Worshiping the Gut God

“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).

Queen rocked the national anthem of instant gratification. “I want it all! I want it all! I want it all! And I want it now!!” We live in a world dominated by the pursuit of our pleasure right here and right now. Yeah, I said “we.” As much as I like to fool the dude in the mirror, I’m just as guilty as anyone. But long before Freddie Mercury and the boys belted it out, the Apostle Paul wrote all about this very same self-centered you-only-live-once attitude. With tears running down his face, he warns his friends in Philippi how his heart breaks for those opposed to Jesus. “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (v19). Picture someone gunning a sports car at top speed headed for a bridge that’s out. They’re so caught up in the rush they can’t see the consequences. Their gut is their god. They’re proud of what they should be ashamed of. They’re completely focused on the short term. And it’s not going to end well.  

Paul is in the middle of one of writing a letter that just oozes with joy. The man from Tarsus may be behind bars in Rome (Phil 1:7, 13), but loves him some Philippians (Phil 1:3-4, 18). Their love for Jesus stokes his fires and pumps his tires (Phil 1:25; 2:17-18). But a funny thing happens smack dab in his delight for his friends back in Macedonia. He suddenly remembers once again those who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil 3:17). His heart aches for these rebels against God’s kingdom. In verse 19, he sees what they can’t or, better yet, what they won’t. They don’t care about the long term consequences. They’re all about the here and now. 

The apostle fast forwards to their dramatic conclusion. “Their end is destruction” (v19). It’s not going to end well. And why should it? When you’re fighting against God as one of the “enemies of the cross” (Phil 3:18), you’re going to lose. Every. Single. Time. Oh, you might think you’ve got the upper hand but it’s not going to last long. Shaking my fist at God might feel good but it’s a REALLY bad idea. Stop and remember exactly Who you’re poking in the chest. He’s the most powerful Being in the universe. He knows everything. He controls everything. He created everything. Did you catch that? EVERYTHING. And He created the entire universe simply by speaking. Why in the world would I think I’ve got any authority to talk back to my Creator? Jesus’ enemies think they’re rebels with a cause. Who does Christ think He is?!? Trying to tell me what to do, when to do it, and who to do it with!! I’ll show Him!!! They’re actually rebels without a clue!

Just about every Bible translates the Greek word here in verse 19 (Gr. apoleia) as “destruction.” It means utter ruin, total waste, or complete loss. The term describes any action demonstrating complete disregard for something. It’s no surprise that the apostle uses this same word when talking about how stupid it is when a clay pot tries to the Potter what to do. “What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Gr. apoleia)” (Rom 9:22). God’s enemies gace utter ruin. Total waste. Complete loss. A post-apocalyptic wasteland would look like Cozumel compared to what’s ahead for those who fight against Jesus. 

Instead of worshiping Almighty God, these rebels seek to satisfy their all-hungry gut. “Their god is their belly” (v19). Don’t be fooled. Paul is not simply talking about folks who make never-ending trips to the all-you-can-eat buffet and wrap up their gorge-a-thon under the Chocolate Wonderfall. The word “belly” here is the koilia, literally means the hollow. Often we see it describing a part of the body, like the stomach, intestines, or the digestive tract (Mk 7:19). I’m not sure if Dr. Luke was an OB-GYN, but just about every time he writes about a woman’s womb he uses koilia (Lk 1:15, 41-42, 44; 2:21; 11:27; 23:29; Acts 3:2; 14:8). The apostle uses it here to paint a picture of the emptiness   in each one of us. It’s our desire for gratification of the body. He warns the Roman church to be on the look out for false teachers who are only concerned with satisfying their cravings and addictions. “For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites (Gr. koilia)” (Rom 16:18). Instead of praising Jesus, they worship their gut god.

This is more than just food. Paul makes it clear this is a worship issue. Instead of choosing God, they choose whatever will fill that void in the short run. I don’t have to tell you that this isn’t just a first century issue. Today we have a handy dandy word for it: self-medication. Folks stuff themselves with all sorts of stuff in order to find satisfaction. Food. Alcohol. Drugs. Nicotine. Sex. Porn. Gambling. Shopping. Addiction certainly has a psychological component but the apostle doesn’t want us to miss its spiritual nature. When we worship and satisfy our gut god, we tell Jesus that He’s not enough. What we call instant gratification, God calls idolatry. Sometimes we devote ourselves to activities which clearly do us harm. But other times, we overindulge in something God created for our benefit. As one author likes to say, anytime we take a good thing and make it a god thing, that’s a bad thing. Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. The apostle says it this way. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything” (1Cor 6:12). Scientist, mathematician, and theologian Blaise Pascal wrote about this hole and our misguided attempts at worshiping the gut god. “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” I need to put down the donut and stop worshiping at the altar of the gut god.

Another indication of someone rebelling against God is when “their glory is their shame” (v19). Stated another way, they’re very proud of what they should be very ashamed of. Stuff they should be repenting they’re bragging about on Facebook. Long before the first post on social media, Solomon warns his son about this. “In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly” (Prov 13:16). Do I flaunt my faults as a way of getting attention? Do I want the world to see just how far I can push past the envelope of decency and self-control? Do I shine the spotlight on my recklessness There’s always somebody willing to do something stupid for a crowd. It usually begins with the infamous words, “Somebody hold my beer.” The New Living Translation paraphrases this as “they brag about shameful things” (v19 NLT). The Message is a bit more, umm, graphic. “Belches are their praise” (v19 The Message). Something tells me they’re NOT excusing themselves. God’s heart breaks for the damage and destruction we do to ourselves when we’re proud of our shame.

The final symptom of speeding toward our destruction is when we have “minds set on earthly things” (v19). A photographer’s tripod head can both tilt up and down as well as pan side to side. If it locks up and can only pan, the photog can only shoot whatever is at eye level. He can do a 360 and spin all the way around, but there’s no way to tilt his camera to record anything else above or below. Think of an enemy of Jesus as having a broken tripod head. All they can see are “earthly things” (v19). The difference is they have absolutely no desire to look up. They fail to look at the supernatural or divine. Sometimes this is arrogance. Sometimes it’s foolishness. Sometimes it’s simply tunnel vision. 

But don’t get cocky and look down on those who don’t look up. You and I fail to tilt and look to God all the time. Do we see random meet ups as divine appointments scheduled for us by Jesus? Do we continually see all the ways God has blessed us? Our families? Our jobs? Our homes? Even what seem to be problems, troubles, and trials? Do we see others as He sees them? Do we keep our eyes peeled for the pain of people He brings into our lives? Do we see their hurt? Do we see their loneliness? It’s okay to look at things here on earth when we look through His lenses. 

Meanwhile there’s that car racing toward that broken bridge. The folks behind the wheel don’t give a hot hoot about what’s ahead. They only care about instant gratification. They've got Queen cranked up on the stereo. Their gut is their god. They’re proud of what they should be ashamed of. They’re completely focused on the short term. And it’s not going to end well.