Why is weed a sin

[Floatingaxe]

Actually, there is. I'm teaching you that you're wrong. That's the first step. You know what the bible says about stubbornness, don't you?

I have been known to be wrong, but not in this case.

 

[kellyc]

Trust usually works better than policing. Because policing someone, or having an "accountability partner" just assumes that yep, you're a vile old sinner, and you would love nothing more than to grab that bong and get stoned as a rock. Trust, on the other hand, believes the BEST about a person (just like Paul described LOVE in the bible!) and will actually inspire people to get BETTER.

You can force me to stop using drugs, but you can't change me from an addict to a free man. You can modify my behaviour, but not my identity. So it doesn't really fix the problem, it only makes it look better. Having an "accountability partner" is one of THE most unbiblical concepts ever made up, and I guarantee you it has never, ever, set anyone free from any sin. It cant. It's useless, it turns people into whitewashed graves.

God does the exact OPPISITE of an accountability partner. He doesn't say "I saw what you did there," but "hey, look what JESUS did HERE!" - and that's the only message that can save addicts like I used to be. I could take the courses and grades and learn to live with my addiction, I could go to church and learn how to please the christians. Or I could go to God who could actually make me a NEW person. Unlike men, God already saw me, and treated me, like a GOOD and FREE person. And thus I BECAME a good and free person. You see, just like when He created the world, there may be emptiness and void, but when God speaks, stuff happens. When He says something is so, it IS so. Go to people and they will call you an addict and try to fix you. Go to God and He will create a whole new person.

All that said, it's obviously good to have a person you can share your wins and losses with, someone to confess to when you need it. But you're not accountable to any man.

but aren't you still telling people smoking weed is good? or did i misunderstand?

as i said, you are the exception! most addicts need outside support.

 

[Markus6]

Trust usually works better than policing. Because policing someone, or having an "accountability partner" just assumes that yep, you're a vile old sinner, and you would love nothing more than to grab that bong and get stoned as a rock. Trust, on the other hand, believes the BEST about a person (just like Paul described LOVE in the bible!) and will actually inspire people to get BETTER.

You can force me to stop using drugs, but you can't change me from an addict to a free man. You can modify my behaviour, but not my identity. So it doesn't really fix the problem, it only makes it look better. Having an "accountability partner" is one of THE most unbiblical concepts ever made up, and I guarantee you it has never, ever, set anyone free from any sin. It cant. It's useless, it turns people into whitewashed graves.

God does the exact OPPISITE of an accountability partner. He doesn't say "I saw what you did there," but "hey, look what JESUS did HERE!" - and that's the only message that can save addicts like I used to be. I could take the courses and grades and learn to live with my addiction, I could go to church and learn how to please the christians. Or I could go to God who could actually make me a NEW person. Unlike men, God already saw me, and treated me, like a GOOD and FREE person. And thus I BECAME a good and free person. You see, just like when He created the world, there may be emptiness and void, but when God speaks, stuff happens. When He says something is so, it IS so. Go to people and they will call you an addict and try to fix you. Go to God and He will create a whole new person.

All that said, it's obviously good to have a person you can share your wins and losses with, someone to confess to when you need it. But you're not accountable to any man.

Have you been hurt by an accountability partner or something? "One of THE most unbiblical concepts ever made up"? That's quite an hyperbole. I have an accountability partner but I can't say I recognise any of the attributes you seems to be giving the concept. It's just a relationship where you can help each other with any problems you might have.

 

[kellyc]

ps an accountability partner is not unbiblical at all. i am not saying YOU holo have to have one, but accountability to a group is helpful to most.

 

[Floatingaxe]

As believers, we are accountable to each other under God, anyway! In an area of lack of control in one's life an accountability to one or more people is a good thing. In my opinion, anyone who would refute that would be a lone ranger type, who goes one's own way, desiring to not be accountable to anyone, let alone Jesus Christ.

 

[Cassidy]

Holiness doesn't come about by eating or not eating certain things. You won't get an inch holier by breathing air, and you won't get an inch unholier by breathing smoke, or asbestos, or by drinking distilled water or chugging down church coffee. Eating salad won't make you more acceptable to God, and shooting heroin won't make you less acceptable to him.

Holiness is something God gives and does, it's not something you achieve. You either are or you aren't. God doesn't need a man's help in sanctifying anything. His standards are a bit too high for us to reach by doing or eating this or that.

Good post!

 

[Cassidy]

Anyway, what do you mean by "spiritually lawful"? Do you have a list of sins in mind? If you want a list, you can find an extensive one in the OT. But those days ended with the new covenant. Now, "everythings is lawful, but not everything benefits". Which means it's not exactly a sin to drink a gallon a coffee a day, but it's not very beneficial either. And that's why you shouldn't do it. That's the wonder of it, isn't it - you don't need some moral threat of losing your salvation or stuff like that in order not to do stupid things, no, you are free to simply use your brain, and of course seek guidance from God and people if in doubt.

Ya huh! Very true indeed.

 

[Cassidy]

He doesn't say "I saw what you did there," but "hey, look what JESUS did HERE!"

Yes!!!! That's the truth - amen!

Accountability is most certainly in the bible...Jesus was held accountable for all of our sins...and that's where it ends!

We can confess to one another as support....but this isn't accountability. We have no accountability with humans nor with God.....Christ took that accountability.

 

[Floatingaxe]

Holiness doesn't come about by eating or not eating certain things. You won't get an inch holier by breathing air, and you won't get an inch unholier by breathing smoke, or asbestos, or by drinking distilled water or chugging down church coffee. Eating salad won't make you more acceptable to God, and shooting heroin won't make you less acceptable to him.

Holiness is something God gives and does, it's not something you achieve. You either are or you aren't. God doesn't need a man's help in sanctifying anything. His standards are a bit too high for us to reach by doing or eating this or that.

Be careful you do not become a stumbling block to weaker brothers by advocating conduct unbecoming a follower of Jesus Christ, mocking the grace given you.

1 Peter 1:13-21
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 

[Floatingaxe]

In plainer language:

A Call to Holy Living

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

 

[Cassidy]

1 Peter 1:13-21
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

And that's why I talk about the 'lifestyle' not becoming to a Christian...or being a good testimony of God. We are already made holy in Christ. Nothing from the outside will make us unholy or Christ died for nothing! But we are to live holy lives BECAUSE we are holy not because 'not' doing so will make us unholy.

But you won't see this post cos you've blocked me....but somebody else might.

 

[Floatingaxe]

2 Peter 3:17
I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.

 

[holo]

but aren't you still telling people smoking weed is good?

No, not at all. I advice against it. But I don't label it as sin, just like meat, wine, sex or quoting the bible aren't sins in and of themselves. But they may very well be turned into sin - it depends on the person. All things are lawful, nothing is unclean. Not in and of itself.

as i said, you are the exception! most addicts need outside support.

Absolutely! Support is essential. But christians are more known for offering morality and condemnation.

 

[holo]

Have you been hurt by an accountability partner or something? "One of THE most unbiblical concepts ever made up"? That's quite an hyperbole. I have an accountability partner but I can't say I recognise any of the attributes you seems to be giving the concept. It's just a relationship where you can help each other with any problems you might have.

I hope I've misunderstood the concept then. A partner is one thing, a sort of "spiritual police officer" is another. It's like having a WWJD bracelet in the shape of a human. I hate those, I've never seen anyone get better because of it, but they've gotten a whole lot more shame to drag around...

 

[holo]

Be careful you do not become a stumbling block to weaker brothers by advocating conduct unbecoming a follower of Jesus Christ, mocking the grace given you.

I try to, and I hope you will do the same. It is my opinion that many thousand more have stumbled because of christian's morality and judgment, than have ever fallen because they saw a dude have a beer.

 

[holo]

ps an accountability partner is not unbiblical at all. i am not saying YOU holo have to have one, but accountability to a group is helpful to most.

But it's quite contrary to the gospel, as I see it. Love covers a multitude of sins, the bible says. Furthermore,

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

If you have a group, it should be a group that keeps preaching the gospel, not one that you're somehow accountable to. They should be the first ones to forget your sins. Of course, it's great to have people you can be 100% honest with, but when God himself has said you're not accountable to him anymore, you're darn sure not accountable to any man (who's probably no better than you anyway).

 

[Floatingaxe]

Love covers as in "overlooks insult", but it doesn't cover it from the eyes of God! LOVE actually brings it out into the open in a person who harbours it.

Ephesians 5:6-20
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Living by the Spirit’s Power

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Floatingaxe]

Anyone who refuses to have an accountabilty partner is not willing to shed the offending behaviour. One who desires to be free will actually jump at the opportunity given him to have a person of Godly integrity to help him.

 

[Cris413]

Anyone who refuses to have an accountabilty partner is not willing to shed the offending behaviour. One who desires to be free will actually jump at the opportunity given him to have a person of Godly integrity to help him.

Which reminds me of:

Ecc 4:9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
Ecc 4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Ecc 4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Ecc 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

[Floatingaxe]

Which reminds me of:

Ecc 4:9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
Ecc 4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Ecc 4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Ecc 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Exactly!