hungry as long as everyone else has eaten enough too.

5) After the meal, quickly and safely store leftovers for another meal. And then remember to eat that before fixing something new! (This is a big one for me—my husband and I are trying not to waste food as much, and tossing forgotten leftovers is a prime target in my home).

On those occasions where our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we accidentally pile more food on our plate than we eat, most physicians and dieticians would agree that it is not healthy to overeat. If possible it would be best to store the food to be consumed at another meal, but if that is not possible, it might be best to dispose of the food. This is a time when the old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies well. In other words, by adopting a thankful heart for God’s provision and pre-determining not to be wasteful of His gifts, and taking reasonable helpings of food (even when we think we are ravenous) we can prevent those occurrences where we end up wasting food.

Some additional reading that you might be interested in:

Proverbs 23 (the whole thing, it is short but good advice for all of us)

https://www.gotquestions.org/gluttony-sin.html (This short article on the website talks about gluttony and self-control—EXCELLENT!

So I hope this answers your questions and gives you a little something to chew on. Please feel free to submit further questions at any time.

God bless you,
Rhonda

** The below is a good example of providing a concise response to a straightforward question. **

Question: “Does baptism have to be in front of a crowd of people or in front of 2 or 3 people with the person baptizing me included?”

Answered by: Greg Spencer, who has been a volunteer with us since December, 2006.

Answer: In Acts 8 the Ethiopian believed and was baptized immediately. We also know that baptism is an identification with Christ and a statement to others of your intent to follow Christ. Yet there are no stipulations that baptism must be done in a church or in front of a certain group of people.