This article is part 2 of the “How to Walk in Freedom” series. The full series can be found here.
To watch a video of this article being ready by me on a YouTube video, click here.
In the previous article, we began discussing what it actually means to have freedom in Christ. In short, we defined it as freedom from self and sin in order to serve others in the service of Jesus Christ. As well, we honed in on the fact that freedom from sin means loving our neighbor as ourselves — as commanded by Jesus and the Law.
In this article, we will discuss how freedom from sin relates to addiction.
THE ISSUE IS BIGGER THAN ADDICTION
Sometimes, especially for those of us who’ve struggled with addiction, we tend to think of freedom from sin mainly in terms of being free from harmful addictions, such as pornography addiction, drug addiction, gambling addiction, etc. However, we need to understand that those addictions are merely symptoms of the true bondage we’re experiencing — bondage to a self-serving way of living.
As an example, if I watch pornography, I’m placing my fleshly desires above my wife’s needs. I’m using what was intended for her to serve only myself. Even if I’m not married yet, I’m still doing damage to my future wife and devaluing her needs by warping my own sexual desires, which will affect how I view her when that time comes. Moreover, if I watch pornography, I’m showing no care for all those who are harmed by the porn industry. Instead, I’m placing myself first. That is not Christianity. That is not Christ-like. That is the fruit of the sin-dominated, self-serving flesh of fallen mankind.
We could go through each major addiction, but let’s just briefly talk about one more — smoking addiction. “How is smoking self-serving?”, you might ask. Well, if I use my finances to buy cigarettes, who am I serving with my finances? The answer isn’t God. Nor is it others. It’s self. As well, if I expose others to second-hand smoke, I am not loving my neighbor as myself. Smoking does no good for anyone else and sometimes does harm. Smoking accomplishes nothing but gratifying the desires of the flesh. It is a fleshly, self-serving habit that fails to offer to Christ what is rightfully His:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
“What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
If any of you are smokers, you might feel like I’m picking on you, but all of these same principles could be applied to any number of issues, including the things I struggle with.
In addition to questions of how we use our bodies or spend our money, there’s also the issue of whether our time is spent in service of self or service of others. Every minute, hour, day, and week we spend gratifying our own fleshly desires is time when we are doing nothing to serve others in the service of Christ.
None of this is to say it’s always inherently wrong to spend some time relaxing or to occasionally buy something we don’t really need — although the truth is that most of us probably spend way too much time and money on self-centered activities. With addiction, these things aren’t usually just small expenses or occasional activities. Substance abuse is extremely expensive. Those who watch pornography are usually wasting hours and hours of time that could be spent serving others. But aside from all that, the things I’m talking about are inherently harmful to self and others. Love does no harm to others:
“Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10
CONDEMNATION IS NOT THE GOAL HERE
Before we continue, let me be very clear, I’m not writing any of this to condemn you. My aim is for you to be free from these outgrowths of the self-seeking life and free from the condemnation that comes with them. As well, I’m well aware that I have not vanquished self-seeking from my own life. I need to experience growth as much as anyone else! I’m just here to share some of the things I’ve learned on my own journey.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, back to our discussion.
FREEDOM FROM ADDICTION ISN’T ENOUGH
It is quite possible that I could be free from all the major addictions people think of — sexual immorality, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. — and still be living in complete bondage to s
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