~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: Is it a sin for a pastor to smoke cigarettes and is it a sin to drink wine and alcohol? Will a person go to hell for drinking? The Bible has many scriptures concerning this and they often seem to contradict each other, could you help me out with this question?Answer: The Bible is clear, that a pastor is to set a 'godly' example to other Christians (1 Peter 5).
Yes, smoking cigarettes is sin, and so is drinking alcohol.
The Bible says:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:11-12).
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again (Proverbs 23:29-35).
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise (Proverbs 20:1).
These scripture prove that the use of cigarettes (which defile God's temple), and drunkards (those who use alcohol) is not God's will, thus we can say that they are sin.
God wants all Christians, especially pastors, to live holy (1Peter 1:16); and without this holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
I could give sobering statistics about the use of both alcohol and cigarettes and their deadly effects; but I think these scriptures will suffice in convincing the sincere seeker after God that these behaviors are not conducive to a Christian testimony.
May God bless you in your walk with him.
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