Is Addiction a Sin?
Sometime soon after Rene Descartes penned the thought “I think, therefor I am.”, science and the church have had a friendly agreement in where science gets all the physical stuff regarding man, and the church has dominion over the mind and thoughts. This coincided with Jesus’ admonition in the Sermon on the Mount that our thoughts were just as much a sin as our actions. It allowed science to take over the investigation of the human without the church offering theological input.
This all worked out well until the 20th century, when science turned its attention to the goings on in “the black box”. The brain had eluded investigation until then, but rapid advances in technology have allowed more than a peek inside. This pathway dissolved the previous thought of thought and body being separate. The brain tissue and the mind are inseparable. While mysteries remain, we now have a much better understanding as to the fascinating goings-on inside our head. Specifically, we have come to understand addiction as having a physical component that compels one to keep using even when it is clearly not in their best interest, and even when it is destroying them and everything they love. Since the early 1900s we have classified addiction as a disease.
So, it’s not a sin, right?
Case closed, and I’m NOT responsible for it! I knew it!
Well, not so fast. An argument could be made that addiction is perhaps the most complicated of all the diseases. In an attempt to explain it and offer meaningful treatment, it has needed to be categorized as a “bio/psycho/social/spiritual” disease. Just reading that should give you some insight that addiction is not going down without a fight.
But is it a sin?
Let’s start that debate with an understanding of the word “Sin”. In the Judeo-Christian 21st century, it is most used to express going against God’s laws. The origin and exact definition are a bit complicated, but one common source of the word is from the Hebrew and Greek of the time, in which an arrow that “missed its mark” was said to have sinned. While agreeing that there are many ways to use the word, let’s agree for this blog entry that it stands for falling short of God’s ideal, or missing His bull’s-eye for our lives. So, when we intend to do something, but fall short of our ideal, we have sinned.
Repeated use of a chemical or a behavior to soothe discomfort in our day-to-day existence, obviously falls short of God’s desire for us. When we reach for the bottle, or click on the website instead of connecting with our Father through prayer and reading the Word, we have definitely missed the mark. He wishes us to look to Him for comforting and peace, not some outside worldly object.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Not, ‘you might have troubles’ Jesus promised we would continue to have troubles despite knowing Him. When we look to chemicals or other behaviors to calm our fears and anxiety, we fall short, and yes, we sin. Bottom line is, we need to gather up our quiver and bow and work on our aim. When we look to our Father for comfort in our worry and depression, we hit the bull’s eye.
Peace,
Don
