Can Christians smoke and drink beer?

[AvgJoe]

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

Question: "What is the Christian view of smoking? Is smoking a sin?"

Answer: The Bible never directly mentions smoking. There are principles, however, that definitely apply to smoking. First, the Bible commands us not to allow our bodies to become "mastered" by anything. "Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me—but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12). Smoking is undeniably strongly addictive. Later in the same passage we are told, "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Smoking is undoubtedly very bad for your health. Smoking has been proven to damage the lungs and the heart.

Can smoking be considered "beneficial" (1 Corinthians 6:12)? Can it be said that smoking is truly honoring God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:20)? Can a person honestly smoke "for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)? We believe that the answer to these three questions is a resounding "no." As a result, we believe that smoking is a sin and therefore should not be practiced by followers of Jesus Christ.

Some argue against this view by pointing to the fact that many people eat unhealthy foods, which can be just as addicting and just as bad for the body. As an example, many people are so helplessly addicted to caffeine that they cannot function without their first cup of coffee in the morning. While this is true, how does that make smoking right? It is our contention that Christians should avoid gluttony and excessively unhealthy eating. Yes, Christians are often hypocritical by condemning one sin and condoning another, but, again, this does not make smoking honoring to God.

Another argument against this view of smoking is that many godly men have been smokers, such as the famous British preacher C.H. Spurgeon, who was known to smoke cigars. Again, we do not believe this argument holds any weight. We believe Spurgeon was wrong for smoking. Was he otherwise a godly man and fantastic teacher of God's Word? Absolutely! Does that make all of his actions and habits honoring to God? No.

In stating that smoking is a sin, we are not stating that all smokers are unsaved. There are many true believers in Jesus Christ who smoke. Smoking does not prevent a person from being saved. Nor does it cause a person to lose salvation. Smoking is no less forgivable than any other sin, whether for a person becoming a Christian or a Christian confessing his/her sin to God (1 John 1:9). At the same time, we firmly believe that smoking is a sin that should be forsaken and, with God’s help, overcome.

www.gotquestions.org/smoking-Christian-sin.html

 

[AvgJoe]

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

Question: "What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol / wine? Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol / wine?"

Answer: Scripture has much to say regarding the drinking of alcohol (Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:3; Deuteronomy 29:6; Judges 13:4, 7, 14; Proverbs 20:1; 31:4; Isaiah 5:11, 22; 24:9; 28:7; 29:9; 56:12). However, Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. In fact, some Scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing. Isaiah 55:1 encourages, “Yes, come buy wine and milk…”

What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects (Proverbs 23:29-35). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19). Drinking alcohol in excess is undeniably addictive. Scripture also forbids a Christian from doing anything that might offend other Christians or encourage them to sin against their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). In light of these principles, it would be extremely difficult for any Christian to say he is drinking alcohol in excess to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Jesus changed water into wine. It even seems that Jesus drank wine on occasion (John 2:1-11; Matthew 26:29). In New Testament times, the water was not very clean. Without modern sanitation, the water was often filled with bacteria, viruses, and all kinds of contaminants. The same is true in many third-world countries today. As a result, people often drank wine (or grape juice) because it was far less likely to be contaminated. In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul was instructing Timothy to stop drinking the water (which was probably causing his stomach problems) and instead drink wine. In that day, wine was fermented (containing alcohol), but not necessarily to the degree it is today. It is incorrect to say that it was grape juice, but it is also incorrect to say that it was the same thing as the wine commonly used today. Again, Scripture does not forbid Christians from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. Alcohol is not, in and of itself, tainted by sin. It is drunkenness and addiction to alcohol that a Christian must absolutely refrain from (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12).

Alcohol, consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful nor addictive. In fact, some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol is a matter of Christian freedom. Drunkenness and addiction are sin. However, due to the biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its effects, due to the easy temptation to consume alcohol in excess, and due to the possibility of causing offense and/or stumbling of others, it is often best for a Christian to abstain from drinking alcohol.

www.gotquestions.org/sin-alcohol.html

 

[MoneyGuy]

I drink beer and no one can say I’m not Christian.

Smoking is stupid and disgusting but it doesn’t mean you’re not Christian.

 

[LoricaLady]

I drink beer and no one can say I’m not Christian.

Smoking is stupid and disgusting but it doesn’t mean you’re not Christian.

Smoking isn't just stupid and disgusting it is very harmful to both the smoker and those who breathe second hand smoke. As I said earlier, little children who are exposed to second hand smoke are at risk to get ear infections, and thus not be able to process language at a critical state of development, and can become learning disabilities statistics.

People die from smoking, including those who smoke their fumes who do not smoke.

People have such a casual attitude toward smoking sometimes.

No way the Father wants us to be insensitive to the horrific dangers that cigarettes present to ourselves and others.

 

[aiki]

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

Can they? Yes, of course. Should they? Probably not. Is it a sin to smoke and drink? Not the pint of beer, no, but the smoking is ruinous to one's health in any measure and as such is a practice that neglects being a good steward of the body God has given.

Here's a verse that I think is very pertinent to your question:

Hebrews 12:1
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Did you notice that the verse talks not just about sin but also about "weight"? The verse makes a distinction between these things but commands the believer to set aside both. How does a "weight" differ from a sin? A "weight" encumbers the believer; it slows him down spiritually; it makes spiritual progress difficult. These things aren't exactly morally corrupt, but they have the net effect in a believer's life of causing them to labour unduly in their walk with God, of creating greater and unnecessary spiritual effort. They do nothing to help the believer walk with God but involve risks and produce effects that drag upon the one who seeks to "run the race" toward the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14) I think alcohol and smoking - among a number of other things - fall into this category of "weight" and ought to be laid aside in favour of "running the race" well.

Paul wrote,

1 Corinthians 6:12
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

If you can't live contentedly without ever having a drink, you ought not to be drinking (alcohol, I mean). If you can't live contentedly without a smoke, you have come under the power of cigarettes and ought not to smoke. If you can't live contentedly never playing a video game or checking your cell phone, you ought to rid yourself of them until you can. Don't be brought under the power of any of these kinds of things.

 

[LoricaLady]

People keep acting like smoking is all about just your own health. It's not. People die from second hand smoke. As I have said before, children can become learning disabled because of second hand smoke. How can doing something that could kill you, and others, and lead to disabilities for little children not be a sin?

 

[aiki]

People keep acting like smoking is all about just your own health. It's not. People die from second hand smoke. As I have said before, children can become learning disabled because of second hand smoke. How can doing something that could kill you, and others, and lead to disabilities for little children not be a sin?

I do appreciate your concern for the welfare of those who live around smokers. I know several smokers, however, who are very careful about where and when they smoke. They wouldn't be caught dead smoking in the presence of children. And when they smoke, they sequester themselves in places where others won't be affected by their smoking. Taking all of these precautions into account, is their smoking still sin? We know that sugar and fatty foods are bad for us and the chemicals in the building materials of our homes, and in the furnishings and homewares we buy to fill those homes cause cancer. Is eating a piece of pie or a burger sin, then? Is living in a house with toxic materials and off-gassing housewares a sin? It's hard to see how this could be so. But if potential for, or actual, harm is the basis for making something a sin, then a whole huge realm of things become sinful that we find no ground in Scripture to condemn.

It's been said that life is going to kill us. From the moment a person is born, they begin to die. How do we think about life, then? If living ultimately leads to dying, is living sin? I'm certain you would say not. I'm not sure, then, how great a part one should give to the harm of thing in deciding if its sin or not.