How should Christians view Marijuana?
Q: How should Christians think and view Marijuana? And will using it keep me from going to Heaven?
A: This is an important topic today because many States in USA have legalized it, though it is still a Federal crime.
You might also be wondering because of these verses and your concern that if you live like the world your fate is as theirs.
Galatians 5:21
Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, "and things like these". I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
1 Corinthians 6:10
Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one
While there is Christian liberty, if you are saved you would be walking godly and not gravitating to what those in the world do. It is connected with pagan worship(1), it causes you to be drunk in the way Scripture tells you to avoid getting drunk because by it you are led by the flesh, not the spirit and not soberminded.
Ephesians 5:18
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (6)
Romans 13:13
Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
Galatians 5:21
envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Luke 21:34
“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with debauchery and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple
1 Corinthians 6:12
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up
While we have liberty it is not to dive into wicked behavior as we lived in before coming to Christ. Those saved love righteousness not sin.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such WERE some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God
Romans 6:1-6
(Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ)
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin
Scripture goes on to tell us--
2 Timothy 4:5
As for you, always be sober-minded
Ephesians 5:17-18
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Two elements are being compared: alcohol and the Holy Spirit. Each has the power to take control of a person’s mind and behavior—with vastly different results. Getting drunk leads to a loss of self-control; being filled with the Spirit leads to more self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
When we choose to ingest mind-altering substances, we are effectively choosing to give ourselves over to the control of something other than the Holy Spirit. Anything that takes control of our mind, will, and emotions is a false god. Any master we obey other than the Lord is an idol, and idolatry is sin (1 Corinthians 10:14).
When we get drunk with alcohol or high on drugs, we are serving a master other than the Lord. Choosing to follow Jesus means choosing against our old sinful patterns and lifestyle. We cannot follow Jesus and also follow drunkenness, immorality, or worldly thinking (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:1–6). They are going in opposite directions.
When we choose to be defined by our sin, we cannot also be a Christ-follower (Galatians 5:19–21). When we choose drunkenness in spite of God’s command against it, we are choosing disobedience and cannot, in that state, be in fellowship with a holy God who condemns it (Luke 14:26–27; Matthew 10:37–38).(2)
When someone moves from being sober to being drunk, we see three steps: choice, control, and change.
Choice
A person makes a choice to consume alcohol. And as he does, he gives control of his life to the influence of the alcohol. Consequently, he is changed in his behavior, his speech, even his thoughts—which Paul tells us is debauchery, or immoral self-indulgence.
Spirit Filled
Paul makes a turn in the second half of verse 18: “but be filled with the Spirit.”
Why would he make this kind of comparison if not to help us understand how a believer can walk in the power of God’s Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit indwells us from the moment we are saved by the redeeming work of Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection.
A Christian makes a choice to follow the Holy Spirit. When she makes that choice, she submits control of her life to his direction, power, and authority. And as a result, her life is changed to the glory of God.
So instead of the works of the flesh coming to fruition in her life because of immoral self-indulgence (Gal. 5:19–21), we see a life characterized by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).
Changed
Paul wrote similarly to the Galatians: “Walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16; 5:25). It’s a command given to the church as both an initial instruction and concluding exhortation, highlighting the practicality of a Spirit-filled life amid the repeating encouragements.
The Spirit-filled life is a life yielded to the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit glorifies Jesus in our lives and produces in us the kind of fruit that points to him and his goodness. It’s the Spirit’s job to generate his fruit in our lives, and when we make the choice to submit and yield control to him, we are truly changed.(3)
Anything that alters the mind and cause the inability to be able to stay vigilant and completely aware of things that go on whether it be physically or spiritually, you should stay away from. We cannot walk in the Righteous Spirit and be guided by the Holy Spirit if we are inebriated.
St. Augustine of Hippo stated Drunkenness does three things: it overthrows the mind, gives one a “high” (literally, “snatches the mind upward”), and makes one forgetful.
We can add that it also causes you to be susceptible to temptations and sin, but also puts you in a situation where you can be a victim of robbery, rape, kidnapping, brawling and other problems. Drug usage can also lead you to prostitution to pay for the next high or lifestyle of it.
Drinking and drugs can lead to sinful behavior because it lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment. It leads to bad decisions, sinful decisions, and can lead to problems for the individual and those around them. Those drunk rarely behave in a manner that is edifying to themselves and honoring to God.
Christians are called to be filled with the Spirit and guided by God, rather than by substances made by man.
[As noted] Paul wrote, “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Alcohol may not be barred to the believer, but it may not be beneficial to their walk with the Lord. If there is a possibility of being enslaved to alcohol, it is best to avoid it.(4)
The Bible warns us that “heroes at drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink” reject “the law of the Lord of hosts“. This angers God because Jesus died to give us His resurrected life through His Holy Spirit and cleanse our bodies from sin. We are called to be His consecrated temples. We can, however, ruin this temple with just one or two sessions of binge drinking.
Isaiah 5:22,24-25 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink… for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets…
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (5)
Alcohol and drugs also damage our body so we are affected spiritually, physically and mentally. These substances destroy human lives slowly or quickly. And entire families.
1 Peter 4:3 For the time that is past for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
Believers should have nothing to do with the ways of the world.
What does drinking moderation look like?
Well it depends on your tolerance. It would be somewhere between one sip and one portion of a glass.
*At the initial toast at a Wedding reception.
*At an Anniversary meal (where you are driven to and from the location by a driving service).
*To celebrate the New Year, you could clink and enjoy a small glass.
It excludes places where people drink and drink, or gather to drink and party (like pagans).
Is there any moderation with Marijuana? No because it is a drug and it alters the mind.
Further deeper look at the drugs, marijuana, vaping and alcohol topic
Related Resources
Footnotes:
(1) In 1 Cor 10, Paul absolutely rejected attendance at an idol's Temple, no matter what personal or social reason might be given. This is because pagan nations worshipped false gods at their temples >>which btw the worship included getting high on drugs and having orgies. This is a reason you see the NT warning believers not to get involved in such things and in general warns against following the pagan culture around them. It applies to us today too both because we do not live in sin, are not to be idolators and adulterers straying from God and the godly path, but also because we believers are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully that 👆is an eye opening revelation for you. So yes drugs like smoking weed or ingesting marijuana or other narcotics are to be totally avoided by the Christian. It also opens you up to be a victim of evil people but also of Satan who can use you being under its influence to entice you away into further sins and also addiction which destroys your life. "He came to steal, destroy and kill" (remember), and being evil he and the demons "prowls around" looking for opportunities to do so. We cannot give him a foot in the door of our life to do so.
News article just today 😱:
Ephesians 5:7-9
So have nothing to do with them. In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth
2 Thessalonians 3:14
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and stay away from him
(2) from GotQuestions
(3) old TGC article
(4) https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-the-bible-really-say-about-drunkenness.html
(5) from https://web.archive.org/web/20240201015503/https://teachinghumblehearts.com/en/drunkenness-opposes-holy-spirit
*Their article goes in depth on the problem.
*I do not know who runs that site nor their beliefs so stay away from them except this article
Related:
Looking at Eph 5:18 and understanding the contrast between life of pagans and Christ followers
Spurgeon on being filled with the Spirit (and problems with drink)
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