Stop Looking For Excuses
You want to know if you can smoke as a Christian. If you can drink alcohol. If you can consume cannabis now that it's legal in some countries. You're looking for biblical permission to continue your habits.
Here's the truth you don't want to hear: The Bible doesn't explicitly say "Thou shalt not smoke" because tobacco didn't exist in the biblical Middle East. It doesn't condemn by name every modern substance because they didn't exist.
But the Bible gives absolute and clear principles that definitively answer these questions. And these principles will disturb your habits. They'll confront your excuses. But they're true.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 declares: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
Your body. Temple of the Holy Spirit. Bought at a price. Honor God. These four truths settle the question of tobacco, alcohol and all substances.
Tobacco: The Clear Biblical Answer
What The Bible Doesn't Say
The Bible NEVER mentions tobacco. No cigarettes, cigars, vapes, or hookah. These products didn't exist in the biblical world. So technically, there's no verse that says "Don't smoke."
But if you think this means "I can smoke freely", you're missing all biblical logic.
What The Bible Says Clearly
Principle 1: Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 warns: "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."
Tobacco DESTROYS your body. This isn't an opinion. It's a medical fact proven by thousands of studies:
Lung, throat, mouth, esophageal cancer
Heart disease and strokes
COPD and emphysema
Sexual impotence
Premature aging
Premature death (average 10 years less of life)
You voluntarily introduce into God's temple more than 7000 chemicals, including 70 known carcinogens. You systematically destroy what God entrusted to you.
And God says: "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person."
It's clear. It's direct. It's final.
Principle 2: You must honor God with your body
1 Corinthians 10:31 commands: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
EVERYTHING. Including what you put in your lungs.
Simple question: Does smoking glorify God? Does progressively destroying your health honor Him who created you? Does spending your money to buy your own destruction testify to divine wisdom?
The answer is obvious.
Principle 3: You must not be mastered
1 Corinthians 6:12 says: "I have the right to do anything, you say—but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything—but I will not be mastered by anything."
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances that exist. More addictive than heroin according to some studies. Smokers don't smoke by free choice. They smoke because they MUST smoke. Because their body demands nicotine.
You are MASTERED. Slave to a dried plant rolled in paper. And Paul says clearly: "I will not be mastered by anything."
If you can't go a day without smoking, you're not free. You're a slave. And Christ came to free you, not so you'd find new masters.
Principle 4: You must take care of your body
Romans 12:1 urges: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
A LIVING sacrifice. HOLY. PLEASING to God.
A body ravaged by tobacco is neither living in its fullness, nor holy (set apart for God), nor pleasing. It's a body you voluntarily sacrifice on the altar of your addiction.
The Definitive Answer On Tobacco
No, a Christian should NOT smoke.
Not because there's a specific commandment "Thou shalt not smoke". But because ALL biblical principles on the body, temple, God's glory, and freedom in Christ clearly oppose tobacco.
If you currently smoke, you're in disobedience to clear biblical principles. Not to some invented pharisaical rule. To God's principles about your body.
Alcohol: The Nuanced But Clear Answer
Alcohol is different from tobacco because the Bible speaks about it EXPLICITLY. And the biblical answer is nuanced but clear.
What The Bible Permits
Moderate alcohol consumption is NOT a sin
Psalm 104:15 mentions wine that "gladdens human hearts."
1 Timothy 5:23 advises: "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses."
Jesus Himself turned water into wine (John 2), drank wine (Matthew 11:19), and instituted communion with wine (Matthew 26:29).
The Bible does NOT condemn moderate alcohol consumption. That's a fact. Christians who say all alcohol is sin are adding to God's Word.
What The Bible Absolutely Condemns
Drunkenness is ALWAYS a sin
Ephesians 5:18 clearly commands: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery."
Galatians 5:21 lists "drunkenness" among the acts of the flesh and warns: "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Proverbs 20:1 says: "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise."
Proverbs 23:29-35 graphically describes the horrors of alcoholism.
Drunkenness. Alcoholism. Excess. SIN. Clearly. Without ambiguity.
Application Principles
Principle 1: Freedom with responsibility
You CAN drink alcohol moderately. But should you?
Romans 14:21 says: "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall."
If your alcohol consumption can cause a weaker brother to stumble (former alcoholic, new convert, person struggling), then love demands you abstain.
Principle 2: Know your limits and weaknesses
If you have family history of alcoholism, don't drink. If you've had a problem with alcohol before, don't drink. If you can't stop after one glass, don't drink.
Proverbs 4:23 says: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
Guard your heart. Know your weaknesses. Act with wisdom.
Principle 3: Never be controlled by alcohol
The line between moderate consumption and problem is thin. If you "need" a drink to relax. If you drink alone regularly. If you hide your consumption. If your family worries.
STOP. You're sliding toward enslavement. And 1 Corinthians 6:12 is clear: "I will not be mastered by anything."
Principle 4: Total abstinence is always safe
The Bible permits moderate consumption. But it never requires it. You can choose to NEVER drink alcohol and be in perfect biblical compliance.
In fact, in a world where alcoholism destroys millions of lives, total abstinence is often wisdom.
The Definitive Answer On Alcohol
Moderate alcohol consumption is NOT biblically a sin. BUT drunkenness is ALWAYS a sin. And total abstinence is always a wise and biblical choice.
If you choose to drink, do it with extreme moderation, wisdom, and sensitivity to others. If you choose abstinence, you're totally biblical and probably wiser.
But if you get drunk, you sin. Period.
Drugs: The Unambiguous Answer
Cannabis And "Soft" Drugs
"But it's legal now in some places!" "It's natural, God created it!" "It's less dangerous than alcohol!"
Stop with these pathetic excuses.
Principle 1: Sobriety of mind is commanded
1 Peter 5:8 commands: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
1 Thessalonians 5:6 says: "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober."
Sober. Awake. Vigilant. Cannabis alters your mental state. It diminishes your spiritual vigilance. It makes you vulnerable to spiritual attacks.
You CANNOT be sober-minded and high at the same time. It's impossible.
Principle 2: You must obey the laws of the land
Romans 13:1 says: "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities."
In most countries, recreational cannabis is ILLEGAL. Even where it's legal, use may be restricted. Violating these laws violates the clear biblical command of submission to authorities.
Principle 3: "Natural" doesn't mean "good"
Opium is natural. Cyanide is natural. Many poisons are natural. The argument "God created it so I can consume it" is stupid.
God created arsenic too. Are you going to consume it?
Principle 4: Enslavement is sin
Cannabis creates powerful psychological dependence. Regular users can't function without it. They are ENSLAVED.
And 1 Corinthians 6:12 is still true: "I will not be mastered by anything."
Hard Drugs
Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.
There is NO biblical debate here. NONE.
These substances:
- Destroy God's temple (your body)
- Completely enslave
- Violate laws
- Destroy families
- Ruin lives
- Often lead to death
If you're a Christian using hard drugs, you're living in flagrant sin and must repent IMMEDIATELY and seek professional help.
Prescribed Medications
This is different. Medications legally prescribed by a doctor to treat legitimate medical conditions are NOT a sin. BUT prescription drug abuse IS a sin. If you:
- Take more than the prescribed dose
- Use someone else's medications
- Doctor shop to get more prescriptions
- Become dependent without seeking help
You're sinning. You're destroying God's temple. You're enslaved. Seek help immediately.
The Definitive Answer On Drugs
No. A Christian should consume NO recreational drugs. Ever. For any reason.
Cannabis, even legal, violates biblical principles of sober-mindedness and glorifying God in your body. Hard drugs are clearly, absolutely, definitively a grave sin. Medication abuse is also a sin that requires repentance and help.
The Excuses You Must Stop Giving Yourself
Excuse 1: "It helps me relax/manage stress"
If you need substances to manage stress, you have a deeper spiritual problem. You're seeking peace in the wrong things.
Philippians 4:6-7 promises: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
True peace comes from Christ, not from cigarettes, joints, or whiskey.
Excuse 2: "It's my only weakness"
Romans 6:16 says: "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey?"
Your "little weakness" is your master. You obey it. You're its slave. And Christ wants you free.
Excuse 3: "Everyone does it"
Romans 12:2 commands: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world."
The fact that "everyone smokes/drinks/uses" doesn't make these things biblical. You're not called to follow the world. You're called to follow Christ.
Excuse 4: "God has more important things to worry about"
Matthew 10:30 says: "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
If God counts your hairs, He cares about what you put in your body. There are no "small things" in your spiritual life.
Excuse 5: "I can stop whenever I want"
Then stop. Now. For a month. If you can't, you just proved you're enslaved.
And if you're enslaved, you're in disobedience to 1 Corinthians 6:12.
What You Must Do Now
If the Holy Spirit convicts you reading this, here are your next steps:
If You Smoke
Step 1: Recognize it's a sin
Stop lying to yourself. Stop rationalizing. You're destroying God's temple. It's a sin.
1 John 1:9 promises: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Step 2: Set a quit date
This week. Not "someday". THIS WEEK. Choose a day. Throw away all your cigarettes that day.
Step 3: Seek help
Smoking cessation programs. Nicotine patches. Medication if necessary. Support from your church. Accountability from a Christian friend.
James 5:16 says: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."
Step 4: Pray for deliverance
God can break the chains of addiction. Pray daily for strength and freedom.
Philippians 4:13 promises: "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
If You Drink Problematically
Step 1: Evaluate honestly
Are you an alcoholic? Do you get drunk? Does your consumption affect your family, work, faith?
If yes to any of these questions, you have a problem.
Step 2: Total abstinence
For alcoholics, moderation is impossible. Total abstinence is the only option.
Proverbs 23:31 says: "Do not gaze at wine when it is red."
Step 3: Seek professional help
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). Therapy. Rehabilitation program if necessary. Christian counselor specializing in addiction.
Step 4: Accountability and support
Accountability group in your church. Spiritual mentor. Informed and supportive family.
If You Use Drugs
Step 1: Stop IMMEDIATELY
No gradual transition. STOP. Today.
Step 2: Confess to someone
A pastor. A Christian counselor. A mature friend. Come out of the shadows.
James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other."
Step 3: Get professional help
Detox center if addiction is severe. Rehabilitation program. Intensive therapy.
Don't think you can handle this alone. You can't.
Step 4: Cut all ties
Friends who use? Cut them. Dealers? Block them. Places where you used? Avoid them.
1 Corinthians 15:33 warns: "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'"
The Liberating Truth
Here's the final truth you must accept:
Christ died to free you. Not so you'd find new masters in cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. He came to BREAK chains. To give you true freedom.
John 8:36 promises: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Free indeed. Not slaves to nicotine. Not enslaved to alcohol. Not dependent on drugs. FREE.
Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Treat it as such. Honor God in your body. Glorify Him in your choices.
Galatians 5:1 declares: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
You've been freed. Don't return to slavery. Live in the freedom Christ died for.
Your body deserves better than tobacco's poison. Your mind deserves better than drug's numbness. Your soul deserves better than addiction's slavery.
Christ offers better. Seize Him. Drop what destroys you. Embrace Him who frees you.
The truth has been told. Unfiltered. No excuses. Now, what will you do?