The drive behind all life dominating sin/addiction begins with the desires of the heart.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Romans 7:18-19
The footnote on the Touchpoint Bible says this: "All addictions begin in the same way; a person decides to dabble in something. That initial experience creates a desire for more, which iver time leads to a sense of powerlessness before the substance or behavior. Sin operates much in the same way. It attacks the will and the soul. Sin is truly our deepest problem and obviously the key to all life dominating sins or addictions."
Scripture is our weapon and our guide to understand and conquer sin. That's not exactly a revolutionary statement, is it? Why do we try and make it so complicated? Why do Christians choose to believe the disease model over the Word of God? Why do Christians prefer to think they have a life-long illness they will never recover from and find that preferable to admitting they have a sin problem? The prideful heart of man...it bows so hard!
Yes, I do believe disease can result from intaking certain substances. Over time and with overuse, drinking alcohol can produce a physical dependency. Using heroin or crystal meth will produce a physical dependency. There is no denying that. But not every case produces addiction, and not every "addict" is physically dependent. And most addictions are not true diseases.
Now, you may be quite upset with me by this point. However, you cannot deny that the true definition of "illness" or "disease" as understood by science does not jive with what the psychological pseudoscience people promote.
Science says that in order for something to be considered a true illness or disease, there must be
"objective, measurable, reproducible testing. To qualify as an illness there must be tissue damage, and be demonstrated by abnormal function. It is a provable, knowable fact based on objective testing." (Dr. Bob Smith, M.D. The Biblical Counselors Medical Desk Reference)
When we look at the modern day diagnosis in the clear majority of the cases as compared to this definition, it does not fit. Science is unable to prove the medical model theories for addictions. It is a wild debate with good research being done on both sides of the issue. There is also a whole lot of junk research being done by people with a clear agenda.
What we know, is that the Bible has been addressing drunkenness since Noah left the ark, and maybe before that! I suppose it may be a part of what caused God to flood the earth in the first place.
Continued...Labels: Addiction