Sex is right, and food is right, but both can turn into lust. This happens when there is an inordinate demand and obsession for these things. The Lord Jesus dealt with these things on the cross. He dealt with our flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). This is a great matter, a great gospel. The cross has dealt with our passions and our lusts. No Christian should steal or even contemplate stealing. We should be clean not only in our conduct but also in our thoughts. Although Christians recognize the existence of the flesh, they should be clean in their thoughts and conduct. The Lord has already accomplished this work for us on the cross.
This does not mean that Christians do not need to deal with their lust. We are saying that the Lord has given us a new spirit and a new life. The new spirit enables us to touch God, and the new life enables us to express His life. God’s life is altogether positive; there is nothing negative about it. This is not a matter of dealing with lust but a matter of seeing something positive. It has to do with the new life and the manifestation of God’s life. There is a new spirit in us which is able to touch the Spirit of God. Christians are filled within with these positive things. We do not have to pay attention to such ordinances as “do not handle, nor taste, nor touch.” We do not have to pay attention to the negative things, because we have the positive things with us. We must touch more of the positive things, the things in glory. We must keep touching the Spirit of glory and the life in glory. When we have the positive things, abstinence from eating, touching, and handling will become a minor issue. Everyone who is in the Lord should be fully released from these things.
Some people like to subject their physical body to asceticism because they are short of the positive things. Some Christians also have the same inclination. They would have nothing to cling to if asceticism were taken away from them. They constantly restrain themselves from seeing, handling, eating, touching, and listening to all kinds of things. If you take these ordinances away from them, you will take away their very world. This is their heaven and earth, their world, their universe. If you take away their universe, their world will be gone.
The Bible gives a very flexible view concerning such things as eating. It says one may eat or not eat. In God’s eyes none of these things means anything; they are minor points, not major issues. All of these things are minor from the Scripture’s point of view. The important and crucial things are the life of the Son of God and the life of Christ within the believers. With such glory and weight upon us, food and clothing become minor issues. The Bible shows us that the Christian life is a flexible life.
It is all right for anyone to dress himself moderately and to eat frugally before the Lord. But if someone gives him more to eat, he should feel free to take the offer; there is nothing wrong with eating more. If you feel that you do not want to marry for the Lord’s sake, that is very good. If you feel that you are not doing justice to yourself by remaining single, it is good for you to marry. Some do not have as many riches of Christ, and you will be taking their world away from them if you take marriage away from them. But some have the riches of Christ, and they can go on undeterred. It is good to remain single, and it is good also to marry. These issues become very minor in comparison to that which is great and glorious. Any anxiety over these things shows one’s little appreciation of Christ. The problems of marriage and food are very minor. Whether a Christian eats more or eats less is of minor concern. These are not the fundamental issues.
The crucial thing for us to do is to express the spiritual reality. All the other matters will spontaneously find their proper place if glory is properly expressed through us. If Christ’s glory is not expressed, minor things will become major things, and we will apply asceticism to them. Those who do not know the Lord may cherish these things, but those who know the Lord will easily and effortlessly transcend them.