Is it ok for Christians to smoke?
What the Bible says (and doesn't say) about smoking
The first thing to acknowledge when talking about smoking, is that the Bible doesn’t directly talk it.
So there’s no verse in the Bible that says “you should not smoke". However, here's a few things to keep in mind when it comes to smoking and smokers.
In most countries, you're not allowed to buy and smoke cigarettes until you're 18. Given that the Bible makes it clear that Christians are to obey their local laws (Romans 13:1), the first thing we can say is that if you are a Christian under the age of 18, you shouldn't be smoking.
Many Christians are uneasy about smoking because it is addictive. As a result, they believe it conflicts with the apostle Paul’s aim not to “be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Another thing to keep in mind is that following Jesus involves giving your whole life to him and to the gospel (Mark 8:34-35). That means that Christians want to do everything they can to help people to know Jesus and to obtain eternal life by believing in him (see John 3:16).
Many feel that smoking would restrict their service of Jesus and the gospel, because it is likely to reduce the lifetime available for “fruitful labour” (see Philippians 1:22-25), or the money they are able to contribute to helping people learn about Jesus.
It might also cause offense to others (see 1 Corinthians 10:32-33), or be considered antisocial, and so some Christians don’t smoke for that reason.
However, we must also keep in mind that God loves all people, and as Christians we are called to love all people and not be judgemental.
So, whether you smoke or not, all of us must love smokers as much as we love non-smokers, and welcome them into our churches like anyone else.
Part of this article is from a Q&A. Thanks to christianity.net.au
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