“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

-Paul, to The Church in Rome

His name was Brock. He always wore sunglasses and a hat with just a little bit of his afro peeking out from the sides. He was a temp that worked with us for a while at The Office Furniture Company. He had stories to tell. Many… stories… to… tell. Tall tales and fibs, I imagined. I believe that he was an ex-Green Beret. Maybe it was the Navy Seals. I do not remember. I am sure that he told us that he was a former Secret Service agent. I am pretty sure that he told us that he was an actor. I am not certain as to which mountain that he claimed to have hiked. I picture in my mind’s eye the Rockies. But for whatever reason I believe that he told us it was the Himalayas. I do know that he told me that he played the piano. So one day when he was working with me I stopped by a music store at lunch to play the guitars. I remember walking by him several times as he sat at the piano. Staring at it as if he was trying to figure out what laid before him. Not once touching a single key. Maybe his stories were nothing more than just that. Stories.

He also professed to be a Christian. He proudly talked about his devout faith. So much so that he even took the “required vow of chastity” with his wife. I am still not certain where one can find that in The Word. I am pretty sure that the opposite of this vow is spoken of. Maybe his understanding of Scripture was a tale too. I remember one day, as I was sitting in the passenger seat of the work truck, he stood on the other side of the door. We were talking. About what? I do not know. Maybe about how he played Hamlet on Broadway? Then he fired up a cancer stick. He said “People see me smoke and say ‘You smoke? I thought you was a Christian?’, and I say ‘Hey! We all fall short of the glory of God’”.

I remember having many conversations about Faith with Mike, who was our Service Man at The Office Furniture Company. My supervisor Tony would sometimes send me out on service calls with him. No particular reason because the service jobs mostly only required one set of hands. I suppose it was a matter of finding something for me to do. We would talk about many things. One thing in particular that he stood in opposition to was when I would say that “Smoking is a sin”, in which case he would get all philosophical on me, asking “What is Sin?”.

My wife’s grandparents used to host a Bible study in their home on Friday nights. I remember one man in particular. Big ol’ good ol’ boy. He went to our church. I am friends with him on Facistbook. Have been for many years. My wife and I would see pictures of him on there. In these photos he would be smoking cigarettes. We came to the same conclusion. “Fake Christian”, we would call him. We would see him leave church after Sunday School, only to return right before the service. We would be like “Uh huh! Going home to go smoke”. We essentially looked down on his Faith. Until one day, during Bible study, he confessed to his vice. In tears, he admitted that he felt that it was a sin and that it separated him from God. That he wanted to quit. I learned a very important lesson that night on judging other Christian’s hearts based on outward perception. Pay close attention to this story. It will come up again in the future.

Disgraced Pastor Mark Driscoll once addressed the question “Is smoking a sin?”. He said that it is not. Because it is not mentioned in the Bible. He said that, even though he has a personal dislike for it, it is not sinful. And he is right. Well, partially at least.

It is true. “Smoking” is never mentioned in God’s Word. But there are many other things that are not. “Identity Theft”. “Road Rage”. “Internet Pornography”. To name a few. We have to remember, however, that The Word was written in a time that is not ours. Many things were never written because they did not exist then. Smoking being one of them. To claim that something is or is not permissible in The Bible because it is absent is to assume God’s position. To speak for Him. That in and of itself is a dangerous precedent. But in these instances of silence, to get a grasp on the truth on why things are or are not “Sin”, we need to look at context. Road Rage is not spoken of. However, anger, violence, and vengeance are. Internet Pornography is never mentioned. However The Word is full of sexual sin and immorality. Jesus even compared Lust to Adultery. So what does The Word say when it comes to Smoking? 

Surprisingly, a lot.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

-Paul, to The Church in Corinth

First, our body is not our own. When Redemption marries our broken sinful state, our bodies are laid out upon the altar as a sacrifice. It is no longer ours to decide what we can and cannot do in relation to The World’s definition. We become one with The Christ. Therefore we should care for our bodies to the best of our abilities. Granted, this is very difficult with our modern American food source. Tainted with processed chemicals and all that. But like with Smoking, we do have a choice as to what we consume. We do not have to live in the McDonalds drive thru. I once had this discussion with Mike, as well as my own Mother. A conversation that, when I had mentioned that Smoking is a Sin, was immediately pivoted to overeating and Big Macs. And yes, inhaling cancerous smoke by habitual choice is just as damaging to our temple as Glutton. Especially processed Glutton.

There was a time when people were ignorant about smoking. They believed that it was healthy. I have known some that believed that it aided in digestion. Some believed that it cleansed the lungs of impurities. Some have even said that their doctors suggested that if they quit smoking, that the abstinence would kill them. Such doctors have no business practicing medicine. In the days of black and white cinema, it was considered debonair. Handsome men in pressed suits would light up their cancer sticks, and reach over to light one for their damsel. And they would just all sit around enveloped in a cloud of curling smoke trails. Almost as if it was saying to the viewer “Come, join us in this glorious moment”. Just about everyone in black and white cinema smoked. It became as common as eating bread. I have even heard stories of small children smoking with the approval of their parents. In the time of leather jackets and hair grease, it was no longer about being debonair. It was about being cool. Sandy even went from being the good girl next door, to being black clad with cigarette in mouth. Stooping down to Danny’s level. In time science had come upon a shocking discovery. Why were people getting lung cancer? COPD? Emphysema? Why were they coughing up blood? Why did their once smooth voices come to sound like they had gravel in their throats? They had come to the conclusion that these cigarettes were in fact not as healthy as they once thought. Sadly, once the veil was removed, for many it was too late. Sadly, millions of children have had to suffer from second hand smoke from selfish and irresponsible parents. 

“…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.’”

-The Apostle Peter

Second, we are to be Holy. Many of The Unredeemed in our society have an expectation of what a Christian should be. A person that does not drink, curse, have tattoos, fornicate, and… smoke. They anticipate that bad, sinful, and harmful habits should not occupy the lives of The Redeemed. Those that questioned Brock’s Faith understood. Sadly, Brock misinterpreted God’s Word as a license to sin. But many of The Way do not understand. It is sad that people that are not familiar with God have a better grasp on unholy behaviors than people that have supposedly been bought with The Blood of Christ. But here we are. We are at a time where the Modern Christian tries to live out his faith at the same time as he lives of The World. He wants to serve both and blur the lines. Unfortunately, according to The Apostle James, this is not possible.

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

-The Apostle James

They ask the question “I am now a Christian. Can I still…?”, instead of “I am now a Christian. How can I glorify God with my life before a dead world? What in my life must die that I may show them that I have been redeemed? How can I show them that I am different? That He changed me from the inside to the outside?”

“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”

-Paul, to The Church in Corinth

We are to live lives that are opposite of The World. We are ambassadors for The Kingdom of God. Therefore, we are to show The World what Repentance, Salvation, Redemption, and Sanctification are. We are to show that we are not of this world. That Christ used His double edged sword to separate us from our old selves, that we may become new. To put before the eye of Sinful Man the Hope that is in Christ Jesus. What do we show The World when we share in the same action and language as they do?

Third, we should be good stewards of our resources. Time and money. How much time is wasted by the smoker when they have to break every hour within the workplace to take a puff or two? Is that fair to the non-smoker? How much money is wasted on cigarettes that could be given to more important needs within the family and, since we are speaking about Christians that smoke, the local church? Again, as I mentioned before, the health repercussions of smoking is not being a good steward in health.

The above examples on whether or not Christians should smoke are not exhaustive. From the hindrance to the health of our bodies that Christ has bought with His blood, to the hindrance of being the holy example of our rebirth to The World, to being a poor steward of our resources. I am sure that one can come up with more. One would be hard pressed to find any example defending the Christian’s right to smoke. But these examples also apply to other variations of smoking. From cigars and pipes, to vaping and smoking weed (which I will elaborate on in a moment). It is true that Charles Spurgeon and C.S. Lewis smoked. But again, they were from the era of ignorance on the matter. Does the fact that two renowned men of God smoked make it permissible? In those days smoking was seen as no different than eating pie.

A few years back my wife’s family as a whole had to help my in-laws move. It was a massive undertaking that took months to accomplish. Do not ask why. Some things in life deserve to die into the grave of history and stay there. My nephew, who was in his early twenties, came to help out one day. We were shocked to see him standing on the front stoop, vaping. Now I am almost certain by seeing the fruits of his life that he is not a Christian. He might be an “agreeing Christian”, but if you read my post “What Is Salvation?”, then you would know that being an “agreeing Christian” is no different than a man saying that he is part of the Miami Dolphins from the comfort of his recliner. My nephew and I got into a heated argument over his vaping. My take was that it was stupid and unhealthy. His take was that it is perfectly healthy and that I was stupid. He obviously loves his vape more than a voice of reason. If one was to profess The Christ, then the above points would still apply. Even though vapers proclaim that it is healthy (which is why many people that do not smoke and young people that would otherwise never smoke have taken it up), it has been proven that it too is addictive and damages the lungs. It is also as pointless as one that would have taken up cigarette smoking 60 years ago. What is the point in starting? Because it is cool? To follow the crowd? Even back then everyone thought that it was healthy. Even then they did it because everyone else did it. 

“…teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…”

-Paul, from his letter to Titus

This same sentiment applies also to smoking weed. I have spent a great deal of my life, from late teens to this very moment, being surrounded by potheads. Whether it was classmates, band mates, co-workers, family members, or total strangers. One thing that they all have in common? Stupid as dirt. They have difficulty in grasping simple concepts. I have had to bear the curse of training them in the workplace. They cannot retain information. It is like repetitively explaining simplicity to a brick. This is because it has been proven that smoking pot kills your brain cells. Yet, like my nephew, they think that it is healthy. If one was to comment or share an article on social media about the dangers of vaping and smoking weed, they are usually met with mockery by the resident dope fiends and vapers. Because to them it is comical that something that they love can be bad and harmful for them. I get it, though. If I loved doing something that was harmful, would I confess that it was so? No. I probably would defend it because I love it. This is the basis of my argument with my nephew. However, a love for something does not make it right. It does not negate the facts. This is also applicable to cigarettes. I have met many smokers (especially older ones) that say that there is nothing wrong with smoking. That modern science is full of it. That they are proof because they do not have cancer, all the while they hack up blood. Unfortunately this sentiment has been the confession of my own father, who is now bound to an oxygen tank.

And many of The Way will fight to the death for their love of the right to smoke. Unaware that the pursuit of that which destroys them and profanes the name of God has become their idol.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

-Paul, to The Church in Rome

However, if you are one of The Way, you too do not have to be bound. Whether it is tobacco, vape, or weed. For Christ can break the chains of addiction. He can break the fingers of the hands that have its grip on you. Through prayer and addiction ministries, to accountability partners. There are resources. However, you have to want it. You have to desire change. You have to see it for what it is. You have to understand that just because it is there, in nature or from a laboratory, that does not necessarily mean that you should participate in its consumption.

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

-The Apostle John 

Now do not misinterpret my words. Smoking is not a Salvation issue. I have no doubt that there are people that are enslaved to it that will walk Golden Streets someday. However, it is an issue of hindrance for Holiness and showing that you have been broken from your past life. It is a hindrance for the Purity that defines the life of The Redeemed before an Unredeemed world. Therefore, a Christian that smokes should seek its demise in their life. For the sake of The Gospel before the face of broken men. Because Man expects better from Christians. Just ask Brock. But if you try to preach the message of the change that comes with Salvation, all the while being of worldly sins and selfish pleasures, then no one will believe you. They expect something different from The Christian.

They will not buy what you are selling.