Can Christians smoke and drink beer?

[Dave-W]

All 613 of them?

That is just those in the first 5 books. The NT contains about 1050 commandments.

 

[DawnStar]

That is just those in the first 5 books. The NT contains about 1050 commandments.

Well by all means let us add to the total then! 1663 commandments to be obeyed. I can guarantee that BE PERFECT is one of those NT commandments. No one can obey that one. So that is one we can cross off the list.

 

[Poppyseed78]

All Christians are flawed; everyone is a sinner. I consider smoking (in any amount) a vice, and drinking in excess to be a vice. Both have the potential to become idols. I think it's wise for Christians to avoid/cut back on those things if possible. But I do not believe smoking and/or drinking would cause someone to lose their salvation, which is given by grace alone.

 

[Poppyseed78]

Keep smoking and drinking. God will take care of those habits for you.

I'm not exactly sure what your point is. I never smoked, and I didn't drink alcohol in 9 years. I'm actually of the mindset that no one should drink or smoke ever, but I was trying to be a little less harsh in my post above.

 

[Tull]

Now lets ask the question can a Christian eat themselves to death and many are,the obesity rate in America is an insult to any sense of moderation or restraint,many seem to say I cant drink,smoke or have sex out of bounds but by golly I can eat and make up for it.

 

[Church2u2]

Wine is good for you. At least 2 bottles a day keeps the world away! kidding!

And nothing says I love you like that hacking,phlegmy, heavy smoker's cough. Ahhh...The romance fairly takes my breath away!

 

[Church2u2]

Hi.Seriously though I thought that smoking was bad because it can potentially kill you.Ditto being a heavy drinker.Someone at a church I recently visited said that the so called wine Jesus was drinking was some kind of supernatural grape juice.Personally I am of the opinion that smoking and drinking shouldn't be done by Christians because it harms the body.But that's just my opinion.

 

[DiscipleHeLovesToo]

Deu 14:22-29 KJV
(22) Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
(23) And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
(24) And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
(25) Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
(26) And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
(27) And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
(28) At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
(29) And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Mar 7:14-16 KJV
(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.

Mat 15:17-20 KJV
(17) Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
(18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
(19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
(20) These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

smoking and drinking goes into a man; it does not defile the temple of the Holy Spirit because it does not proceed from his heart...

i believe it was Cambridge University that did a study on the effects of vehicle exhaust on people a number of years ago. if i recall correctly, because most people leave their cars set to take in 'fresh' air, they breather exhaust on their commute, and a 30 minute commute equals about a pack of cigarettes...but the world isn't harping on how that causes lung cancer like they harp on smoking - fear is what kills

Jesus tuned water into wine at a wedding where the crowd had already consumed all the wine available as they rejoiced in the presence of God; and He must have known what they would do with the extra wine...

smoking is far less deadly than 'evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies' - work on these things and when the time is right, the Lord will help you with smoking too. if you choose to drink, stay in fellowship with God as you do, so that you will hear Him say 'that's enough for now; get something to eat and drink some water for a while'

 

[Goodbook]

Well they can if they want but it wont do them any good...

Most christians i know are actually former drinkers and smokers, God told them to give it up. And they did.
Some badly addicted, if thry badly addicted they need deliverance and our prayers.

 

[No Time for Drama]

I'm no expert but I have thought about this too and I came to two conclusions. One is that I don't wabt to drink because I lived with an alcoholic and just wouldn't go there. As for smoking why spend money on something harmful and potentially very addictive that is hard to stop.

 

[No Time for Drama]

However, if you can drink in moderation without losing control then that's another story.

 

[insurchoftruth]

Would you go to a church building, and put any rubbish inside of it, and leave?

The Bible tells us, that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and that they belong to God. The Bible also says that we must glorify God with our bodies. So, how can a cigarette, which damages and destroys your body, make your body to glorify God. A cigarette is rubbish, because gives your body toxins.

Hope this helps!

 

[Songsmith]

Smoking cigs is not a moral issue regarding your eternal soul.

You should quit! But no one goes to hell for smoking.

Right! They go to Hell and smoke! See what I did there?
I have less and less problems with what anybody does the older and more mature a Christian I become. It's between you and God, let Him convict you if that's what He wants to do, not another person.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Why would anyone ask how close they can walk to the edge without falling over? Is that wise?

That said, several principles apply. We are obligated to care for our bodies.

But in spite of what many teach, and often need to wrangle the Scriptures in an attempt to prove - drinking alcohol isn't a sin. Christ turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana, and Paul advised Timothy to drink a little wine for the sake of his stomach. However - being drunk IS a sin.

Cigarettes serve no useful purpose, and are bad for the body in any amount, so if someone were to ask me, I think the correct thing to do is not to smoke.

But Christianity isn't meant to be a set of laws, do's and don'ts - rather it is a way of moving toward God and healing the damage done by sin. Still, smoking won't help this, nor will getting drunk. Restrained drinking of beer or wine isn't prohibited though.

(But I will say, we must know ourselves. If one has a tendency to alcoholism, for example, any amount of alcohol might be a poor choice for that person and should be avoided.)

(And just to answer in advance what folks will surely oppose - I am allergic to tobacco and so never smoked, and I don't really enjoy the taste of alcohol, so I generally go months without ever tasting any or it crossing my mind, then I might have a glass of wine with my husband on our anniversary or whatever - but I have no stake at all in justifying either of these things. This is simply what I believe, history supports, and the Scriptures teach. And I have no desire to debate.)

You must not be in a Greek Orthodox church.... I mean, a really GREEK Orthodox church. LOL, even the priests smoke and drink. Nothing wrong with it if not in excess...

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Regarding alcohol, most people use the verse that says not to be drunk on alcohol (wine) but be filled with the Spirit. And I agree, people shouldn't get drunk. But enjoying a little bit of the "up" feeling - without being drunk - is part of the joy of enjoying alcoholic beverages. The real benefit of alcohol beverages however is that it is a culinary tradition. Like fine cheeses, alcoholic beverages, especially wine, are part of fine culinary tradition. They are foodstuffs, basically. Like any foodstuffs, they can be overused or abused.

A delicious beer or cocktail can be enjoyed on its own merits without the intoxicating aspect. One drink scarcely does anything to intoxicate most people. A glass of good wine completes a fine meal. This is all culinary use of alcoholic beverages.

But that little bit of an alcoholic lift isn't a bad thing, even according to the Bible, which says:
Psalms 104
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

In this passage the wine is being counted amongst all the wonderful things God gives, and it is acknowledged that it is intoxicating in that it "maketh glad the heart of man".

Drunkenness is addressed also in the Bible, as being wrong.

I never understood the huge anti-alcohol sentiment in so many Christian circles.

 

[Talihood]

i love smoking!
if i make it to Heaven, there better be cigarettes there!

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Can Christians smoke and drink beer?
Maybe 1 package of cigarette per day, 1 pint of beer per day.
Is that allowable?

Yes, as long as they do not get buzzed. Smoking is not a sin, just a bad habit that wastes money and shortens their life. Romans 14 would apply in many cases.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

All 613 of them?

The 613 applies only to the Torah and does not include all the other laws in rest of the books.

 

[ewq1938]

Yes, as long as they do not get buzzed.

Getting buzzed is the main reason for drinking. It's getting drunk (which is far passed being buzzed) which is going to far.

Pro 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Pro 31:7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

It's that buzz that helps the dying feel better, and the impoverished to forget his poverty and misery for awhile.

 

[fm107]

Can Christians smoke and drink beer?
Maybe 1 package of cigarette per day, 1 pint of beer per day.
Is that allowable?

A christian's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. That's number one, doing drugs is spoiling that temple.

Our bodies are not our own, they were bought with a price and we should be honouring God with our bodies. Doing drugs damages God's property (you).

Furthermore, God doesn't want us using stimulants such as drugs. What is there of any gain in taking these things? Our joy comes from knowing God and the salvation we have in him, not worldly vices.

Taking drugs are a slippery slope because addiction can set in. Then there is no question of sin.

1 Peter 4:7

Now lets ask the question can a Christian eat themselves to death and many are,the obesity rate in America is an insult to any sense of moderation or restraint,many seem to say I cant drink,smoke or have sex out of bounds but by golly I can eat and make up for it.

Gluttony is a sin too and you raise a good point. That is a problem with many christians in the west.