Christian Question About Smoking?

Question

I just got saved recently and I am a smoker. I have been trying to quite and everytime I have a cig. I always feel guilty but its really hard. and I dont know what to do. Am I a sinner for smoking?? I need some advice please.

Answer 1

If you follow this to it's ultimate conclusion and treat your body as a temple then no amount of self-sacrifice and denial will ever be enough.
There is not a single thing on earth that cannot one way or the other be found to be completely healthy. Likewise, there isn't a thing on earth that isn't bad for you one way or the other. There's no conceivable way I can find for you to ignore them all and still reconcile it to your beliefs.
Were you aware that a group of scientists once found spinach to be a carcinogen too? It wasn't long ago that parents were trying to encourage their children to eat it because it was healthy.
Give up cigarettes for this reason alone and you'll be left with an entire host of things that are still bad for you and therefore defile your "temple".
It logically follows that your religious reasons for not smoking would have to include them all.
It follows that your sacrifices in the interests of your religion would have to include not only cigarettes, alcohol and pork but a number of things that could affect your health for a number of reasons.
I have composed a small list for you to consider: Every single one of them is bad for you regardless of what you think for a variety of reasons including saturated fats, trans fats, high sodium, nitrates, caffeine, calories, sugar and artificial dyes and additives of all sorts.

Chocolate, softdrinks, coffee, hotdogs, potato chips, whole milk, cheese, cream cheese, icecream, yogurt, and it doesn't stop there.

Did you know:

Quaker Oats 100% Natural Oats and Honey Granola contain three teaspoons of sugar per half cup and come laden with more artery-clogging fat than a McDonalds hamburger?

The average donut variety pack has as much saturated fat as nine strips of bacon?
(10 grams)

Campbells red-label soups are brimming in salt? Not good for your blood pressure.

White flour and store-bought pasta. And, of course, anything containing them.
(Not kidding, both have been linked to an increase in heart disease.)

I'm telling you, it goes on and on and on and on...
Take the reason for wanting to stop smoking and you'll be left drinking water and taking vitamins or at risk of eternal damnation.
While you're doing this you might consider checking to make sure that both have been approved by not only the USDA, but the AMA, ADA and an entire team of nutritionists.
Quit smoking if you so desire because it's especially bad for your health, not because it doesn't meet with the approval of your religion.
You'll have to deprive yourself of absolutely anything that could ultimately lead to bad health.
Take the Bible literally and to the letter and you'll find yourself without a computer because the ambient radiation from the monitor could cause eye cancer. You'll have to give up television too for the same reasons. Maybe even your cellphone.
Oh, and you'll have to get rid of your children because they cause stress.
After all, your body is your temple...

Answer 2

Good thing God doesn't hold our sins against us, if we are repentent. When you became a Christian, you stopped being an unrepentant "sinner." You are now a blood-bought servant of the King. (It helps if you remind yourself of that once in a while).

You're already being convicted of your sin (defiling His temple, making an idol of a substance, etc). The next thing to do is simply quit buying them.

Yes, I know it's hard - been there. But, if you don't allow them around you, you'll have to find something more constructive to do with your emotions & fingers (if it's a "bored-to-death-so-I-smoke" type thing).

Patches, gum, etc only tranfer the addiction from smoke that'll kill you to other substances that'll kill you as dead.

If you can take a few days off work, it'll help with the physical withdrawal symptoms. Sleep away the 48-72 hours it takes to get the nicotine out of your immediate bloodstream. Drink lots of cranbery juice & water. When you feel the urge to pick one up (which should be impossible, since there aren't any there...), eat some carrot sticks or apple wedges. Chew on a straw or toothpick.

Primarily, talk to God. Let him know how hard it is for you. Ask Him for strength to be obedient & to maintain a good witness for Him.

You CAN get through this. It's not even a matter of will-power, it's a matter of knee-strength....

Answer 3

If you really believe you should stop, then you can make it a real priority. There are medical and therapeutic tools to help you, but unless you decide you're going to take whatever measures necessary to stop, then the addiction may win.

And this idea of sinning as a smoker can backfire. Whenever you consider God wants you to quit, you may start resenting God and smoke just to prove you're not a slave. You're a Christian whether or not you smoke. You'll be a healthier human if you quit.

Answer 4

I didn't know questions could be Christian!
As far as the smoking goes; know that you are not under any condemnation for it.
If you want to quit, you will...when you are ready. Do not judge or condemn yourself for not being able to quit right now. When the time is right, you WILL quit.
I smoked 2 1/2 packs for years & quit by using the Nicoderm CQ patch. I've never gone back.
For now, focus on other areas of your life where you seem to sense G-d moving.

Answer 5

I am not a Christian, but I did quit smoking four months ago. :)

I used the patch, and I quit on my father's birthday. He died last year, so that was an incentive for me to honor him by quitting, if you get what I'm saying there.

The patch really helped me because I knew that I couldn't smoke with it on or I would get sick. And, I couldn't just take it off, smoke, then put on another, because it keeps going into your system for hours after you remove it and would still make you sick until that time has passed.

So, that kept me from smoking and it also took the edge off a little.


Guilt is not going to help you. Guilt may make you fail if you are too hard on yourself. I was a smoker Christian once too. The guilt kept me from succeeding.

Answer 6

Yes, you are, and I mean that in the most delicate way. We all sin. It is impossible not to. The guilt you feel is the holy spirit telling you that it is wrong. Don't ignore it. Your body is your temple, you must treat it as such. Don't be too hard on yourself, just try very hard. You will be blessed if you do what is right. God will honor you many times over. Believe me. Have faith that He will help you beat this terrible addiction. You have already done the right thing by asking fellow Christians Good for you! Have a great evening. God bless.

Answer 7

You feel guilty cause you have been saved. Yes smoking is wrong. Your body is a temple, and smoking has all kinds of chemicals. You can quit. Just pray to God every time you have a urge, I know it will seem as though you are continuously talking to God, but that's a plus also, cause it will help make your relationship with God grow also. You can do it.....God knows you can!!!!

Answer 8

Motivation for stopping:

Would you not feel offended if you gave someone an expensive present and he or she threw it away?
Well, God gives us “life and breath.” (Acts 17:25) Imagine how he feels when you misuse that gift! The apostle Paul thus wrote: “Therefore, since we have these promises [of having an approved relationship with God], beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

A wise proverb warns: “The shrewd one that has seen the calamity has concealed himself; the inexperienced that have passed along have suffered the penalty.” (Proverbs 27:12) Do you really want to suffer the penalty of tobacco addiction, namely, cancer, heart disease, respiratory ailments? Is a nicotine high worth foul breath, a hacking cough, and yellow teeth?

Answer 9

I don't think it is a smiteable offense, however you are supposed to stay away from addictions to anything as it takes your thoughts away from God and puts them on something else. Have you tried peppermints when you want a smoke? My husband is a smoker and he was able to quit with the help of something called wellbutrin that his doctor prescribed.

Answer 10

I'm glad you decided to ask for help JesusFreak! A lot of times when people first become a Christian they start to feel guilty and/or unsure about something they have been doing. But they far too often keep it to themselves and don't ask for help. So you have taken a great step by asking people for their advice.

And about the smoking, yes smoking is a sin.

In 1Corinthians 6:19 - 20 we are told,
"Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body."

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord wants us to keep our bodies in shape in every way.
And although the Bible does not actually say that smoking is a sin, it is because we know that smoking hurts our bodies and minds in a number of ways.

But don't worry. The Lord will truly set you free from that bondage if you turn to Him. You can try patches and every other medicine that helps you stop smoking, and if that works, great! But if it doesn't, turn to the Lord, and He will truly set you free.

There is one way to be set free from any kind of sin/"addiction" that has helped me out in a number of ways. I read it in Kenneth Copeland's booklet "The Decision Is Yours". He says that at one time he was a glutton. Overeating 24/7. He tried all kinds of diets and exercise programs, but nothing he did could help him truly stop overeating. Then he turned to the Lord. He decided he would not overeat anymore. Whenever he saw a meal and wanted to devour it, he would resist the temptation by saying, "I choose Jesus instead of that. I choose the Word instead of that." And now he is completely free of the desire to eat everything he can!

This method, which has helped me a lot, is kind of like saying to ourselves, "No! I'm not going to do that. I choose HEAVEN instead of hell."

So try doing that, and also pray for yourself, and ask others to pray for you as well. I look forward to when you tell us all about how you quit smoking JesusFreak!
Take care, and God bless you.