{"id":13163,"date":"2022-03-13T14:54:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-13T18:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/?p=13163"},"modified":"2022-03-13T14:54:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-13T18:54:41","slug":"1-tim-44-does-the-bible-condone-drug-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/1-tim-44-does-the-bible-condone-drug-use\/","title":{"rendered":"1 Tim. 4:4 – Does the Bible condone drug use?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Problem:<\/strong> Advocates of drug use argue that \u201ceverything created by God is good\u201d and \u201cnothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude\u201d (1 Tim. 4:4; c.f. Gen. 1:29). Since God created marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms, advocates of drug use argue that it would be wrong to reject God\u2019s glorious creation.
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\nSolution:<\/strong> There are a number of problems with this interpretation:<\/p>\n

First, it doesn\u2019t fit the context. In context, Paul is arguing against those who forbid marriage and certain foods (v.3). He is not referring to those who forbid drug use! Moreover, Genesis 1:29 refers to before the Fall \u2013not after. Humans had free reign before the Fall with the exception of openly rebelling against God (Gen. 2:16-17). Therefore, this passage is also being ripped from its original context.<\/p>\n

Second, while God\u2019s creation is good, the use of his creation is not always good. For example, animals were created by God, and they are good. However, God didn\u2019t create animals with the intention that they would become sex objects (Ex. 22:19; Lev. 18:23; 20:15). Imagine if someone said, \u201cEverything created by God is good. Therefore, I\u2019m going to go have sex with that sheep over there\u2026\u201d This would be a misuse of God\u2019s good creation. In the same way, God created poison berries, poison ivy, crownvetch, nightshade, poinsettia, and hemlock. However, these should not be used for eating, but instead for some other purposes. Likewise, by smoking marijuana, we are misusing God\u2019s good creation \u2013not using it.<\/p>\n

Third, the Bible explicitly speaks about being sober-minded. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read, \u201cBe of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.\u201d The Greek word for \u201csober\u201d is n\u0113ph\u014d. Throughout the NT, this word is used in the context of being \u201calert and sober\u201d (1 Thess. 5:6), being \u201csober in all things\u201d (2 Tim. 4:5), and having \u201csound judgment and sober spirit\u201d (1 Pet. 4:7).<\/p>\n

Fourth, the Bible explicitly speaks about refraining from drunkenness. In Ephesians 5:18, we read, \u201cAnd\u00a0do not get drunk with wine,\u00a0for that is\u00a0dissipation, but be\u00a0filled with the Spirit.\u201d Elsewhere, Paul speaks in harsh terms about \u201cdrunkards\u201d (1 Cor. 5:11; 6:10). This strong language \u2013given in the context of church discipline \u2013alerts us to the fact that drunkenness is serious to God. While drinking alcohol is certainly permitted in the Bible (1 Tim. 5:23), drunkenness is not. While it is possible to have a drink without getting drunk, it is impossible to use marijuana or mushrooms without getting high. While alcohol is a depressant, marijuana is a psychoactive drug (i.e. a psychedelic drug) and mushrooms are hallucinogenic. While marijuana use is not explicitly named in the Bible, neither is crack cocaine use. However, this would still fall under the biblical imperative of being sober.<\/p>\n

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“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: (1st Tim 4:4)”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Problem: Advocates of drug use argue that \u201ceverything created by God is good\u201d and \u201cnothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude\u201d (1 Tim. 4:4; c.f. Gen. 1:29). Since God created marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms, advocates of drug use argue that it would be wrong to reject God\u2019s glorious creation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,8,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-errors","category-bible-study","category-bible-teaching","no-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathway2truth.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}