In a discussion with a friend about eating being an 'act of worship,' somehow he was thinking that there was a connection with sin manifesting itself as disease in the body. He was unwilling to commit a hard-line stance about this but to me it still seemed heretical. He referred to Leviticus (planting with 2 kinds of seed) and the modern horrors of genetically modified grain. Is there ANY spiritual connection with 'eating right' with regard to physical death (his example: Adam and Eve) and us today? What heresy should I look out for here?
First off, we need to be careful when declaring something the Bible does not declare, in this case, that disease is always a direct result of sin. While it is of course true that some disease is a result of choices we have made (Galatians 6:7), this is not always the case. The same can be said of making connections that are not intended in Scripture; the laws in Leviticus 19 amplify the separation that was to exist between the Israelites and others. These laws lost their spiritual meaning for Christians when God made it clear that both Jew and Gentile are to be saved and treated equally. (See also Romans 14.)
On the other hand, I believe God does call us to treat our bodies well: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I cover this area more in other Q&As on the site, including this one.
Ultimately, to your question as to whether there is "ANY" spiritual connection between unhealthy habits and physical death, I would say yes; but, we need to be careful in how we approach each situation and how we apply Scripture.
