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Scriptural principles against tobacco use
Smoking and tobacco use aren't mentioned in the Bible for the simple reason that both were unknown in biblical lands until explorers brought them back from North America, where the indigenous natives had long smoked tobacco. So can we be sure that God disapproves of smoking? Absolutely. God objects to smoking just as He disapproves of any abuse or neglect of our bodies.
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The history of smoking [a practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burned and the smoke tasted or inhale] can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world.
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Let's look at the biblical evidence.
God inspired the apostle John to write, "My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health—as I know you are well in spirit" (3 John 2, Today's English Version). God wants us to enjoy good health. Many of His laws recorded in the Old Testament are safeguards to health, with instructions covering safety, sanitation, hygiene, food, moderation, rest, negative attitudes, anxiety and more, as discussed in other articles in this issue. These laws reflect the validity of the old maxim "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." It's clear that God is concerned about our health and wants us to be concerned too. In fact, He commands us to take care of ourselves.
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This smacks of Judaism. " An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is not scripture. Maxims do not make for sound doctrine. And the OT regulations has nothing to do with any man who is now "free in Christ"
Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations--
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Being health-conscious is not necessarily self-centered. A healthy person can do more for others and for God (compare John 15:16). That's the way God wants us to look at the pursuit of wellness.
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Where did you find this statement in the Word of God?
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Our bodies and minds belong to God
In fact, we should not live as if we have the option to neglect our health. God has jurisdiction over what He has created. What He created He owns. He's the boss, and He wants His workers to be healthy. He commands us, in a sense: Stay healthy!
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Where did you find this commandment in the Word of God?
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This ownership concept is expressed in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "... Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ..., and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit [your mind and attitude], which are God's."
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The above scripture reference that is talking explicitly about sexual immorality. [see context]
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The awesome purpose of our lives is to receive God's Spirit to transform our mind and nature and make them like His. We can see that we doubly belong to God. He not only created us, He paid for us with the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus Christ's sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins to rescue us from eternal death. Taking excellent care of our lives, for which Christ paid the dearest price, is one way to express our gratitude to God.
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"Taking care of our lives is one way to express our gratitude to God" That sounds so praise worthy, but again where did you find this statement in the Word of God?
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It's accurate to say that our Creator has entrusted the care of our bodies and minds to us. This illustrates the concept of stewardship, which means we are to care for and properly manage what belongs to God. Jesus related several parables illustrating that God holds each of us accountable to be a "faithful and wise steward" over our lives and opportunities (Luke 12:42). So, in principle, the Bible shows the smoking habit to be something contrary to our own best interests.
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"So, in principle, the Bible shows the smoking habit to be something contrary to our own best interests."
Again, where is this "principle" in the Bible?
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Throughout 1 Corinthians 6 we can see the physical and spiritual intertwined. Hence it is not surprising that the Bible emphasizes both physical and spiritual cleanliness. Many biblical laws concern cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene. Smoking clearly is a dirty habit. Most nonsmokers deplore the smell of stale tobacco smoke, the dirty ashtrays, smutty walls, stained teeth and yellowed fingers. Worse than that, think of the lining of lungs that have turned black.
Thanks to God's amazing design of the body, lungs often can, over time, return to a healthy pink after a smoker has quit lighting up. Our desire to be spiritually and physically clean in God's sight should add to our resolve not to smoke.
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"The Bible emphasizes both physical and spiritual cleanliness." Where does the Bible emphasize physical cleanliness. other than in regards to sexual morality?
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The Ten Commandments and smoking
The Ten Commandments show us how to love God and each other. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments," says 1 John 5:3. The Sixth Commandment says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13) —and that includes ourselves as well as anyone else. By smoking we are, little by little, poisoning ourselves and perhaps others who also breathe our smoke.
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So Exodus 20:13 should read "You shall not smoke"
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God also says, "You shall not covet" (verse 17). Is the craving to smoke a violation of this commandment? The answer is not simple. "Covet" primarily means to desire. While the Tenth Commandment forbids coveting anything that belongs to someone else, other references to coveting in the Bible amplify the meaning of this commandment to include any lust for what is evil or wrong (see Romans 7:7-8; James 1:14-15; 4:1-2; Ephesians 2:3).
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Verse 17 should also read "You shall not smoke"
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So what about smoking? God disallows self-destructive uses of anything. If, once we understand this, we continue to crave this "forbidden fruit," we are coveting.
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Forbidden fruit? You amplify (add to) these commands to include smoking, so obviously you dont have a problem with adding to the Word.
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The problem with coveting is that it is selfish and self-centered desire, the way of getting. God's love is outgoing in concern for others, the way of giving. If you're tempted to pollute the air that your neighbors must breathe, notice this: "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).
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I have to take pause here. Smoking is HATE for your neighbor now?
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Furthermore, in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5, Paul equates covetousness with idolatry. This means that if something we desire is wrong to have according to God, it is not only coveting but also idolatry to continue pursuing that desire—letting it take priority over God's will. Submitting to a wrong desire rather than submitting to God's will is a form of idolatry. Rather than God ruling over us, the thing lusted for is ruling over us. For instance, God describes gluttons as those "whose god is their belly" (Philippians 3:19). Hence, covetousness becomes idolatry. However, it is usually not the smoker's intent to place cigarettes before God in importance.
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This is one of the worst manipulations of the Word of God I have ever read. It is a gross blend of human reasoning, and presuppositions. It is a classic example of trying to make the Scripture underscore a personal belief. If this can be called 'rightly dividing the Word of Truth' then there is no need for anyone to study the Word, because its fairly easy to just open the Bible, and lift out scriptures and make them mean what we want them to say, with just a little bit of word play.
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Addiction is a powerful force. But one must face the reality that the obsession to smoke has become stronger than any desire to obey and please God. Every form of addiction must be broken. Jesus said, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10). Yet Paul explained, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves to whom you obey ...?" (Romans 6:16).
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This passage would apply to the topic nicely, if you believe smoking is a form of disobedience to God.
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If you have a smoking addiction, you have allowed yourself to become enslaved to tobacco—and God says you must break free. Of course, He is loving, patient and understanding—as His people are to be. Virtually everyone realizes that quitting can be difficult and rarely will happen overnight. But you must at least genuinely try to quit—and God is there to help you. Don't let the guilt of your past failure carry you farther away from God. Rather, "draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Remember that He wants you to succeed.
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"God says you must break free"
What God REALLY says is this:
Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations--
Col 2:21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"
Col 2:22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings?
Col 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
I have to conclude, when it comes to the health of the physical man, the OP may have been a edifying (tho biased) message. When it comes to the Spiritual man, this subject has no value.
I had a brother die of Melanoma at age 37, he was a licensed preacher of the gospel, and never smoked a day in his life. Now tell me if this topic holds any weight in Heaven. It is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgement, and God there wont be asking how well you preserved your body, because if He does, i`m sure we are all under the worst kind of curse. Change the title of this document to "Scriptural Principles for Not Eating Sugar" [ see
Sugar: Just Love Your Children To Death] and it will be just as valueless Spiritually. Jesus Christ is going to judge you and I, by what comes out of our hearts, not by what we put into our bodies. Period. (now thats the WORD OF GOD)
I am glad if anyone is inspired by this article, and would not even have commented, if it didnt include "thus saith the Lord"