Smoking is an act that offends God and damages relationships between individuals. Furthermore, smoking leads to serious health risks including lung cancer, emphysema and high blood pressure.
The Lord desires for His followers to be freed from any binding to such sinful habits as well as other sinful behaviors, which is why He provided Jesus Christ as their means of escape.
Table of Contents
1. It is a sin
Smoking is an act that breaks God’s laws, invoking idolatry and covetousness to desire something harmful to your health – such as cigarettes – which is idolatrous and covetousness in itself, leading to cancer, lung disease and other ailments. Furthermore, smoking violates the Sixth Commandment that states you should not cause anyone harm and it must always be remembered that our bodies belong to God, only being on loan temporarily from Him for our use – making sure we honor Him whenever possible with our actions relating to our bodies and honor Him accordingly!
Smoking may not seem sinful at first glance, but this is simply untrue. The Bible contains laws which, when obeyed properly, lead to great happiness and peace for humans – they cover health care, farming practices, diet and child rearing among many other things – yet humans consistently choose to ignore these rules – with smoking being one of the more obvious violations of God’s word.
Cigarettes can cause serious health complications, including lung cancer, asthma, emphysema, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries – and may even contribute to death. As such, many countries and U.S. states have banned smoking in public spaces. Furthermore, smoking has an adverse impact on our environment which should also be taken into consideration before smoking is started in public settings.
The Bible does not forbid smoking tobacco products but does warn against its excessive consumption. According to Catechism of Catholic Church: ‘the virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every form of excess in terms of food, drink or medicine use.”
2. It is addictive
Smoking cigarettes is an addiction that leads to physical and psychological dependency on nicotine, a psychoactive substance known for altering how the brain works, altering mood and behavior, triggering withdrawal symptoms when not used regularly, as well as creating cravings and withdrawal symptoms when not used, making quitting so challenging for many people.
Smokers not only harm themselves when they smoke cigarettes; their actions also impact those around them. Studies have demonstrated that secondhand smoke exposure can pose significant health issues for non-smokers such as respiratory issues and heart disease – it has even been linked with stroke and lung cancer!
Cigarette smoke contains toxic chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. These include carbon monoxide, which deprives blood of life-sustaining oxygen; tar, which has been linked with heart disease and lung damage; ammonia which corrodes respiratory systems; and its strong smell can be offensive to others.
Smoking can be extremely costly. According to estimates, an estimated annual expenditure for smoking among adult smokers stands at approximately $2,600 – which could otherwise be used towards healthier food or other essential needs. Furthermore, smokers waste both their time and effort when smoking cigarettes – losing approximately one hour every day, seven hours every week, or nearly nine 40-hour weeks annually due to smoking cigarettes.
If you are suffering from an addiction, there are various methods of breaking it. Consulting a professional or switching up activities might help break free. Spending time with non-smokers and positive people may also prove useful in breaking free.
3. It is a sin against God
Smoking cigarettes is a sin against God because it dishonors His creation and damages it, as well as showing a disrespect for His gifts such as our lungs which He provided us. Smoking also harms other body parts like heart and arteries and may even lead to cancer, emphysema or high blood pressure – serious risks all Christians should avoid!
Cigarettes and cigars can cause great harm to others who do not smoke; their smoke irritates eyes, throats and lungs of nonsmokers; it has even been linked to blindness! People living near smokers also stand a higher chance of suffering heart attacks. Furthermore, smoke from smokers leaves an unpleasant stench on clothing as well as homes of nonsmokers.
Many teens begin smoking due to peer pressure from friends or friends’ beliefs; or perhaps they want to rebel and appear cool and different. The Bible cautions against idolatry – seeking the opinions of people rather than God as their source for guidance and strength.
Smoking is also a sin against God because it violates His Sixth Commandment: “Do not commit adultery or fornicate” (Exodus 20:14). While sexual temptation can arise at any age, falling into sexual sin will hinder spiritual growth and prevent one from becoming an effective witness for Christ; furthermore it could encourage people to remain enslaved to sinful behaviors.
4. It is a sin against others
Smokers do not only harm themselves; they harm others. Smokers expose those around them to secondhand smoke that can lead to serious cardiovascular disease and lung cancer – this violates the sixth commandment.
Furthermore, smoking damages both appearance and smell – two aspects which can have lasting impacts on one’s reputation. According to Leviticus 19:27 in the Bible, Christians must act in a clean and respectful manner towards all.
Further, smoking is a sin against oneself as it does not honor God. Your body belongs to Him and must be treated with reverence. Additionally, smoking wastes money that could otherwise go towards helping your family and neighbors instead.
Smoking is a sin against society as it creates an image problem for Christianity and can cause health issues in children, as well as violate the Ten Commandments – thus it should never be accepted or tolerated.
Even with these arguments in mind, quitting smoking can still be challenging. To help manage the difficulty, remember that God will forgive your efforts if you try your best and surround yourself with supportive people who can encourage and support you on this journey. Lastly, if you do make the mistake of smoking cigarettes again, make sure that you apologize to those around you and seek forgiveness from God for doing so. Good luck in breaking your sinful habit – may the Lord bless your efforts! David Treybig is an author, pastor, husband, father and grandfather living in Austin Texas and serving the Church of God Worldwide Association congregation there as pastor. Additionally, he has published several books related to Christian issues including “The New Testament Church of Christ: Principles and Practices”.
5. It is a sin against yourself
Smoking is an act against yourself that harms both physically and spiritually. Smoking causes breathing problems, skin irritations and premature aging – not to mention altering your appearance and leaving behind its scent in your clothes and hair. God gave you your body; therefore it’s essential that we take good care of it!
The Bible instructs us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37), and one way we can show this love is by taking good care of ourselves physically, as well as treating others kindly and compassionately – for instance by not smoking cigarettes which have negative impacts on other people and cost us millions; on average smokers spend over $2 Million over their lifetime on tobacco products which could otherwise go toward helping those less fortunate than ourselves! Moreover, smoking causes others to stumble and sin against God causing even further discord among Christians!
Unfortunately, many Christians appear unaware of the sinfulness of smoking as an act against themselves. Instead of respecting their conscience and abstaining from smoking despite knowing of its dangers, some defend their habit by stating other forms of sinful behaviour such as gluttony are also sinful; yet this argument falls apart since gluttony can also cause serious health complications similar to smoking can.
As a Christian, you should strive to give up smoking. Although it won’t be easy, God will reward those who make an effort. If you need assistance to quit smoking, don’t hesitate to seek counsel from a pastor or spiritual leader for support.