Addiction: sin or disease?

[Emsmom1]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

You might add to your options - a Spiritual Bondage.

I see this as a combination depending on the individual case.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Addiction is a disease; but sadly addiction can lead to some very harmful behaviors, and causing harm to others and oneself would be sinful. So mediating between the two aspects is probably really important. Both addressing the underlying disease with compassion as well as addressing the seriousness of the harm.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[messianist]

Those who have addictions are under judgment.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Those who have addictions are under judgment.

Including folk who are prescribed medication for pain and end up with addiction to say tramadol?

 

[Al Touthentop]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

It is the loss of control over one's actions. It's entirely preventable. It can involve sin or lead to it.

 

[Carl Emerson]

It is the loss of control over one's actions. It's entirely preventable. It can involve sin or lead to it.

Forgive me for raising this but would you include an addiction to sugar or coffee in this discussion?

 

[Gideons300]

It is the loss of control over one's actions. It's entirely preventable. It can involve sin or lead to it.

We need to remind ourselves that if we are in the flesh, we already have no control over ourselves. Self control is thought to be the answer, and we must be strong. The only problem is... we are not. That is the very issue with sin and walking in the flesh.

What is our answer? What breaks our addiction to self love, to sinful behavior, to not yielding fully to our Lord and His will for our lives? Self control, lol.

But it is not what we think. It is a fruit of the Spirit, one that comes as we abide by faith in Him. And if we find we are still struggling no matter how hard we try, then perhaps there is a way to abide in Him that we have not (yet) learned.

That is all about to change.

blessings,

Gids

P.S. On another note, I believe that in the end, there will be those who think they are on sure footing with the Lord because they are not like those "sinful addicts", who discover their hearts were in no way right with God, loving the unloveable, and those bound by Satan who long to be free but who are held in heavy chains are going to be found rejoicing in the FREE INDEED that comes from a humbled hungry heart meeting Jesus our deliverer.

Just something to ruminate on.

G.

 

[jahel]

We need to remind ourselves that if we are in the flesh, we already have no control over ourselves. Self control is thought to be the answer, and we must be strong. The only problem is... we are not. That is the very issue with sin and walking in the flesh.

What is our answer? What breaks our addiction to self love, to sinful behavior, to not yielding fully to our Lord and His will for our lives? Self control, lol.

But it is not what we think. It is a fruit of the Spirit, one that comes as we abide by faith in Him. And if we find we are still struggling no matter how hard we try, then perhaps there is a way to abide in Him that we have not (yet) learned.

That is all about to change.

blessings,

Gids

P.S. On another note, I believe that in the end, there will be those who think they are on sure footing with the Lord because they are not like those "sinful addicts", who discover their hearts were in no way right with God, loving the unloveable, and those bound by Satan who long to be free but who are held in heavy chains are going to be found rejoicing in the FREE INDEED that comes from a humbled hungry heart meeting Jesus our deliverer.

Just something to ruminate on.

G.

It sounds like you think that only a puppet doing someone’s bidding (commonly called slave) is being in control, and that being human is out of control. No being out of control is when the puppeteer leaves the room and the slave to sin feels free to indulge in what they know God hates.

PS self-control is a fruit of the spirit ...

 

[Gideons300]

we are either slaves to sin and self or servants to God, with our old nature reckoned dead. As much as many would like it otherwise, that is the truth.

May we all finally understand that God Himself has promised to keep us from falling and if He does not do it, and we think by our own efforts we can defeat satan in our lives, all our efforts at it will end up in vain.

He must do it for us, in us. Our portion of this covenant is to cry out to Him to do so, having finally concluded that our own strength and self confidence is our greatest weakness.

blessings,

Gideon

 

[SkyWriting]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

It's a solution to an unresolved pain in our past.
Not a good one, often damaging, but an attempt to relieve pain.

My example is my mom has childhood issues and can't successfully quit smoking.
My dad did not and has stopped anytime he chooses to.

 

[Job3315]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

Addiction is a false god. It tries to provide a false security that it can only be satisfied by God.

 

[Al Touthentop]

We need to remind ourselves that if we are in the flesh, we already have no control over ourselves. Self control is thought to be the answer, and we must be strong. The only problem is... we are not. That is the very issue with sin and walking in the flesh.

This is not taught in the bible. That term walking in the flesh means conforming our minds to the desires of the flesh. It doesn't mean that the flesh has one mind and the spirit has another. We have one mind and that which we submit it to is where we'll deliver the body.

I don't mean to cause a bunch of controversy but there are too many passages in the New Testament and old which tell us that it is our will that must take control over our flesh and that will has to be in agreement with God's will. How we do that is by keeping his commands. (See 1 John).

It we didn't have our own will, then we couldn't be charged with sin.

 

[Al Touthentop]

Forgive me for raising this but would you include an addiction to sugar or coffee in this discussion?

Every addiction is allowing one's desires to control one's actions. It's not all sin. But it is all loss of control.

 

[Leet]

What starts as a sin can end in addiction... Which then takes away choice and takes a heckuva lot more than usual to break.
James 1:15, ESV: "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."

 

[Gideons300]

This is not taught in the bible. That term walking in the flesh means conforming our minds to the desires of the flesh. It doesn't mean that the flesh has one mind and the spirit has another. We have one mind and that which we submit it to is where we'll deliver the body.

I don't mean to cause a bunch of controversy but there are too many passages in the New Testament and old which tell us that it is our will that must take control over our flesh and that will has to be in agreement with God's will. How we do that is by keeping his commands. (See 1 John).

It we didn't have our own will, then we couldn't be charged with sin.

Our will must finally bow the knee. When does that happen? When can we truly escape the grip of our lower nature? When we finally see that we do not have the strength to rein in the flesh.

It is when we finally come to the point that we have NO strength, that we can finally do the one thing we can do. And what is that?

Only believe.

Is it not promised that to them that have no might..... none.... that He increases might? Only believing is easy when it is our only option left. But what a hard road faces every single soul who truly sets their heart on 100% full obedience, yet thinking that our choice is enough.

That is the difficult past of our deliverance from self and sin. Self will never cast out self. Turning the other cheek might work one time, maybe even twice, but there comes a point where self will close its fist and retaliate.

We are told that there are two great commandments, to love God with ALL of our heart and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We set our minds and hearts to obey, yet fulfilling these is like a mirage vanishing in the desert sun.

Is it possible? Absolutely! But the path is not as we envision it. Brokenness is not something we can simply manufacture. It comes when we finally see that in order to do so, we must receive a miracle from our God, a brand new nature that we put on by faith.

And praise God, to those who do so, desiring to please Him but not knowing the path to real true obedience, they will assuredly discover that God is more than willing to do in them, for them, what they never could do.

In these last days, this truth is about to overtake us and deliver us from our weakness, our self love as we discover the full meaning of what Jesus meant when He promised He would set us free indeed.

blessings,

Gids

 

[Al Touthentop]

Our will must finally bow the knee. When does that happen? When can we truly escape the grip of our lower nature? When we finally see that we do not have the strength to rein in the flesh.

We have always had that strength. It appears as if you're of the opinion that we have a "sin nature" and suffer from original sin.

It is when we finally come to the point that we have NO strength, that we can finally do the one thing we can do. And what is that?

Only believe.

Every knee will bow on the Day of Judgement when there will be no other possibility but to believe because those who already believe will do so in joy and the others will bow from terror.

Is it not promised that to them that have no might..... none.... that He increases might? Only believing is easy when it is our only option left. But what a hard road faces every single soul who truly sets their heart on 100% full obedience, yet thinking that our choice is enough.

That choice is enough. God makes the effect of that belief possible but he doesn't cause the belief in the coercive sense. Otherwise his command that we believe would be superfluous.

That is the difficult past of our deliverance from self and sin. Self will never cast out self. Turning the other cheek might work one time, maybe even twice, but there comes a point where self will close its fist and retaliate.

God promises to cast out our past sin and forgive us when we confess our sins. He doesn't promise that he will make us obedient.

We are told that there are two great commandments, to love God with ALL of our heart and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We set our minds and hearts to obey, yet fulfilling these is like a mirage vanishing in the desert sun.

The reason Jesus came down as a man was to show us that perfect obedience is possible.

In these last days, this truth is about to overtake us and deliver us from our weakness, our self love as we discover the full meaning of what Jesus meant when He promised He would set us free indeed.

blessings,

Gids

These are some long "last days." Peter on the day of Pentecost preached that they were in the last days. How long do they last anyway?

 

[messianist]

Including folk who are prescribed medication for pain and end up with addiction to say tramadol?

Yes all addiction.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Yes all addiction.

Sounds like a nice way to feel better about oneself and a really terrible way to actually help people suffering with addiction. Focus on your own eye-logs.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[IntriKate]

Is addiction a sin or a disease? Maybe both? Curious as to what people think about this topic.

Great question I’ve never thought about it before. I’d say both it can stem from a deep wound for some people.