Hey,
Thanks. Great question. So...marijuana, reefer, mary jane....I guess that you're into the wacky tabaccy :) I'm sorry I had to take a moment to make some cliche jokes. Anyways, is it in the bible anywhere. Well, I've not found a verse that says anything about marijuana. However, Genesis 1:29 says:
Gen. 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
But before we start making pot brownies for lunch lets look at what else God says...for the Word of God is not to be read in isolation, it must be read in light of the full revelation of Scripture. It's like a living organism. To pull verses out of context and to isolate them can be a dangerous thing....and many times you can use the Bible to say what you want it to say rather than asking the Lord what He is saying through His inspired word.
Rom. 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Rom. 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
The main issue that you need to think about is what you mentioned....besides being "illegal" Well, that's a big one. Based on the verse above, you really don't wanna overlook the "illegal" piece. Your question seems to be trying to ignore that fact. I'm sure that there is nothing actually inherently evil in the plant but its what you do with it. It's like saying...besides it being illegal for me to drive drunk....what is wrong with me driving drunk. Well, i think that its illegal for a reason. God has placed laws over us. We may not agree with every law but there will be consequences to not obeying. I want to STRONGLY encourage you to take the law seriously. The disciples weren't potheads for a reason. They also weren't drunkards, or adulterers. They thought about being such but they took their desires to the cross and let Jesus be KING. They listed to him, they practiced self control, and they sought to glorify Him, though they didn't do it perfectly, in all that they did. So should you.
Rom. 6:15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Rom. 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,* you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Rom. 6:17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
Rom. 6:18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Rom. 6:19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
So, for some reason, our governmental leaders and authorities, who God has appointed, have said that some drugs are illegal and others are not. Marijuana is one of them. I think its a pretty clear that you should stay away from it. And if you don't, I'm sure that there will be some consequences. We can talk about the plant all day long but it won't get us anywhere...cause it's still illegal.
So, my recommendation is that you try to see your obedience to the governing authorities as an opportunity to serve the Lord.
Don't be too mad at me :)
Derrick Harris
2 comments:
If God wanted weed to be illegal why is it that it is still legal in some states and in other countries?
Hi,
Thanks for your reply. To begin, I think that the way the question is phrased is unintentionally making assumptions about God. "If God wanted weed to be illegal...." Insert any word where "weed" is and it is still making a judgment call that a human really can't make.
Since God has not told us what he thinks about weed, speeding, bubble gum, tennis...(I hope you get the point) then its best to look at what the bible does say about the subject. In the case of weed, I think its best that we look at what Scripture says about authority, government, and rulemakers.
Below are a few verses regarding the topic.
Rom. 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
Rom. 13:7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Matt. 22:21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Rom. 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
It is clear that governments, rules, and leaders are not an accident. But as Christians, we are called to obey them. That means that if weed is illegal in the USA and you are a Christian in the USA, then you must abide by the law. Of course, if you decide to disobey, there could be consequences, which would be justified by the government.
Being that we don't live in a country where weed is legal, it doesn't really do us much good to debate the issue in my opinion.
However, Scripture does not call Christians to blindly obey the government (Acts 5:27, Rom 13:2)
Laws that prohibit the smoking of weed obviously do not call us to do anything unscriptural...therefore, they should be obeyed.
You're welcome to disagree with me, but if you plan on making a practice of smoking weed illegally, as a Christian in the USA, I want to advise you to stop.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Derrick Harris
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