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. :)
I appreciate what you have to say. I used to smoke, between the ages of 27 and 34. then i started again for a short while and quit.
I quit for a myriad of reasons, very few of them are *spiritually based* most were health, appearance, etc.
Got tired of smelling of smoke, tasting it, feeling yacky all the time, yellow teeth, smelly clothes, dirty ashes all over. And of course I want my life to last as long possible to serve the lord.
I feel 200% better when I am not smoking, but i understand the addiction and i don't look down on people who are struggling with it. In fact, I don't really even think about it if i see somone smoking.
One thing I would say is, be careful of your application of scriptural precedent to smoking, because some of the verses you chose don't really apply in anything other then a basicly idealistic and rudementary view.
just a note for walter4u. Are you intentionally a know it all? with your high and mighty opinions. Your interpretations? You seem to get pretty involved in theologies, and YOUR particular multiple yrs. of study, maybe. I really don't appreciate your method of cramming something down someone else's throat. I follow the teachings of my Lord and Savior on my particular level, as everyone else does, including you. Come out from behind your desk and be real like the rest of us. It's not my intention to berate you or your particular principles, but your methods are pretty disturbing. One thing I'd like to say, are you familiar with the WWJD and I would add, how would Jesus do it? I'm open for a high and mighty rebutal........Just one believers opinion.....
Walter, I understand what you're trying to say. I checked "occasionally" because there wasn't a box for "trying to quit." I won't consider myself a non-smoker until I've gotten over the 6 month or more hump and I didn't want to mislead anyone.
However - 1 Corinthians 6:18 was a verse that had nothing to do with smoking. This deals with sexual immorality ONLY. Don't compare someone who is sexually immoral to someone who smokes. That's apples and oranges.
Also, the way your thread was worded was saying that if I'm a smoker, I don't really love Christ. What??? That's an insult to me and to Jesus, who died to save me. We are ALL sinners and fall short of the glory of God. It doesn't matter if you try and try and try to abstain from sin - you WILL continue to sin and God knew that. Christ's blood covers a MULTITUDE of sins.
Walter, do you have any tattoos? Have you ever overeaten? Have you ever gone to a concert where the music was so loud it might have done damage to your ears? Have you ever sat too close to the TV? These are also things that can harm the body. So this post could also be addressed to anyone that is overweight, anyone with tattoos, anyone with hearing problems or glasses. And before you tell me it's not the same thing, remember - if God sees just looking at a woman with lust being equal to committing adultry, don't you think He would feel the same way about how we treat our bodies? His ways are not our ways....
One verse that came to mind when I read your post was Luke 6:41 "Why do you look at the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the log that is in your own eye?" What sins do you still commit in your own life?
I know you're trying to show people the harm of smoking - but be careful in your wording. I normally like reading and agree with your posts - but this one was accusatory and assuming to people you've never met - "If you really love Jesus..." was uncalled for.
This is my first forum post, and this is one thing I feel VERY stongly about.
Here we have Walter who is trying to tell every smoker that they are wrong. Walter, if you truly are a Christian, you shall not judge ANY person on this planet. The same goes for me and everyone else. I am a smoker, I have been since the age of 18. I smoke exactly one pack a day, every day. I am not addicted, I CHOOSE to smoke because it truly does relieve stress, at least for me. I am in control of my actions. I have gone days without tobacco when I have chosen to do so, and I started smoking again because I chose to do so. God gave me free will, and nobody will infringe on my right to free will. I do not believe in the thought/idea of addictions, EVERY person on this planet is in charge of their actions. It's like saying alcoholism is a disease or addiction. It is NOT. There is a point when a drinker is sober. At that point when they are sober and they CHOOSE to drink, they are not motivated in any other way except to get a high from the alcohol. They do NOT have a disease. They simply choose to get drunk.
Here is another thing. It really aggrevates me when people complain that I smoke. It is NOT hurting them, regardless of what they think. If they don't want to smell my smoke or breath it, then they can go somewhere else. I don't complain when someone has their radio up loud and I can hear it, I simply shut my windows and ignore their music, I turn the other cheek as often as I can. I agree with the others as well that you cannot compare sexual immorality to smoking.
I find that the overall community is a group, and not many individuals. You have groups against smoking, and groups for it. What about the individual? Why is it that society has labeled me evil and disgusting because I choose to smoke a cigarette. How judgemental and hypocritical of God's word has society truly become? Here are the facts of the matter.
-I am a Christian
-I follow the 10 commandments to the best of my ability
-I turn the other cheek unless it is impossible to do so(there are situations that require action rather than walking away)
-I choose to smoke, and it should not be of concern to anyone but myself
-Those who judge others are not true Christians or followers of God, they are hypocrites
-Every single individual on this planet is here for a reason, and every individual is entitled to their choice of lifestyle
-Just because a person smokes or drinks does not mean they are worthless or nasty or disgusting. If they show moderation in their habits, they are not doing anything wrong.
So, the next time someone looks at my profile and rejects me simply because I smoke, they should know that they did judge me, which is simply not Christian to do so. PERIOD. End of story.
I am a smoker, and I wasn't going to get involved in this because I think it is a stupid subject. I know I should quit, but I choose not to right now. However, I think everyone is coming down on my friend Walter too hard, especially power wgn.
I have a question for you power wgn, do you own a Bible? Because I can send you one if you need it, that way, maybe you won't show your lack of knowledge of the scriptures. We are to judge the actions of everyone who claims to be a Christian. If their actions do not match their claims, we are supposed to stop fellowship with them. We can then witness to them until they either repent, or accept Christ for the first time.
Your claiming that Walter's behavior was not Christian demonstrated your own shortcomings, not his. Please read your bible before trying to preach it.
Walter and Leon, if I "came down" too hard, it wasn't my intention. But I do stand by my first post. Walter, you quoted 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." You put the emphasis on OR IS OFFENDED. I'll change the emphasis to IS MADE WEAK so you can better understand where I was coming from.
The main line in your post that I had the problem with was: "Do you really love Christ Jesus?" This implied that if I smoke and haven't quit after becoming saved, then I don't really have love for Christ - or I don't love Him as much as I should. For new Christians, this COULD cause them to be "made weak." They may think that because they smoke, and perhaps can't/don't want to/keep failing when it comes to quitting, that God may look at them the same way you did and say, "Well, if you REALLY loved Me...." Do you see where I'm coming from?
Leon, I agree that we are to say something to a fellow believer when they are doing something wrong. However, I do believe this is best left for a more personal, one on one relationship with a fellow believer. Had Walter and I been emailing each other for awhile, got to know each other and THEN he said, "Hey, Lynn, I noticed something in your profile that concerned me...." it would have been taken much better than a random post to a bunch of strangers about something he perceives as wrong. Especially when he is using a scripture that deals with sexual immorality. That's like me playing the "gluttony" card and telling everyone they need to lose weight.
Again, I apologize if my post caused any bad feelings. It wasn't meant to - I know Walter was trying to help, not hurt. Perhaps the last line should have been something dealing with placing our trust in Jesus, or drawing strength from him to quit - not questioning our love for Him.
I didn't think you were out of line at all. I agree Walter's post could have been worded better, and that some of the scriptures were a stretch. I just took offense at the tone of a couple of them.
We would all do well to remember what Jesus said, "Love the Father with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourself, on these hang ALL the law and the Prophets. Legalism is legalism, and quoting scripture to smokers or social drinkers is right there. Sorry Walter, it is my opinion.
klmartin62, maybe I haven't read every single passage in my bible, however, those who raised me and taught me how to behave taught me not to judge anyone. That is God's job, that is Jesus' job, not mine. You ever hear that Montgomery Gentry song "You do your thing, I'll do mine"? Here is my favorite line from that song...
"You ain't gonna be my judge, cause my Judge will judge us all one day."
I feel, and you may disagree with me, but I feel that to judge is to go against God's word. You give me a Book, Chapter, and Verse as to where God or Jesus has said to judge our fellow Christians, and I will back down quietly and respectfully.
Klmartin62, I'm still waiting on the location of where God said to judge our fellow Christians. It disturbs me a lot to hear you say that if a Christian makes a mistake that we are to stop fellowship with them!!! God does not do that, so why would He want us to do that to our fellow, equal human?!?! God is such a merciful being!!! It is at our weakest times that we need help! If you stop fellowship with the person who trips, they will surely fall if you aren't there to catch them! You see what I'm saying? Please, I know none of us are perfect, but for you to say that we should abandon those who make mistakes means that you should be abandoned as well as me, and then where is God? By Himself, which is the exact OPPOSITE of what He wants, He wants as many people as possible to share in His Kingdom!!! That means that we must ALL be of mercy and forgiveness, just like God! One last thing klmartin62...Do you remember the type of people Jesus spent time with? He spent time with murderers, rapists, gamblers, and other non-believing sinners. Jesus put His time into the lost, not the found! Those who know God and have faith in Him do not need our help, it is those who have no knowledge of God or Jesus who need our help! Remember that the next time you stop fellowship with someone who has faltered in their choices.
