My View as a Christian on Recreational Marijuana

The Missouri ballot in November to legalize recreational marijuana. This caused me to begin thinking about how I, as a Christian, should vote on such an amendment, and additionally what my view as a Christian should be on recreational marijuana use, based upon what Scripture says.

You may be convinced differently on this subject as a Christian than I am, but this is where I fall based upon how I read and apply Scripture to my life.

Now to start off, there is nowhere in Scripture that prohibits or allows the use of marijuana, but I think there is a principle that can be applied from Scripture to help sort through the subject at hand. The principle being that if something stops us from obeying Scripture, then we should rid it from our lives.

So the question that I am answering is “does recreational marijuana use keep us from obeying Scripture?” If it does, then as Christians, we should abstain from it.

Before I get into the subject, I want to state what this article is, and is not, about.

This is an article solely aimed at Christians on the view of recreational marijuana use; this is not attempting to make an argument about recreational marijuana use for unbelievers. Actually, this argument will make no sense to unbelievers, but rather only make sense to Christians.

This article is not about using marijuana for legitimate medical purposes–that is a different discussion.

I am writing about my conviction as a Christian on the recreational use of marijuana and how that conviction, based upon Scripture, informs my voting on the proposed amendment.

My Stance

From my above stated principle that “if something keeps me from obeying Scripture, I then need to abstain from or rid my life of it”, I am convinced that the use of recreational marijuana makes it impossible to obey the commands found in Deuteronomy 6:5, Genesis 1:28, and Matthew 28:18-20. So, as with all things, if it prohibits us as Christians from following God’s commands, we should then eliminate it from our lives.

Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV)

God commands us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. In fact, according to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-38, it is the greatest commandment. Knowing that, and knowing the effect marijuana has upon the mind when using it, marijuana would keep a Christian from loving the Lord with all their mind, since it alters the mind.

Since marijuana alters the mind to where you are not yourself, it would then be impossible to obey Deuteronomy 6:5. The primary reason for wanting to use marijuana recreationally would be to alter the mind. Therefore, because of the effect marijuana has on the mind, it would inhibit a Christian from loving God fully, which falls into my above principle.

Genesis 1:28 & Matthew 28:18-20

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28 ESV)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20 ESV)

God also commands Christians to take dominion of the earth in Genesis 1:28 and to make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:18-20. Both commands require a person to live on mission, and to be diligent in all things that they do for the glory of God, since those tasks are not something that can be taken lightly.

However, an effect of marijuana is laziness, which in light of Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 28:18-20, makes me wonder how could a substance that promotes laziness advance the Kingdom of God and allow for the obedience of the above two texts?

We as Christians are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations and take dominion of this world, but the recreational use of marijuana impedes our obedience to those commands. Therefore, this ends the way as the previous reason: it prohibits us as Christians from following God’s commands, so as a Christian I should abstain from it.

What about alcohol then?

If my argument for abstaining from marijuana is that it alters the mind, then what about alcohol? That is a valid question and if I am going to stay consistent I should see what Scripture says about the use of alcohol. One major difference between marijuana and alcohol is that God does permit alcohol, but He also regulates the use of it.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart. (Psalm 104:14–15 ESV)>

Psalm 104 is a Psalm of praise–it retells the story of creation and God’s greatness in ruling and sustaining His vast creation. The psalmist specifically points out and is thankful for wine in verse 15, because God has given it to man to gladden his heart. Wine is a good creation of the LORD and is drunk to gladden the heart. So it seems there is a way to drink wine that gladdens the heart, but does not alter the mind to interfere with Deuteronomy 6:5, Genesis 1:28, and Matthew 28:18-29, and is therefore blessed by God for consumption. (Cf Ecclesiastes 10:19, Judges 9:13)

The regulation on the consumption

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:18 ESV)>

However, like all good things God has created and given to man, it can be abused. We see in Ephesians that there is a regulation on wine or alcohol to not consume it to the point of drunkenness. That type of consumption is sinful. One reason it is sinful is because you can consume the drink to where you are not able to think straight and are not in control of your thoughts. Thus, the limitation on alcohol is drunkenness, or the point to where it alters your mind and interferes with the obedience of Deuteronomy 6:5, Genesis 1:28, and Matthew 28:18-29.

In other words, an altered state of mind is not permitted by God since we are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul. If that principle is then applied to all substances, then marijuana should not be something a Christian would want to partake in due to its sole purpose of altering the mind when used recreationally.

Conclusion

According to Scripture, a person can drink alcohol without it affecting the mind, but the Lord restricts the consumption when it begins to alter your mind and you become drunk. Applying that same reasoning to smoking marijuana, there would not be any level of consumption that would be permitted because the purpose is to alter your mind.

When the main purpose of using a substance is to escape reality so that the burden of life is lessened rather than enjoying the life God has given you, it should be a red flag to a Christian. Therefore, as a Christian I can with a clean conscience vote against the amendment on the ballot to legalize marijuana, based upon my conclusion of Scripture.