Or litter LOL.
does smoking cigarettes hinder a christian
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Or litter LOL.
SpiritLedEd
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There's an old joke that says smoking won't keep you out of heaven, but it will probably speed up your arrival there. lol!
SLE
SLE
Fellowservant
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lol eating too much fatty food can do the same. Touch not, taste not, handle not. We all seem to have our own addictions. But as jiggyfly said, try and follow the spirit on this, whether its smoking, video games, movies, eating or what have you.. Im not much for the commandments of men, but i do believe in using your conscience. Just don't let it become seared like a cigarette
These things perish with the useing, but the conscience is to be protected. And a weak conscience is not the same a seared one, just thought id add that. Read Romans 14, this should help... God bless
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Coconut
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We give God a lot of reasons why there 'aught to be a law'...
Like, 'Your level of spirituality and relationship to Me will be measured by how well you preserve your body' -Holy Bible - read between the lines.
Oh that simple enough, I 'think' I can do that one, I mean its got to be easier than walking by faith...
There is a little bit of cautious sarcasm there, i`m not sure if I would have even married Fellowservant if my relationship with him was going to be dictated by how well I preserved my body
I think our forefathers would roll over in their graves, come back to life, and shout
"been there, done that, it didnt help us a bit!"
Food, wine, and drugs are neither clean or unclean, nor right or wrong, they have no spiritual application at all.
"Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. (1 Cor. 8:8f).
Reading those entire chapters is helpful.
Only faith can preserve mans soul, and commend him/her to God
Heb 10:38 My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
My righteous one shall live by faith.
I`ve met many a preacher, teacher, man, woman, who`s extent of spirituality consisted of dont smoke anything, dont drink alchohol, dont dance -except in church, dont play cards, dont watch television, dont get tattoos, dont pierce your skin, etc etc etc to ad nauseum...and measured their own and others spirituality by these things...but when it come to the testing of their faith, they were often the first to fall flat on their faces...why is that do you suppose?
1Co 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy them both.
Christ says, "Pay attention to what you hear! (that would imply whose teachings you are giving ear to) The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you---but with even greater severity. Mar 4:24
Like, 'Your level of spirituality and relationship to Me will be measured by how well you preserve your body' -Holy Bible - read between the lines.
Oh that simple enough, I 'think' I can do that one, I mean its got to be easier than walking by faith...
There is a little bit of cautious sarcasm there, i`m not sure if I would have even married Fellowservant if my relationship with him was going to be dictated by how well I preserved my body
I think our forefathers would roll over in their graves, come back to life, and shout
"been there, done that, it didnt help us a bit!"
Food, wine, and drugs are neither clean or unclean, nor right or wrong, they have no spiritual application at all.
"Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. (1 Cor. 8:8f).
Reading those entire chapters is helpful.
Only faith can preserve mans soul, and commend him/her to God
Heb 10:38 My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
My righteous one shall live by faith.
I`ve met many a preacher, teacher, man, woman, who`s extent of spirituality consisted of dont smoke anything, dont drink alchohol, dont dance -except in church, dont play cards, dont watch television, dont get tattoos, dont pierce your skin, etc etc etc to ad nauseum...and measured their own and others spirituality by these things...but when it come to the testing of their faith, they were often the first to fall flat on their faces...why is that do you suppose?
1Co 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy them both.
Christ says, "Pay attention to what you hear! (that would imply whose teachings you are giving ear to) The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you---but with even greater severity. Mar 4:24
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StopPolloition
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I don't believe we're talking about level of spirituality here at all. Neither am I judging anyone. I'll leave that up to scripture and the Holy Spirit. All I am and have been saying is that smoking and for that matter drugs, are incongruous with a holy life. James says faith without works is dead and that Abraham was justified by his works. How then do we reconcile this passage with the passage that says were justified by faith? It's simple really, true faith is evidenced by works. If I say I am regenerated and still remain as the unregenerate are, my faith is dead; they're only words. Good works are the expression of faith. We can talk all day long about food and moderation and consumptiveness, but that's really irrelevant. Foods are not poisonous. Cigarettes are. No rational reading or understanding of scripture could ever arrive at God sanctioning the use of a poison. Sure some smart aleck might talk about eating too much butter and high cholesterol, but butter doesnt have warning labels on its package. Cigarettes are drugs. To say that drugs dont matter is misleading. I've already pointed out the scriptures against drugs. In no place in scripture is pharmakaia ever in a positive or medical light and it is universally condemned. Revelation clearly points out the fate of those involved in sorcery (pharmakaia or drug) as the lake of fire. That's pretty black and white. Besides, even if I'm wrong, why take that chance? Quit, don't be like the world and live healthy. Any way you slice it, you'll be better off. I've put alot of effort into what ought to be simple. I don't know if it's really worth it to continue. There was a time, far gone now, when people didnt have to read "thou shalt not" in the scripture to not do something. And scripture is noticeably silent on many things. Does that mean that whatever the Bible doesnt say not to do is alright? Hardly. Some things the Spirit of God will convict you on (as was stated by the poster who lit up after a jog), some things are matters of conscience (you don't need a scripture or an unction from the spirit to be a polite driver). Whether these things are matters of salvation is not for me to say, I've only argued that the careful consideration of these matters can make one a brighter light in this world of darkness. I'd much rather be holy. I'd much rather live a life where people want to know whats different about me. If I'm the chimney at work during break time, no one is going to wonder. The bottom line is whether a person agrees with me or scripture or not, people will do what they want and find ways to justify it.
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Coconut
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In order for that statement to be true, you have to be able to validate it with God having said somewhere, that certain things you put in your body can make you unholy.
The internet if full of this twisting and distortion of the greek translation of this word.
Its the obvious attempt to grasp at straws to support a teaching of men, not God.
If you are convinced that what you put in your body makes your light shine brighter, then by all means keep on shining.
I however do not see anywhere in scripture that anyone will be drawn to Christ by christians lighting a "touch not taste not handle not" torch.
Again, not smoking is not going to make you holy, not at all.
How can it?
Mar 7:15 "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." - Christ
I have repeated this particular quote from Christ so many times on this forum, that maybe I wore the quote out from overuse, because what HE said seems to have no effect on the common consensus.
I will keep quoting Him anyways, after all CHRIST is the final authority in the arena of public opinion.
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The original question was whether or not smoking will, or can, hinder someone's walk with Christ, not whether or not NOT smoking will make you holy. The Bible does warn us of gluttony. There are passages about appetite. Maybe that will help to clarify what smoking actually can be. It seems safe to say that having an addiction is an appetite to the extreme. If we are following our appetites rather than exercising self-control, those areas of our lives are areas that need to be liberated by Christ.
Ecc 6:8-9
8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Proverbs 23
And put a knife to thy throat , if thou [be] a man given to appetite.
Phillipeans 3:19
whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
Seriously, I have never been a smoker, but I have dealt with drug addiction. And I don't know how anyone can say that living in an addiction of any kind can have no meaning or relevance to one's walk with Christ. It's one of the very things I was liberated from. Why would Christ liberate me from something that had no consequence? Christ saw that it prevented me from relying on God. He knew before I did that I was turning to something other than God for the comfort and wisdom I could only find in God. Why should smoking be any different? It's used to deal with stress. It's used to make people feel comfort. It's used as a crutch. And it takes away a person's self-control. We could be relying on God for these things. So as I stated earlier, I don't think God will love anyone less because they smoke. But it sure does take away an opportunity to rely on God, to see how He can work miracles in our lives, and to trust Him.
And you know, it's a typical mind game that the enemy plays on people through/with addictions - to minimize the damage, the health consequences. I'd say there is no less of a mind game in having us believe that there is no consequence spiritually.
So will it make someone holy? No, not in and of itself. But can someone become holy and still be living an addiction? I'd say, no, because the person living out an addiction is following that appetite to fulfill some need, instead of following God and letting God fulfill our needs.
In that way, it hinders.
It doesn't seem quite the same thing as what Jesus was speaking to in Mark regarding the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and handwashing and how nothing going into the body can defile it. If you think about it, addiction is just as much of an expression, of what is coming out of us, as what we are put into ourselves.
Ecc 6:8-9
8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Proverbs 23
And put a knife to thy throat , if thou [be] a man given to appetite.
Phillipeans 3:19
whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
Seriously, I have never been a smoker, but I have dealt with drug addiction. And I don't know how anyone can say that living in an addiction of any kind can have no meaning or relevance to one's walk with Christ. It's one of the very things I was liberated from. Why would Christ liberate me from something that had no consequence? Christ saw that it prevented me from relying on God. He knew before I did that I was turning to something other than God for the comfort and wisdom I could only find in God. Why should smoking be any different? It's used to deal with stress. It's used to make people feel comfort. It's used as a crutch. And it takes away a person's self-control. We could be relying on God for these things. So as I stated earlier, I don't think God will love anyone less because they smoke. But it sure does take away an opportunity to rely on God, to see how He can work miracles in our lives, and to trust Him.
And you know, it's a typical mind game that the enemy plays on people through/with addictions - to minimize the damage, the health consequences. I'd say there is no less of a mind game in having us believe that there is no consequence spiritually.
So will it make someone holy? No, not in and of itself. But can someone become holy and still be living an addiction? I'd say, no, because the person living out an addiction is following that appetite to fulfill some need, instead of following God and letting God fulfill our needs.
In that way, it hinders.
It doesn't seem quite the same thing as what Jesus was speaking to in Mark regarding the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and handwashing and how nothing going into the body can defile it. If you think about it, addiction is just as much of an expression, of what is coming out of us, as what we are put into ourselves.
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crossabove
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I dont think you know any one to tell you that smoking is not good, here in Malaysia there is a drawing of a black heart on the pack, it simply means smoking is not good.
Paul Dudday
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Isaiah 52:1-2 "Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion."
The Bible says every doubtful action is a sinful action. And also Smoking is an addiction and the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and if anybody spoils this temple then the Bible says God Himself is agianst them; If the Bible says it so then yes it effects a mans relationship with God. And also the Bible says if there is sin in your heart you cannot approach God boldly; keeping this verse in mind its for sure a person no longer approaches God in boldness living and desiring to live in an addiction which means it definitely has some thing to do with a mans relationship with Christ. Finally you have been redeemed at a price and your redemption from any addiction depends on what you beleive if you beleive the price for your redemption from addiction has been already been paid you will be free the moment you beleive. And a man gor to be aware if the Light in you is darkness how great is that darkness. this verse pictures how great the darkness or deception would be if we think that the darkness or bondages in a man is light or freedom...
A righteous man may fall 7 times but still he will rise.. that if a person is righteous and if by mistake he stumbles and falls there is good news he will arise. And also there is hope for the righteous...
Paul Dudday
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Isaiah 52:1-2 "Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion."does smoking cigarettes hinder a christian walk with god.
A righteous man may fall 7 times but still he will rise.. that if a person is righteous and if by mistake he stumbles and falls there is good news he will arise. And also there is hope for the righteous...
Coconut
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And yet CHRIST says nothing you put in your body can defile you [make you unholy] but only what comes out of the heart.
Rom 14:22 As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves!
Rom 14:23 But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.
This does not say "doubtful action" is sin, but rather if a man "doubts his actions" he is sinning.
Yes our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and what unholy act can a man do to make his temple unfit for the Holy Spirit?
1Co 6:18 Keep on running away from sexual immorality. Any other sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the person who sins sexually sins against his own body. You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves,
because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions,
Gal 5:21 envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Again Paul speaks of a heart issue here, in complete agreement with Christ. He is certainly not speaking an outright contradiction to what Christ already said. How great the deception would be if we insist that the darkness or bondages of a man is has anything to do with what he puts into his body, and not what comes out of his heart. That reasoning in itself creates bondage, and makes Christs teaching of no effect.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
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oublie
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"So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble." -Romans 14:19-21
Then let us at least consider those around us.. . given these different views about smoking~
People don't have same understanding of the scriptures, but we are responsible with each other.. yes, we ought to make everyone understand what is written, but we can't make everyone understand all at once.. so rather not do anything that can make people stumble.
Another thing, really smoking is bad for our health, we are stewards of our body~ we ought to take care of it, God wants us to.
Everytime we plan to do something,
lets just ourselves this question:
"Will God be glorified with this?"
The Holy Spirit will be there to guide you..
if you're not sure, rather not do it.
Keep in step with the Spirit!
Then let us at least consider those around us.. . given these different views about smoking~
People don't have same understanding of the scriptures, but we are responsible with each other.. yes, we ought to make everyone understand what is written, but we can't make everyone understand all at once.. so rather not do anything that can make people stumble.
Another thing, really smoking is bad for our health, we are stewards of our body~ we ought to take care of it, God wants us to.
Everytime we plan to do something,
lets just ourselves this question:
"Will God be glorified with this?"
The Holy Spirit will be there to guide you..
if you're not sure, rather not do it.
Keep in step with the Spirit!
I'm having a lot of difficulty applying the scriptural references about 'eating' to 'smoking'. Mark 7 is talking about things ingested:
Mark 7: 17-19
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 1
18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'?
19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
Cigarette smoke is neither ingested, nor does it go into our stomachs, nor is it expelled as the scripture is talking about. The poisons stay in the body and directly hinder the functioning of the heart. And it is no secret, nor a mystery, that smoking is one of the leading cause of both heart disease and cancer. In fact, it's common knowledge that smoking leads to very serious health problems and ultimately death. In no way does smoking provide nourishment or sustanence for our bodies. It is not a food.
In my understanding more relevant scriptur is Exodus 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill". It is a willful, albeit cloaked in denial, rebellion against the sanctity of life. It is killing of the self, like a slow suicide. It shortens the life span and works against God's commandment, and desire, to preserve and promote life.
What about James 4:17?
17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
I don't think there are too many people who aren't aware of the seriousness of the harm that smoking does to people. It seems to me that smoking can appropriately be placed as a sin of ommission. And also as a sin of commission, because of the commandment to not kill.
Regarding other scriptual references that have been given:
Romans 14:22-23
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Again, this passage is talking about food choices and the Jewish holy days. My understanding is that Paul is talking about the dangers of judging one another, about accepting the choices some people were making to observe the Jewish ordinances. How does smoking fit into that?
And if this passage must be used, then what is faith, for "everything that does not come from faith is sin"? Does it mean believing that God wants us to suffer? Have you ever known or seen someone die of lung cancer? It is full of regrets. Have you tried to explain to their children and those who love them why they traded in time with them for cigarettes? Is that faith? That we can harm ourselves and others with our choices, believing that God doesn't have anything to say against it, or that the pain that it ultimately causes others doesn't somehow also hurt God?
faith (Strong`s 4102) - faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust will follow; `the faith`often refers to the Christian system of belief and lifestyle:-
I don't get the logic. And I don't see how the scripture you are providing for the purposes you are supporting does not cause a great conflict with the character and ultimate will of God. If you consider smoking to be a food, there is lots of conflict. If we take smoking out of the category 'food', then there is no conflict. It fits more rightly in the catagory of appetite or lust.
lust (Strong`s 1939) - desire, longing (in contexts where the the desire is positive and proper); coveting, craving, lusting (in contexts where desire is immoral and sinful):-
What smoker doesn`t crave another cigarette?
Look at Romans 13:14,
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
and James 1:14-15
14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Smoking certainly brings about death, literally.
And also 2Peter 1:4
4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And also 1Corinthians 6:19-20,
19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
How is smoking glorifying God in our body? It seems to me that whomever chooses to smoke does not vallue their life as much as God values their life, and how can that choice then glorify God?
So how does smoking fit in with 1Corinthians 10:31?
31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. What is the glory of God? A puff of carcinogenic ingredients that take up the space of oxegyn in the lungs? A black heart? Lungs that can not get someone up a flight of stairs or allow a person to hike a ways up a mountain to see the splendor of His creation? Is it a person yoked to an oxegyn machine? Smoking starts out fine and dandy, people enjoy it, etc. but it doesn't end up there. It plays out more like James 1:15, as I've already mentioned: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Smokers are killing themselves. And the people they smoke around.
Here are a couple references to food:
In Genesis 1: 28-29, God blessed Adam and Eve, giving them "every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree ueilding seed; to you it shall be meat." (29)
Have you seen the ingredients in cigarettes? Certainly, they do not fall as food in the above scripture.
In Genesis 9:3 God extends 'meat' to include "every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you."
Still, no room for cigarettes here.
In Leviticus, when God divides foods into clean and unclean, He talks about living creatures. I do not see how smoking cigarettes can be considered food, or meat, or as something to 'eat'.
Addiction leads to imprisionment or death. This is know by everyone who has recovered and mastered an addiction. It is an eye-opening motivator driving people to the commitment to overcome their addiction. A sign of someone actively living an addiction is that they continure to take part in the behavior despite the knowledge of harm to the self and to others, despite the nagging of their conscience. They know it's not good for them. Even those who have NO faith know this. Us who have faith, know that God's plan is of good for us: Jeramiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, plans to help you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." How does smoking fit in with the character, the will, and the love of God?
Certainly, God gives us the choice, and loves us regardless. We accept the savior and we are saved. But when we are saved we enter into sanctification, so we can grow and fulfill God's will. And it is clear, that God's will is good for us. It is life. It is love. It is everlasting life with Him. Smoking, as I see it, based on scripture, is a rebellion against God's character of love, His desire for good for us, and against His commandment to not kill, thereby ignoring the responsibility to preserve and support life.
As well as what I have mentioned earlier about denying ourselves the opportunity to let Jesus show us Hi strength and wisdom and be a living presence in our lives by asking, and letting Him release us from our bondages, in this case, it would be to the addiction to smoking.
It seems to me that smoking does hinder our walk with Christ.
Mark 7: 17-19
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 1
18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'?
19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
Cigarette smoke is neither ingested, nor does it go into our stomachs, nor is it expelled as the scripture is talking about. The poisons stay in the body and directly hinder the functioning of the heart. And it is no secret, nor a mystery, that smoking is one of the leading cause of both heart disease and cancer. In fact, it's common knowledge that smoking leads to very serious health problems and ultimately death. In no way does smoking provide nourishment or sustanence for our bodies. It is not a food.
In my understanding more relevant scriptur is Exodus 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill". It is a willful, albeit cloaked in denial, rebellion against the sanctity of life. It is killing of the self, like a slow suicide. It shortens the life span and works against God's commandment, and desire, to preserve and promote life.
What about James 4:17?
17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
I don't think there are too many people who aren't aware of the seriousness of the harm that smoking does to people. It seems to me that smoking can appropriately be placed as a sin of ommission. And also as a sin of commission, because of the commandment to not kill.
Regarding other scriptual references that have been given:
Romans 14:22-23
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Again, this passage is talking about food choices and the Jewish holy days. My understanding is that Paul is talking about the dangers of judging one another, about accepting the choices some people were making to observe the Jewish ordinances. How does smoking fit into that?
And if this passage must be used, then what is faith, for "everything that does not come from faith is sin"? Does it mean believing that God wants us to suffer? Have you ever known or seen someone die of lung cancer? It is full of regrets. Have you tried to explain to their children and those who love them why they traded in time with them for cigarettes? Is that faith? That we can harm ourselves and others with our choices, believing that God doesn't have anything to say against it, or that the pain that it ultimately causes others doesn't somehow also hurt God?
faith (Strong`s 4102) - faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust will follow; `the faith`often refers to the Christian system of belief and lifestyle:-
I don't get the logic. And I don't see how the scripture you are providing for the purposes you are supporting does not cause a great conflict with the character and ultimate will of God. If you consider smoking to be a food, there is lots of conflict. If we take smoking out of the category 'food', then there is no conflict. It fits more rightly in the catagory of appetite or lust.
lust (Strong`s 1939) - desire, longing (in contexts where the the desire is positive and proper); coveting, craving, lusting (in contexts where desire is immoral and sinful):-
What smoker doesn`t crave another cigarette?
Look at Romans 13:14,
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
and James 1:14-15
14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Smoking certainly brings about death, literally.
And also 2Peter 1:4
4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And also 1Corinthians 6:19-20,
19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
How is smoking glorifying God in our body? It seems to me that whomever chooses to smoke does not vallue their life as much as God values their life, and how can that choice then glorify God?
So how does smoking fit in with 1Corinthians 10:31?
31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. What is the glory of God? A puff of carcinogenic ingredients that take up the space of oxegyn in the lungs? A black heart? Lungs that can not get someone up a flight of stairs or allow a person to hike a ways up a mountain to see the splendor of His creation? Is it a person yoked to an oxegyn machine? Smoking starts out fine and dandy, people enjoy it, etc. but it doesn't end up there. It plays out more like James 1:15, as I've already mentioned: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Smokers are killing themselves. And the people they smoke around.
Here are a couple references to food:
In Genesis 1: 28-29, God blessed Adam and Eve, giving them "every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree ueilding seed; to you it shall be meat." (29)
Have you seen the ingredients in cigarettes? Certainly, they do not fall as food in the above scripture.
In Genesis 9:3 God extends 'meat' to include "every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you."
Still, no room for cigarettes here.
In Leviticus, when God divides foods into clean and unclean, He talks about living creatures. I do not see how smoking cigarettes can be considered food, or meat, or as something to 'eat'.
Addiction leads to imprisionment or death. This is know by everyone who has recovered and mastered an addiction. It is an eye-opening motivator driving people to the commitment to overcome their addiction. A sign of someone actively living an addiction is that they continure to take part in the behavior despite the knowledge of harm to the self and to others, despite the nagging of their conscience. They know it's not good for them. Even those who have NO faith know this. Us who have faith, know that God's plan is of good for us: Jeramiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, plans to help you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." How does smoking fit in with the character, the will, and the love of God?
Certainly, God gives us the choice, and loves us regardless. We accept the savior and we are saved. But when we are saved we enter into sanctification, so we can grow and fulfill God's will. And it is clear, that God's will is good for us. It is life. It is love. It is everlasting life with Him. Smoking, as I see it, based on scripture, is a rebellion against God's character of love, His desire for good for us, and against His commandment to not kill, thereby ignoring the responsibility to preserve and support life.
As well as what I have mentioned earlier about denying ourselves the opportunity to let Jesus show us Hi strength and wisdom and be a living presence in our lives by asking, and letting Him release us from our bondages, in this case, it would be to the addiction to smoking.
It seems to me that smoking does hinder our walk with Christ.
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does smoking cigarettes hinder a christian walk with god.
I have responded to this thread already. Seeing it so prolonged ......As one who loves the body.......and the soul......
Pack it in.....you are on this terestrial plain on time only.
DO YOU WANT TO DIE?
oilfrommybeard
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- May 11, 2009
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i say this, if you can't help reach someone who is trying to live for God and smoking cigarettes is something that their not mature enough to handle. Under these circumstances you hinder those who are trying to change what hinders them, you are the hinderance to them and being a hinderance to them ultimately hinders you from completing the work of christ. hencefore you are hindered.
did yall get that
did yall get that
Etienne Marais
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Cigarette's is the last thing I will ever try. Smoking is very daingerous and it is not good for you. As a Christian I would like to tell young people rather stay away from cigarette's before you get cancer.
Nope. Would you mind trying again to say what you mean?
---and smoking cigarettes is something that their not mature enough to handle. - Do you mean that being able to smoke is a sign of spiritual maturity?
---Under these circumstances you are the hinderance to them -- who's who here? Who's you and who's them?
Sorry, I'm tryin'.
Etienne Marais
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As a Christian I would like to tell people to stay away from cigarette's because you can get cancer if you keep on smoking. Rather stay away from cigarette's
Coconut
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Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who believes...
I am not ashamed.
Why should I not be ashamed of myself...why should we not ALL of us be ashamed of ourselves?
We must be, for there is no righteousness to be found in any one of us.
Not a speck, not even an ash, or lack of ashes, as some may glory in.
Paul was ashamed of himself for much...but when he saw the LIGHT...he was able to proclaim I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL..
This is the good news...
That the BLOOD of Jesus Christ washes away all our guilty stains of our flesh....yesterday....today...tomorrow...
Those that glory in the flesh, have nothing wherewith they aught to glory in....and if they think they have, they are only fooling themselves...for as sure as carnal flesh gloats about not doing one thing...it will do another...what a can or worms the flesh is! You who dont smoke...do you slander your neighbor? You who dont drink...do you indulge in fleshly lusts no one else knows about?
Rom 2:19 You are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 an instructor for the foolish, and a teacher for the ignorant. You are certain that in the Law you have the full content of knowledge and of truth.
Rom 2:21 You teach others---why don't you teach yourself ?
Self indulgent and self righteous lying to ones self that not smoking, or not drinking, or abstinence from all such things somehow gives glory to God...is a SHAME to the gospel.
To glorify Christ in your body means to abstain from immorality...not to abstain from meats and drinks and such things which have nothing to do with morality. Morality, as set forth by God, is a heart condition...for out of the heart proceeds all kinds of filth...and it pours itself into the mind, the eyes and the mouth and overflows out of carnal flesh like a cesspool of hellish desire...there is not a single person living or dead who has ever been able to make the carnal flesh one speck more righteous by some fleshly 'taste not, touch not, handle not' standard.
That is why a man MUST be born again!
1Pe 1:23 For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish-by the living and everlasting word of God. For "All human life is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower in the grass. The grass dries up and the flower drops off, but the word of the Lord lasts forever." Now this word is the good news that was announced to you.
I am not ashamed.
Why should I not be ashamed of myself...why should we not ALL of us be ashamed of ourselves?
We must be, for there is no righteousness to be found in any one of us.
Not a speck, not even an ash, or lack of ashes, as some may glory in.
Paul was ashamed of himself for much...but when he saw the LIGHT...he was able to proclaim I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL..
This is the good news...
That the BLOOD of Jesus Christ washes away all our guilty stains of our flesh....yesterday....today...tomorrow...
Those that glory in the flesh, have nothing wherewith they aught to glory in....and if they think they have, they are only fooling themselves...for as sure as carnal flesh gloats about not doing one thing...it will do another...what a can or worms the flesh is! You who dont smoke...do you slander your neighbor? You who dont drink...do you indulge in fleshly lusts no one else knows about?
Rom 2:19 You are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 an instructor for the foolish, and a teacher for the ignorant. You are certain that in the Law you have the full content of knowledge and of truth.
Rom 2:21 You teach others---why don't you teach yourself ?
Self indulgent and self righteous lying to ones self that not smoking, or not drinking, or abstinence from all such things somehow gives glory to God...is a SHAME to the gospel.
To glorify Christ in your body means to abstain from immorality...not to abstain from meats and drinks and such things which have nothing to do with morality. Morality, as set forth by God, is a heart condition...for out of the heart proceeds all kinds of filth...and it pours itself into the mind, the eyes and the mouth and overflows out of carnal flesh like a cesspool of hellish desire...there is not a single person living or dead who has ever been able to make the carnal flesh one speck more righteous by some fleshly 'taste not, touch not, handle not' standard.
That is why a man MUST be born again!
1Pe 1:23 For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish-by the living and everlasting word of God. For "All human life is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower in the grass. The grass dries up and the flower drops off, but the word of the Lord lasts forever." Now this word is the good news that was announced to you.
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