Is smoking tobacco a sin ?

[Guest shiloh357]

Smoking a sin?  That is a good question, but is it worse than getting enraged when one is cut off in traffic.  Man sometimes can become obsessed in looking for sin.  Joyce Myers even said she was personally bringing more people to Christ when she was a smoker.  Has this become a plank and splinter issue?  Have we become a sect of stone throwers.  I say instead of focusing on whether or not smoking is a sin, I say focus on looking at the heart.  The heart is where the answer.  Jesus is Love and its home is in our hearts.

That doesn't really apply here.  And I would not trust anything Joyce Meyers has to say.  She is a false teacher and a false prophet. 

 

I don't know why it is, but when it comes to our relationship with God, we seem to think that its just what's in the heart that matters and that what we do takes a  backseat to what is in the heart.  I would challenge any married person to apply that reasoning to their marriage or any other relationship they have (friends, children, parents, siblings) and see how that works.  We would never get away with treating other people with the same reckless indifference with which we treat God and still be in good relationships with those people.

 

Saying that smoking is a sin isn't saying that smokers are bad people or that they are going to hell or something.  But we need to be honest about the things in our lives that detract from God's glory,  be it smoking, overeating, unhealthy eating, obesity, using swearwords/profanity, and so on.

[Jerry1023]

Smoking a sin? That is a good question, but is it worse than getting enraged when one is cut off in traffic. Man sometimes can become obsessed in looking for sin. Joyce Myers even said she was personally bringing more people to Christ when she was a smoker. Has this become a plank and splinter issue? Have we become a sect of stone throwers. I say instead of focusing on whether or not smoking is a sin, I say focus on looking at the heart. The heart is where the answer. Jesus is Love and its home is in our hearts.

Is like you are a big fan of smokers;any christian that smoke is a dangerous christian,i have never seeing or heard any pastor that stand on pulpit and tells his members that smoking is good,let us says the fact and stop beating around the bush,any believer that encourage his fellow believer to smoke is a dangerous believer,since we did not have any passage in the bible that says smoking is a sin,all we have to answer the person that asked the question,is that; tobaco is not good for a genuine born again:it is even dangerous to our health.

[Willa]

Jerry, perhaps you are speaking from your church's position or dogma, or even from your culture. But if it is not specificly mentioned in the Bible I will not call it sin.

Obesity is not mentioned either and may be a genetic issue. Gluttony is a sin and is more akin to bullemia.

However, to smoke is not healthy and I don't recommend it. And if your heart condemns you, for you it is sin. Sometimes we must be conscious of the example we set for others, and be careful lest they use your liberty as an excuse to do so and become addictied. This is especially true of teens and children.

[Guest]

Jerry, perhaps you are speaking from your church's position or dogma, or even from your culture. But if it is not specificly mentioned in the Bible I will not call it sin.

Obesity is not mentioned either and may be a genetic issue. Gluttony is a sin and is more akin to bullemia.

However, to smoke is not healthy and I don't recommend it. And if your heart condemns you, for you it is sin. Sometimes we must be conscious of the example we set for others, and be careful lest they use your liberty as an excuse to do so and become addictied. This is especially true of teens and children.

 

Agreed.  Just wanted to add:

 

That was what Paul was talking about when he said that some things are not beneficial. We are to walk in love, and not to put a stumbling block before other believers (or unbelievers for that matter. Smoking damages our health, and more importantly our testimony before the lost. How are folks supposed to be attracted to the Savior if His people look and act just like the world?

 

I'll say it again as a homeless drug addict that Jesus cleaned up: every fellow believer I have ever known who was a smoker before salvation was lead away from it along with other bad habits as the walked with the Lord - without exception. There's a message there. Some are blessed in that the habit just goes away while other have to battle with it for a time, but freedom came for every one of them in time. Many needed to leave the old "friends" behind because their lifestyle was incompatible with following Christ. 

 

I'll say it once more for the OP's benefit: if you are smoking to fit in with "friends" then perhaps its time for some new ones.

[LoveGeneration]

 

Smoking a sin?  That is a good question, but is it worse than getting enraged when one is cut off in traffic.  Man sometimes can become obsessed in looking for sin.  Joyce Myers even said she was personally bringing more people to Christ when she was a smoker.  Has this become a plank and splinter issue?  Have we become a sect of stone throwers.  I say instead of focusing on whether or not smoking is a sin, I say focus on looking at the heart.  The heart is where the answer.  Jesus is Love and its home is in our hearts.

That doesn't really apply here.  And I would not trust anything Joyce Meyers has to say.  She is a false teacher and a false prophet. 

 

How is Joyce Meyers a false teacher and false prophet? Also, I wholeheartedly agree with the rest of your point.

[Guest]

The OP asks the question about whether it is sin to smoke. I would like to add a thought here, without over-stating it, just something to consider.

 

I assume that the question is asked, because there is some uncertainty, we might call that doubt, right, and doubt, is sort of the opposite of faith, can we agree?

 

Romans 14:

20Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

 

Maybe others see this passage differently, but what I get from it is that if we have doubts about a behavior, if we do not feel that God has given us the green light to do something, then we are not operating in faith, and that, according to verse 23, makes the behavior a sin. If a believer has no doubts about smoking, and believes God has said "It is okay, go ahead and smoke", then perhaps it is not sin. However, this assumes a lot of things. We have discussed the idea that it might be a financial exercise of poor stewardship. We have commented that it might be a disregard for God's temple, the human body. To think we have God's approval to smoke, we might need to conclude that it is not abusive to the body and is a good use of money. For myself, I see those as valid questions and cannot in good conscience, take up smoking, My conscience not being clear, coupled with a lack of instruction from God approving smoking even in principle, means I cannot smoke in faith, and for me, it would be a sin.

 

Coupled with that, is the question of stumbling relevant?  If I were to smoke, and a brother whose conscience is not clear on the subject, were to see me do so, it might encourage him to violate his conscience, and in such a case, I have contributed to his sin, because he did not smoke in good conscience. In a case like that, if we smoke and let it be seen, or we even let someone know that we smoke, we can be harming our brother, for whom Christ died, rather than loving him and helping him with strength and encouragement. Just a thought. I cannot answer the question for the OP, I am not the Holy Spirit, but I can answer for myself:

 

If I smoke, it is a sin!

 

I think the question is an excellent one, because it allows us to consider principles, that can be appled to other sins/possible sins.

 

I would love to hear back from the OP, and know whether he has come to a conclusion yet on the topic, and what his thought out and prayerfully considered conclusion might be.

[Fez]

 

Smoking a sin?  That is a good question, but is it worse than getting enraged when one is cut off in traffic.  Man sometimes can become obsessed in looking for sin.  Joyce Myers even said she was personally bringing more people to Christ when she was a smoker.  Has this become a plank and splinter issue?  Have we become a sect of stone throwers.  I say instead of focusing on whether or not smoking is a sin, I say focus on looking at the heart.  The heart is where the answer.  Jesus is Love and its home is in our hearts.

That doesn't really apply here.  And I would not trust anything Joyce Meyers has to say.  She is a false teacher and a false prophet. 

 

I don't know why it is, but when it comes to our relationship with God, we seem to think that its just what's in the heart that matters and that what we do takes a  backseat to what is in the heart.  I would challenge any married person to apply that reasoning to their marriage or any other relationship they have (friends, children, parents, siblings) and see how that works.  We would never get away with treating other people with the same reckless indifference with which we treat God and still be in good relationships with those people.

 

Saying that smoking is a sin isn't saying that smokers are bad people or that they are going to hell or something.  But we need to be honest about the things in our lives that detract from God's glory,  be it smoking, overeating, unhealthy eating, obesity, using swearwords/profanity, and so on.

 

Saying that smoking is a sin isn't saying that smokers are bad people or that they are going to hell or something

 

Agreed.

 

I used to smoke until Jesus freed me from the bondage through my prayer.

 

My pastor has been heard to say "Smoking won't send you to hell, you will just smell like you have been there"...

[Guest shiloh357]

 

 

Smoking a sin?  That is a good question, but is it worse than getting enraged when one is cut off in traffic.  Man sometimes can become obsessed in looking for sin.  Joyce Myers even said she was personally bringing more people to Christ when she was a smoker.  Has this become a plank and splinter issue?  Have we become a sect of stone throwers.  I say instead of focusing on whether or not smoking is a sin, I say focus on looking at the heart.  The heart is where the answer.  Jesus is Love and its home is in our hearts.

That doesn't really apply here.  And I would not trust anything Joyce Meyers has to say.  She is a false teacher and a false prophet. 

 

How is Joyce Meyers a false teacher and false prophet? Also, I wholeheartedly agree with the rest of your point.

 

Joyce Meyers teaches that Jesus suffered in hell for our sins.   She thinks that we cease being sinners after we are saved, she believes and teaches that we are little gods.   She has a lot wrong with her teaching.

[disciplehelovestoo]

Mar 7:14-23

(14)  And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

(15)  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

(16)  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

(17)  And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

(18)  And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

(19)  Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

(20)  And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

(21)  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

(22)  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

(23)  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

 

Rom 14:21-23

(21)  It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

(22)  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

(23)  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

it seems to me that three principles apply to your question:

 

-nothing that goes into a man's mouth defiles him; only what comes out of a man can defile him

 

-if you're doing something that might cause someone to be misled, or take offense, or be tempted to doubt God in some way; you shouldn't do it around them even if you think it's ok

 

-if you don't condemn yourself in what you allow (and condemnation results from transgression of God's laws as you understand them), then for you it is not wrong - although you may see it differently as you learn more about God's laws - but if you do something that bothers you because you think it might transgress God's laws, then for you it is wrong - although you may see it differently as you learn more about God's laws - it's all about what's in your heart when you do it

 

[Jerry1023]

Mar 7:14-23

(14) And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

(15) There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

(16) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

(17) And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

(18) And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

(19) Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

(20) And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

(21) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

(22) Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

(23) All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Rom 14:21-23

(21) It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

(22) Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

(23) And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

it seems to me that three principles apply to your question:

-nothing that goes into a man's mouth defiles him; only what comes out of a man can defile him

-if you're doing something that might cause someone to be misled, or take offense, or be tempted to doubt God in some way; you shouldn't do it around them even if you think it's ok

-if you don't condemn yourself in what you allow (and condemnation results from transgression of God's laws as you understand them), then for you it is not wrong - although you may see it differently as you learn more about God's laws - but if you do something that bothers you because you think it might transgress God's laws, then for you it is wrong - although you may see it differently as you learn more about God's laws - it's all about what's in your heart when you do it

from my own understanding,you absolutely misunderstood the passage you quoted from the bible,what you are insinuating is not what the bible mean,I believe the bible said a drunkard will not enter into heaven,were does alcohol enter, is not through the mouth,can the Holy Spirit ask someone to start smoking,but the Holy Spirit can ask somebody to stop smoking,the bible said by their fruit we shall know them,a genuine born again can never smoke,