Question: Dear
Greg,
I
have a question regarding I John 5:16-17. I
am psychologically addicted to cigarettes.
After abstaining from them for 3 weeks, I gave in.
Now I understand what Jesus meant when he said that some things only come
through fasting and prayer. The
only way I can refrain from smoking is when God gives me a divine hatred for it.
I know when I fast that God will answer my prayer.
In the meantime, I have been feeling EXTREME guilt for being willfully
disobedient. About a week after I
began smoking again, I came across the above-mentioned passage.
I must admit that after reading it, I soon began to feel less guilty.
However, I sincerely hate what I’m doing and I look forward to my fast
during my summer break. My question
is, does smoking fall into this category of sin which doesn’t lead to
spiritual death? What is the
underlying meaning of this passage?
Thank
you for providing this service. I
find it very invaluable for my spiritual quandaries.
Angela
Answer:
Dear Angela,
Several
observations about your question:
1.
I John 5:16-17. The phrase
“not unto death” can be understood in several ways:
a.
Some think that John is referring to categories of sins, such as mortal
and venial sins that Catholics refer to.
b.
Others note that such an explanation of categorizing sin that leads to
spiritual death is pointless because only one sin is necessary to bring about
the death penalty (Romans 6:23). Since
all have sinned, this passage must be only talking about sins that lead to our
physical death – that have an immediate negative impact on our health.
An addiction to smoking would fit this view.
c.
Some believe that the distinction noted in this passage is the difference
between deliberate and unintentional sin.
d.
Others feel that John is talking about those who were leaving the
community of faith to follow after heresy.
In the immediate context of those John was addressing, this would have to
do with the denial of the deity of Jesus Christ.
Given the context of the book of I John this explanation would seem most
logical – with the sin unto death mentioned here being similar to that of
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12 and Luke 12).
The last explanation I offer seems to be the one most consistent with the
context and other passages in the Bible – without discounting the merit of
some of the other interpretations, especially “b”.
2.
Smoking. You say that you
are psychologically addicted to cigarettes.
Don’t you mean physiologically – the addiction being sensory rather
than emotional/mental)? You ask if
smoking is a sin that leads to spiritual death.
Many
of those who believe that it is correct to make a distinction between physical
and spiritual sin (and that question is a matter of debate) would agree that
smoking is not a spiritual sin. Assuming
it is correct to make such a distinction (another topic), whether smoking could
be solely classified as a physical sin is also another topic.
BUT – I am sure that you would agree the testimony and scientific data
about what smoking does to the human body is conclusive.
Smoking is not good for the human body.
Thus,
your goal of overcoming this addiction is a good one. You state that you know when you fast that God will answer
your prayers. Well, this is another
topic. God always answers our
prayers, whether we are fasting or not. He
answers them according to his will. There
are many people who have prayed to God asking for help in overcoming some
addiction, or for healing. The
answer they received was not an immediate “Yes, I will remove your problem, I
will remove your desire for that addiction and you will never feel tempted
again.”
In
fact, God doesn’t work that way the vast majority of the time.
The Christian walk is a matter of yielding to Jesus Christ who lives his
life within us. He will help us
overcome the challenges we face – but we must learn to yield to him.
Walking with God is not something that we do well right away – we
usually find out more about it as we journey through life (assuming we are
diligent and serious about our vocation of being a Christian).
Briefly,
I am only noting that you may not find that all desire for smoking leaves your
body after fasting and prayer. Research
has shown that chemical addictions remind our bodies of pleasures that can be
ours if we return to the addictive behavior – that that these little reminders
can “hide out” in our bodies for a long time.
That’s why alcoholics anonymous (AA) insists that those who are in
their program never even touch a drop of alcohol.
You
may profit from some kind of program that will help you kick the habit of
smoking. It may be something as
simple as one of the newly marketed nicotine patches, or it may be something
else. Your doctor would be a good
source for counsel and help. In any
case, we here at PTM applaud you and encourage you – and will pray for you –
for meeting this challenge head on and determining to overcome it, with
Christ’s help.
In
Christ,
Greg
Albrecht