Basic HTML Version
ification - and ir cercainly does make
people feel good. Couldn'r che facr
rhar smoking somerimes seems co
make one feel good be irs one
redeeming factor? Life is hard enough
wirhour raking away che things
which give pleasure - or so goes che
argumenr, ac least.
Wben God creared man, He made
ir so char human beings mighc live
life ro che full, enjoying ir incensely
rhrough che vehide of che five senses.
The senses were creared nor only
to
be channels of incoming informarion
for che brain, buc also ro give man
pleasure which no orher crearure
could appreciare.
Buc God also creaced guiddines,
because man - being a free moral
agenc and noc a divinely guided robot
- would discover ways of titillaring
his senses which would do him more
harm than good - such as smoking.
These guidelines are revealed in che
pages of che book which so few
underscand - che Holy Bible. While
many modero harmful praccices are
nor mencioned specifically by name,
all are covered in principie.
For example, che Bible does noc
say, "Thou shalt nor smoke" - bur ir
does say in Exodus 20:17, "Thou
shalt nor covec." Now che word
"cover" is rarely used today. "Lusr"
would be much more widely under–
srood, so, in more modero English,
che command forbids "lusr." Lusr is
always based on selfisbness and che
principie of gerring rarher than of
giving, never on ourgoing concern
for ochers. Smoking fics che descrip–
cion of !use perfecdy. Those who
smoke are selfishly concerned abour
rhemselves - rheir own sense of plea–
sure - rarher chan che welfare of
orhers when rhey smoke. Ever been in
a smoke-filled room or a smoke-filled
plane when you wanced
to
breache
clean, fresh air?
A
Hazard W orse
Than Cancer
The physical evidence alone againsc
smoking is enough ro condernn che
habic. Because ir makes you sick,
12
smoking is a physical sin aga insr che
body, breaking che physical laws God
has sec in morion ro govern your
healrh. You may never have choughc
of smoking as a physical sin. Bur
consider che definicion of sin in che
Bible. "Sin is che trangression of che
law" - or according ro a more accu–
rare cranslacion of che original Greek
"che cransgression of law" (I John
3:4) - and chac includes che physical
laws regulacing healch.
Bur believe ir or noc, che healch
aspecc of smoking is che leasc of che
problem - and is noc really whac
makes che habit so urrerly dangerous
1
To smoke - and whar smoker
does not smoke habicually? - is ro
hazard breaking che 10th of che Ten
Commandmenrs. Thac's che one
againsc luscing. And chis in curn leads
ro breaking che commandment
againsc idolarry - an ido! is anyrhing
you puc before God. An ido! can be
material possessions, your family,
even cigarecre smoking.
In orher words, ro smoke is ro
hazard sinning spirirually as well as
physically.
Whar happens when you sin? Firsr
of all, you auromacicall y pur yourself
under che ultimare penalty of eterna)
dearh (Romans 6:23). But you
acrually hazard more chan chis -
because sin has irs effecc in che mind
now.
Each time you cake a pack of ciga–
recres from your pockec, cake one out,
lighc ic up and cake a deep breach,
you are reinforcing a wrong practice.
By encouraging and repeacing whar
you know
to
be wrong, by conrin–
uing in a corally selfish, destruccive,
debiliracing and obnoxious habit
predicaced on self-grarí ficacion ar che
expense of your healch and rhose
around you, you are drascically reduc–
ing your willpower ro do che right
rhings in che furure. Reinforcing che
wrong habit makes doing che righc
ching - or
not
sinning - chac much
more difficulc che next time.
This becomes painfully apparenr
when many people rry ro give up
smoking. They quir, rhen quit again,
and again and again.
All chis wouldn't maccer excepr for
che facr rhat sooner or larer all che
chings you do in your life will carch
up wirh you - and ir
does
marrer
how you have handled rhings. The
sum rotal of che way you have con–
ducred your lifc in all aspecrs is
recorded as your
character.
The qualicy of characrer God
requires - in order chac you may
fulfill che very purpose for which you
were born - means doing che righr
rhing according ro God's law, even
when you don'c parcicularly wanr ro.
Conrinuing
to
do che right thing,
obeying che Law of God, builds char–
accer.
The sin of smoking only accom–
plishes che opposire. le descroys che
characrer which is che decerminanc
factor as ro whether or nor God will
be able ro use you as He has planned.
Few people realize thac che God who
creared mankind has a purpose in
mind, which He is presendy carrying
out. Those individuals who develop
characcer by acruaiJy living che way
God reveals in che Bible will qualify
for a furure exisrence so fanrascic rhac
ir defies descriprion. Those who don'r
will perish! If you wish ro know
more abour chis possibiliry, wrice for
che free bookler
ltrhy IP"ere You Born?
The Only Solution
You may have heard rhat going off
of heroin can be an excruciacing phys–
ical experience. Early in che process,
which ofren cakes more rhan a week,
che addicr's eyes will water, his nose
will run and he will sweac profuscly.
A rhird of che way in ro his ordeal, he
will be cormenred by severe intestinal
cramps, diarrhea, vomiring and nerve
spasms. Goose bumps will cover bis
entire body, making his skin rescmble
thac of a plucked bird. Thus comes
che American cerm for giving up
heroin wirhout any aids: cold curkey.
Forcunarely, che smoker who quirs
has ro endure no such horrible wich–
drawal, alchough che psychological
craving can be quite incense.
There are many ways of quirring,
bur che individual who has become
PlAIN TRUTH September·October 1972