Is it a sin to be fat, since the body is God's temple?

The Bible mentions that the body is God's temple, and is it therefore a sin to be fat? I mean since we kind of destroy/poison the temple?

Girl 12 years old (who is a little too round)

Hello girl 12 years old!

First of all, we would like to point out that we live in an extremely body-obsessed society. Skinny models smile at us from every shop window and magazine. The bodies on display are young, beautiful, athletic and flawless. Yet they are staged, and the images are edited beyond recognition. We don't know how this affects you in your everyday life, but this massive pressure to look thin and fresh can often affect your perceptions and feelings about your own body. For many people, it can also contribute to a false impression of their body.

You ask if it's a sin to be fat, and it's not. Some people are genetically disposed to be big, while others are born with a more robust bone structure; which can also affect the feeling of being big or fat. The Bible says that the body has an individual self-worth that should be respected, but the body is also, as you mention, a temple for the glory of God.

In the Bible, we find words that can set us free from both body aversion and body fixation. The Bible also talks about how we have been given the responsibility to manage our lives - time, money and our own health. Living healthily and keeping our bodies fit is a good thing, but the focus should be on using our bodies for our own benefit and for the glory of God.

Kind regards BoyandGirl.info