Is my soul in jeopardy if I don’t address the issue of a known smoker that attends the church where I attend?\u00a0\u00a0He was baptized years ago and partakes of the Lord’s Supper. By not addressing the issue with him, am I now out of Christ?\u00a0 Also, if a preacher baptizes a known smoker who comes forward during church to be baptized, is that putting the preacher’s soul in jeopardy?<\/p>\n
Thanks.<\/p>\n\t
Smoking is a difficult question for Christians to address because, for so many years in the past, people didn’t know the harm that came from smoking. As time passed, we’ve learned much about the damage smoking causes on the person and those around them. Arguments against smoking focus on the harm, the lack of benefit, and the expense.<\/p>\n
I have known a number of Christians addicted to smoking. About the only thing I can say is that at least tobacco doesn’t warp a person’s thinking like so many other drugs. I feel sorry for these people. Just as I feel sorry for a person who doesn’t manage his money well or who yells far too much at his children.<\/p>\n
I teach against it. I do sermons on the subject. I warn young people that it is very hard to stop once you start, that it will cause harm, that it is a waste of money. I tell people caught up in the habit that they ought to stop. Yet, I recognize that ultimately it is going to be between that person and God to discuss on Judgment day. I believe they will be far better off quitting the habit, but whether it will keep them out of heaven isn’t something I can say with absolute certainty.<\/p>\n
So why don’t you talk to the person you know, just to make sure he understands the problems with tobacco use? Perhaps ask if there is something you might do to help. And definitely encourage him to quit. In other words, stop worrying about your position with God and start being concerned over the safety of a brother in Christ.<\/p>\n
When teaching a person about Christianity, I make sure I cover verses dealing with not causing harm to yourself and about addiction. While I will tell an active drug user they need to stop using before they can say they are turning their life over to God, much of it is because I know the drugs are messing with their minds. A Christian needs to be sober-minded. With a smoker, I warn them of the dangers, but I don’t feel I’m in the position to refuse since they know what they are doing. I’ll keep pushing them toward a better position in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is my soul in jeopardy if I don’t address the issue of a known smoker that attends the church where I attend?\u00a0\u00a0He was baptized years ago and partakes of the Lord’s Supper. By not addressing the issue with him, am I now out of Christ?\u00a0 Also, if a preacher baptizes a known smoker who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1598,420],"class_list":["post-20553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-rebukes","tag-smoking"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1659,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-wrong-with-smoking\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":0},"title":"What is wrong with smoking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is wrong with smoking? Answer: Perhaps I should turn the question around and ask \"What is right about smoking?\" After all, it is an expensive habit that is known to cause damage to the body of the smoker. So what benefit does smoking give that should cause a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59837,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/still-smoking\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":1},"title":"Still Smoking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dan S. Shipley As a former smoker, I know how easy it is to ignore messages from the news media and the pulpit that discourage smoking. It is difficult for most of us to be objective in considering that which condemns what we want to practice. As someone as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/smoking.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16902,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-cigar-smoking-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":2},"title":"Is cigar smoking wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I saw\u00a0your articles on smoking. I have always believed heavy smoking is bad when it is something done constantly. Actually I hate cigarettes and the only time I do smoke is about three times a year. I have a cigar with one of my best friends as we sit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10930,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/help-in-overcoming-smoking\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":3},"title":"Help in overcoming smoking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 4, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Pray that God would continue to help me battle smoking.\u00a0 I go days without it, thinking I am finally free,\u00a0and then bam I fall flat on my face.\u00a0 I cannot tell you how hard this addiction has been! Answer: All addictions are difficult, including smoking. But unless you strive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53950,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-attend-events-where-people-might-be-drinking-or-smoking\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":4},"title":"Is it wrong to attend events where people might be drinking or smoking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have had some best friends since my school days, years ago. I am the only person among them who is baptized. We all meet twice a year and during that meeting they all drink and smoke. I don't drink or smoke since I was baptized. They are all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17508,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-pastor-smokes-and-teaches-falsely-and-i-dont-know-what-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":20553,"position":5},"title":"My pastor smokes and teaches falsely, and I don’t know what to do","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 22, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you think a pastor's smoking is a sin? My pastor smokes and I went to him in love; sharing with him that his smoking hurts his testimony as a believer. He preaches on bondage yet he smokes a pack or more a day. He has preached many things\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}