Can A Christian become 'addicted" to Things like Porn/drugs/alcohol?

[righteousdude2]

I read your testimony and it moved me to tears. Thank you for it. I think you must have returned here because I clicked Friendly on it this morning

When I think of the filth and depth of my sin, I am still brought to tears by knowing the while I turned my back on Him, He did leave the 99 to search me out and bring me back home. Believe me, I never forgot the night I finally realized the magnitude and depth of His love, and His willingness to.put over my shoulders the royal robe; kill the fatted cow; and hold a feast, because Paul Zimmer,who was reckless and lost in sin, had returned homd. But, the emotional breaking point wasn't just His robe over my dirty garments, or a welcome homs feast, it was placing the brass ring on my finger, signifying I was still, without a doubt, His child.

 

[HankD]

IMHO, the Answer is a Clear and Resounding, Yes!
...
Shalom,

Pastor Paul :type:

A prodigal son indeed.

HankD

 

[HankD]

Can A Christian become 'addicted" to Things like Porn/drugs/alcohol?

YES!

HankD

 

[Yeshua1]

I believe "addiction" doesn't take away responsibility. It absolutely starts as a choice and continues as a choice but the chose to stop is much harder once you're addicted than in the beginning. But people all around the world have broken their addictions and it's the same for anything and anyone: STOP IT!! But the desire needs to be there first.

Blast from the past!
Yes, we can entertain sin, and allow Satan to gain a foothold, and later on a stronghold....

 

[just-want-peace]

I believe "addiction" doesn't take away responsibility. It absolutely starts as a choice and continues as a choice but the chose to stop is much harder once you're addicted than in the beginning. But people all around the world have broken their addictions and it's the same for anything and anyone: STOP IT!! But the desire needs to be there first.

Psalm 1:1

 

[righteousdude2]

It seems to me that some people assume a Christian is strong in faith, life is going good, and then boom!! They're addicted to something. That's why they say "oh no a Christian can't do anything like that!".

But addictions don't start out as addictions. They start out with a look, a taste, and then gradually you're hooked. Sometimes it happens out of carelessness because we have drifted away from the Lord into things we shouldn't be involved in. Other times it may be because of tragedy which leads to deep depression. We may have been abandoned by someone, lost a child or loved one, or have physical pain that the strongest drug won't ease. However it happens, we shouldn't be so quick to judge that if a person is addicted to something, it's because they aren't a Christian. But I believe that God will bring the Christian out of addiction just as Jesus told of leaving the 99 sheep to go after the one.

Just my 2 cents.

I think the link, below, a quote from Ravi Zacharias is pertinent to this topic. Open the link, and let me know what you think of Ravi's prophetic view of sin, and its progression.

Narrow Path Resources

 

[Reynolds]

Shouldn't christians stop using the world's excuses? Addictions develop as a result of sin. It starts as a choice.

Not all addictions result as a choice to sin. I was addicted to medication that I had to take. When the condition improved, I got off it, but it was Hell. The Dr. Was willing to keep me on it indefinitely. He actually encouraged it.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

I had a pastor and the dean of my Bible college both tell me that, "There is no sin that an unsaved person commits that a saved person cannot commit."

I agree. I don't think we should be surprised when a Christian sins. I think we should be amazed by God's grace when a Christian doesn't sin.

The good news, though, in the words of the late, great Adrian Rogers, is that we cannot outsin Christ's ability to save.



When we allow ourselves to be fooled into believing that we are above sin to the point that we CANNOT sin or cannot commit certain sins, then pride takes over and we WILL more than likely commit the sin or sins that we think we cannot commit.

We still have our sin nature; that isn't taken away until we're called home. However, we have no excuse for continuing to live in sin and using the excuse that "I'm just human." If we are born again, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We can call on Him for the grace to bare and resist any sin. If we try to rely on our own strength, we will find it greatly lacking. The grace of God is unlimited, as everything about God is.[/QUOTE]

Or are 'real christians" immune to such things now?

 

[OnlyaSinner]

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12

YES, if you are putting boundries and guards in your life. Yes you can become "addicted"

Beat me to it, one of my favorite verses. It tells me that I'm capable of every kind of sin, except for the final rejection of Christ that leads to the lake of fire. That sin was eternally averted when He saved me. God is so good; the very next verse promises that we will never be unduly tempted, and that God will always provide an "escape" from yielding to temptation, but we need to trust Him fully to access that escape.

 

[HeDied4U]

I believe "addiction" doesn't take away responsibility. It absolutely starts as a choice and continues as a choice but the chose to stop is much harder once you're addicted than in the beginning. But people all around the world have broken their addictions and it's the same for anything and anyone: STOP IT!! But the desire needs to be there first.

That's some good truth right there.

 

[JonC]

I believe that Christians can be addicted to many things, and they can backslide to the point that we cannot discern Christ in their lives yet without them ceasing to be a child of God. I believe that the role of the Church is to treat such people (people, whether Christian or not we cannot truly know) in accordance with the fruit of their lives (the church is not to condone sin).

 

[Yeshua1]

I believe that Christians can be addicted to many things, and they can backslide to the point that we cannot discern Christ in their lives yet without them ceasing to be a child of God. I believe that the role of the Church is to treat such people (people, whether Christian or not we cannot truly know) in accordance with the fruit of their lives (the church is not to condone sin).

Would be really bad though to get to place where we would turn that person over to Satan so to speak!

 

[JonC]

Would be really bad though to get to place where we would turn that person over to Satan so to speak!

It would, but even then this is done in love with the hope of reconciliation. I hate to say it, but it also probably needs to be done more often. I don't think as a whole we are very good at church discipline (which is essential to discipleship).

 

[Yeshua1]

It would, but even then this is done in love with the hope of reconciliation. I hate to say it, but it also probably needs to be done more often. I don't think as a whole we are very good at church discipline (which is essential to discipleship).

It is hard to do discipline when so much of the current theology of the church is so messed up and accommodating to culture today!

 

[JonC]

It is hard to do discipline when so much of the current theology of the church is so messed up and accommodating to culture today!

And people will just find another church that suits them.

 

[Iconoclast]

Romans 6:1,2.....has a different answer.....God Forbid.

 

[Reynolds]

And people will just find another church that suits them.

The wind blows the chaff away. Sounds like a good thing to me.

 

[Lukasaurus]

Romans 6:1,2.....has a different answer.....God Forbid.

The question is not "can we" as in, is it allowed, but "is it possible".

 

[Lukasaurus]

The question is not "can we" as in, is it allowed, but "is it possible".

And for some reason I can't edit my post, but I meant to say - yes it is possible. About 50-70% (depending on what studies you look at) of professing Christian men, struggle with sexual immorality. Not all 70% of them are probably actually saved, but yes, it is possible for a Christian to struggle with porn.

Should a Christian struggle with it? No.
Is it okay? No.

Should we keep sinning so that grace abounds? No.
If we sin, does grace abound? Yes.

The last two is about a heart attitude. Even in my worst times of giving in to sin, when I was doing it and ignoring the conviction, I still knew it was wrong and never once did I think "this is a good thing, I have so much grace, I'll keep sinning to get more". However, when I did sin, there was grace, it helped me get back up, repent, turn to God, seek him.

It seems to me that this forum is a little afraid of being open about the struggle with sexual sin. I've brought mine to the light, because it thrived in the darkness. I'm not saying everyone here is struggling, but in my search and reading back through posts, there doesn't seem to be a lot of encouragement or help for people that have opened up.

I'd like to be proven wrong on that observation

 

[Yeshua1]

And for some reason I can't edit my post, but I meant to say - yes it is possible. About 50-70% (depending on what studies you look at) of professing Christian men, struggle with sexual immorality. Not all 70% of them are probably actually saved, but yes, it is possible for a Christian to struggle with porn.

Should a Christian struggle with it? No.
Is it okay? No.

Should we keep sinning so that grace abounds? No.
If we sin, does grace abound? Yes.

The last two is about a heart attitude. Even in my worst times of giving in to sin, when I was doing it and ignoring the conviction, I still knew it was wrong and never once did I think "this is a good thing, I have so much grace, I'll keep sinning to get more". However, when I did sin, there was grace, it helped me get back up, repent, turn to God, seek him.

It seems to me that this forum is a little afraid of being open about the struggle with sexual sin. I've brought mine to the light, because it thrived in the darkness. I'm not saying everyone here is struggling, but in my search and reading back through posts, there doesn't seem to be a lot of encouragement or help for people that have opened up.

I'd like to be proven wrong on that observation

I think that we would be surprised onhow many Christian men have struggled, and still ahve issues, with sexual sinning, as it is much easier to do that on the internet, than to actually go out on wife and have the affair.....