Abstinence

Abstinence in Scripture refers to the voluntary refusal of food, drink, or other pleasures for spiritual, ceremonial, or ethical reasons. The OT prescribed fasting on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31) and regulated abstinence from certain foods through the dietary laws. Nazirites abstained from wine and all grape products for the duration of their vow (Num. 6:2–4). The prophetic tradition sometimes involved abstinence as mourning and intercession: Daniel ate no delicacies for three weeks (Dan. 10:3). The NT treats abstinence with notable nuance. It affirms physical self-control (enkrateia, Gal. 5:23; 1 Cor. 9:25–27) and the legitimacy of fasting as a private spiritual discipline (Matt. 6:16–18: "when you fast," not "if you fast"). But it strongly resists abstinence as a salvific requirement: Paul warns against those who "forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving" (1 Tim. 4:3). Romans 14–15 and 1 Corinthians 8–10 address the problem of foods offered to idols, counseling the strong to abstain voluntarily out of love for the weak, though the food is not intrinsically defiling (Rom. 14:14; Mark 7:19). The NT principle is that all things are lawful for the believer (1 Cor. 10:23) but not all things are beneficial — abstinence is a matter of love and wisdom, not law.