I would like to share with those of you who smoke, whether it's frequently or "occasionally" or trying to quit, some information that will hopefully help you or give you an incentive to quit. I am not writing this to condemn you as that is not my job. I do want to give you some things to think about as Christians in this dating world you find yourself in.
I would like for you to consider the statistics of smokers. In The USA only 22% of the population smokes. That includes Christians. If Christians were to be separated into a separate poll from this, I believe the statistic would be considerably less.
So please consider this.
Most Christians will not date a smoker no matter how nice they are or how good looking they are. It is usually a deal breaker. Since most Christians will not date a smoker and almost 80% of Christians do not smoke, you are limiting your field of potential mates. Think about it. You could be the nicest person in the world and also great looking, but if you smoke, you have eliminated the majority of potential candidates for dating and marriage.
I haven't even addressed the health issues of this and probably have no need to. You know how dangerous it is.
Now let me address this from a biblical perspective.
Is smoking a sin? NO!.... BUT....if it is an addiction, like anything else it becomes a sin.
Does smoking affect your witness as a Christian? Of course it does. How effective can you be when sharing the Gospel with someone who has addictions and needing deliverance. Will they not wonder why you have not been delivered from smoking. I mean how powerful is your God anyway? Why would they want to trust a God who can't deliver them from an addiction? That is just one angle to think about. But let's get deeper than that.
1Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, AND YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN.
20 For you were bought at a price; THEREFORE glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. NKJV
Now even though this passage is speaking about sexual immorality, there is a glaring principle here that you should not overlook. Our bodies, if indeed you are a Christian, do not belong to you. They belong to Christ Jesus.
Let's look at two more scriptures before I conclude.
Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine NOR DO ANYTHING...by which your brother stumbles OR IS OFFENDED or is made weak. NKJV
Do you see the principle here? We are commanded to not do anything that could cause another fellow believer to stumble, or be made weak or to become offended. Does smoking offend people? Of course it does. It is one of the most disgusting smells around.
1Cor 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. NKJV
Paul was laying out this same principle here of not doing something that would cause another believer to stumble. The issue was dealing with eating meat sacrificed to idols. However we can still see the application and we can rightfully apply it to smoking, or any tobacco product or even drinking alcoholic beverages.
I think it is very important to realize that these teachings in the Epistles are not mere "suggestions" but are in fact commandments from Christ. Here's why.
1Cor 14:37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. NKJV
The things Paul writes are direct commandments from Christ our Lord and Savior.
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." NKJV
Jesus said that if we truly love Him then we will keep HIS commandments. He is talking about His NEW Testament commandments.
Do you really love Christ Jesus? Then do what you have to do to quit smoking.
Besides....kisses were meant to be sweet and not bitter. :)
As an ex-smoker, I understand how hard giving it up is. I quit once, for 6 years. Towards the end of that time, I got sober. I had a bad day about 3 months into sobriety, and started smoking again, because it was that or booze, and the choice was obvious. Now, nearly seven years later, I have been smoke-free for seven months.
My point is that for me, anything I do to the exclusion of healthy behavior has the potential to become sin. My drinking was a sin because I tried to build a barrier, bottle by bottle, between me and those that loved me, including Christ. This does NOT mean consumption of alcohol is a sin for everyone. The same is true of smoking, for me, because when I have a bad day now, I have another outlet for for my mood...Jesus! The healthy behavior my smoking and drinking excluded was prayer.
As new diversions for physical pleasure are discovered/created, I must measure my desire for these things against their ability to divert me from my path to Jesus.
