As I was dealing with the topic of sin in a youth group meeting a while ago, I said, without thinking, "Let's choose a sin that's easy to agree on -- smoking..." Bob (not his real name) spoke right up and said, "My Dad is a smoker is he a sinner?" Now I was in it up to my neck. :)
I tried a dodge at this point, "Bob, each of us is a sinner".
But my Dad can't stop, it wouldn't be healthy for him to quit. He's tried in the past."
I was sucking in water. I had no dodge, no safe non-answer, and no place to hide. "Bob, we each are addicted to our own sins," I replied calmly. "We need to weigh the costs of quitting sin against the costs of not quitting. The costs of not quitting sin is too high."
Now this is the right answer. I believe that Bob wanted to believe it too. There was no wiggle room with this statement. It was stark. It was definitive. I had forgotten that conversation until today. I read this quote in Every Man's Battle:
"Sexually speaking, you have a low-grade sexual fever. It doesn’t disable you, but you aren’t healthy either. You sort of function normally, but you can’t really push hard. Basically, you just get by. And if this fever doesn’t break, you’ll never fully function as a believer." p.87
and a few pages later, this one:
"Regarding sexual purity, God knows the provision He’s made for us. We aren’t short on power or authority, but what we lack is urgency." p. 91
We can easily replace the sexual language with any other language that describes your addiction to sin. Fill it in with lying or cheating. Fill it in with the word SIN! Then I recalled these great verses from 2Peter 1:3-4:
"His divine power has given us everything that we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that you may particpate in the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires."
We can win over sin. It is more unhealthy to stay ensnared in it than to break out of it! We have all of the resources that we need in Christ. We can win over sin! It has no more power over me!
Praising my God of very great and precious promises,
Mike
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10 comments:
Are you saying that smoking is sin? I don't remember that being in the 10 commandments. Are all types of smoking(cigs, cigars, pipe, pot) sin? Any biblical backing for your claims?
okay, smart alec.
try these: 1 Cor 16:19-20; Eph 5:15-20 (your favorite book remember); Romans 6:13-23
I realize they are not in the 10 words, but I wonder of that will be okay with you. You do know atht there are commandments and PRINCIPLES in other places don't you? By the way, the 10 does begin with thou shalt have no other gods before me -- then 1 Cor 10 and 1 John 5 both talk about fleeing idols. The 1 Cor 10 context is immorality and divisive teaching; 1 John addresses not loving your brothers. If both of those contexts can use the idolatry label, certainly, Joe Camel can be included there.
This smoking ban does not apply to burning your toast or your lamb offerings!
Mike
"idol" = "anything that decreases our trust levels with God" or "anything that substitutes itself in prominence over our relationship with God"
Mike
So are you saying that smokin is a sin because it has potential to be an idol? Or it is a sin only if it has become an idol? Is smokin a pipe on an occasional camping trip a sin?
What translation should i read the first cor passage in?? Cause its not making any sense to me in relation to this disscussion.
Todd,
sry for the delay.
Try 1 Cor 6, not 16.
Mike
So is smoking the sin or is having it be an idol a sin?
Okay Todd,
since you want to make me say it, here it is.
Wine is not a sin, drunkeness is.
Food is not a sin, gluttony is.
Sex is not a sin, adultery, immorality are.
There are boundaries, limits to the action. I believe that there is a huge potential sin in smoking. How is it that we can be good stewards of God's resources while we are buying an addictive substance? If your pipe on the camping trip is designed to keep the bugs at bay, there might be a place for that (seems to fit in the little wine for your stomach's sake category). But if the pipe smoking is just because it is enjoyable, when do we get into the self-gratification stuff? What is the role of pleasure? If I find my "release" in smoking the pipe and "crave a good smoke" doesn't that seem to be wrong/sin? On a non-Scriptural front, smoking has such incredibly damaging effects, why would I want to do it? Or is that a biblical principle? 1 Corinthians also says, "all things are allowable, not all things are helpful"! Just because you can poke yourself in the eye with an icecicle without sinning, doesn't mean you should!
Mike
Reread my own post after posting (dumb). I wonder where the craving for a good piece of cheesecake fits in here!
Mike
I was thinking of a good cup of coffee. doh! Why is coffee so accepted but smoking not? Internet access can be kind of addictive too. Now I can enjoy a pipe around the campfire and tell everyone that my pastor bro said that it was ok.
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