Addiction: Disease or Sin Problem?After studying and considering what the Scriptures teach about drunkenness (addiction) and human sinfulness, it became obvious that God considers addiction to be a sin problem - not a disease (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). No scientific or medical proof has ever been discovered that can substantiate the claims that addiction is a disease. The church, for the most part, has bought into this same idea, adopting the secular Twelve-Step (or other) program and modifying it with Scripture. This is wrong! God’s Word does not exist to modify a secular humanistic approach. Doing so does harm to the truths of Scripture.
Christians caught in the sin of addiction do not need a secular approach, they need to repent of their sin and follow God. This is where secular programs modified with Scripture go wrong - even with integrated Scripture, they maintain that addiction is a disease. The very first step of these programs directly opposes Scripture, calling addicts to admit that they are powerless over drugs and alcohol and that their lives have become unmanageable. If a person is truly a Christian, they are not powerless against sin. They are powerful, having all the power of God, the Creator of the universe, living inside of them. In the power of Christ, they do have the ability to overcome sin (Romans 6). Many programs also teach that an addict (or drunkard) will always be an addict. Again, Scripture has much more hope to offer. Scripture says that a Christian is a new creation. The old addict is dead and a new creation now exists (2 Corinthians 5:17). In light of these truths, the answer to addiction is not in a humanistic program, labeled "Christian" or otherwise, but in a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. Out of this understanding grew His Steps Ministries, Inc. His Steps Ministries is a Christian training and counseling program reaching out to those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We believe that substance abuse is due to an incorrect relationship with God, and hope is only offered through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We exist to help addicts toward that true and living relationship. Tim Brown Director/Consoler - ACBC Certified His Steps Ministries, Inc. CLICK HERE to listen to a message by Tim Brown entitled "An Overview of Addiction" |
His Steps Training
His Steps Is Here to Help Train Your Church Leadership How to Counsel and Disciple People Stuck in Addiction
Once an addict seeks help, they need someone who knows how to counsel them biblically. Many counselors don't feel equipped to handle these difficult cases. His Steps has counseled addicts for nearly 20 years. And we're here to help your church work with these people and show them the hope they can have in Christ. Training Seminars If your church is interested in training men and women to counsel addicts, we have seminars we can do in your church. These seminars are designed to take the average church member and train them to counsel addicts using the Scriptures. We have several levels and can take counselors from very basic knowledge up to a highly trained counselor. Please contact us to set up a seminar in your church. Curriculum We Encourage Counselors to Use in Their Counseling:
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