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It’s a question I’ve been asked more than once—especially since God moved our congregation into the heart of our city and we began walking closely with people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental illness.
It’s a fair question, but it’s not the one I think we should lead with.
Every week, I worship with people who were once unhoused, who are still unhoused, addicted, or written off by society, who now stand next to lifelong believers, lifting their voices in worship. Some still smoke. Some still struggle. But they’re seeking Jesus. And He’s changing them.
So when someone asks, “Is smoking a sin?” I understand the concern. But I also want to reframe the question: What does it look like to disciple someone who still smokes? Because that’s where the real conversation begins.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention smoking, vaping, or THC. That means we need to look to biblical principles to guide our thinking.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV), Paul writes, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?…Therefore honor God with your bodies.” This is a clear call to stewardship. Our bodies matter. How we treat them matters.
Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV), “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything.’” That’s where the issue of addiction comes into focus. If something is controlling us—whether it’s nicotine, alcohol, opioids, or anything else—it’s worth asking if we’re still walking in freedom.
Does a new believer (or a seasoned one, for that matter) seeing me smoke cause them to stumble? Then I should never do it in front of them again. The same is true for overeating, drinking, saying certain words. To riff off of Paul: if I destroy Christ’s work in someone else’s life by something that isn’t a sin to me but is to another, then I will not do that thing.
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