1 Timothy 3:8 gives us a starting point to understanding God’s heart and his teaching on the matter of addiction. A word study evokes a picture of slavery to a substance, behavior, etc. as an unholy kind of marriage.
Words for Addiction
1 Timothy 3:8 exhorts readers not to become addicted to wine. In the original Latin, Paul uses prosechó, defined as “hold to, turn to, attend to.” Other synonyms include “guard,” “beware,” and “addicted” depending on context.
Wine is not problematic in its own right — Jesus turned water into wine. The issue here is overindulgence and reliance: beware of an unhealthy relationship with this substance.
The NASB, Amplified Bible, and ESV use “addicted” while the NET talks about “excessive drinking,” the NKJV uses “given to much wine,” and the NIV puts it this way: “not indulging in much wine.”
Breaking Addiction
Prosechó is similar to the Hebrew dabaq or “cling, cleave, keep close.” Prosechó and dabaq are both related to “adhere,” which gives rise to synonyms such as “join” and “become attached to.” For example, a man and a woman are joined together in marriage as though they are one person (Genesis 2:24).
1 Timothy 3:8 does not exhort readers to avoid strong drink entirely, but to beware of forming a bond, which is difficult to break. Addiction to a substance, a behavior, or even an attitude leads to emotional union and chemical need.
Trying to break away is as painful as tearing a body in half, which is the imagery of divorce. Breaking free from addiction, however, is excruciating, courageous, and necessary. Addiction is not a bond the Lord honors.
Unable to Break Free
A marriage involves mutual uplifting; mutual service. With an addiction, the substance or behavior becomes slave master to the addict. Any time we put our faith and trust in something other than God to meet our needs, or to inform our needs, we have made that thing an idol and we give it control.
It will enslave us: food, alcohol, social media, exercise, work, cocaine, a spouse, and even anger or worry. Ed Welch puts it this way: “Addictions are compulsive searches for a desired object or state of mind that are generally unresponsive to the inevitable harmful consequences of those compulsive searches.”
They provide short-term relief from some kind of suffering, but even when they cause harm, the addict feels unable to break free. Want becomes need. Even one’s spouse is not given in marriage as the focus of worship.
The Lord shaped us with a heart that longs and desires for something all the time, and the correct focus is on him. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Christ offers to take one’s superficial longings and replace them with lasting satisfaction and peace in him regardless of circumstances.
The peace he offers comes at a price he already paid and there is no small print. He offers to replace an unholy adherence to some idol. The Christian church, Christ’s bride, is collectively joined to him, our Bridegroom.
How to Recognize Addiction
The pleasing effects of yelling at co-workers, drinking too much, or eating a pint of ice cream become painfully fleeting and are replaced with shame, physical discomfort, even disease. Yet, the addict cannot give up the idol.
Some addictions creep into one’s life under the guise of “a good thing” such as exercise and healthy eating. But if one believes he or she cannot live without that idol, this is an addiction. “Addictive substances become ‘a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’" (Psalm 46:1), says Ed Welch. (Ibid.). One turns to them when there is suffering or strain to deal with.
Addictions are outward expressions of deeper issues, which everyone wrestles with throughout their lives, believers included. These include doubts about the goodness and power of God; fears that the Lord does not have a good plan for one’s life, especially when life at the moment is full of pain and confusion.
Addicted to Something
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). This tells us at least two things:
1. God is not surprised by addiction. After all, he inspired Paul and others to write about the subject.
2. Addiction is common, meaning everyone is addicted to something.
Sin, like Cain’s anger, is always crouching at one’s door. Genesis 4:7 tells of the moment when the Lord cautioned Cain not to give in to his temptation, but Cain’s jealousy mastered him and warped his expectations.
He was not entitled to God’s approval of his offering. Entitlement and jealousy led to consuming anger. Cain’s situation cautions believers not to believe worldly ideas about our rights and what is “fair.”
Addiction to “getting our way” can lead to violence over time. In other cases, this belief could lead to coping strategies, which become problems, like drinking as a means of escape from bitterness or fear.
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Where addiction is concerned, it feels like war. Desire is clamorous and painful.
The Biblical Answer
God is the only refuge: the believer can turn to him and is exhorted to do this frequently. One must allow the Lord to reveal addiction through godly and gentle friends, in prayer, and in Scripture.
The first step to overcoming addiction is to face it and to know there is relief from shame in the mercy and grace of Jesus. A counselor will help the individual identify triggers, which often lead to a felt need for cocaine, beer, sugary foods, or angry outbursts.
This takes practice. “Solomon had learned to know what he really needed. He had learned to pray according to the will of God, and it pleased God to answer him. The Lord changes what we want, and we learn to pray for what delights God, to want what he wants.” Justin Taylor reminds us here that Solomon learned — he made a practice of praying, and of asking Almighty God for direction.
There is a way out of addiction: ask God for a heart change, and expect the process to take time, perhaps with regular setbacks.
Crying Out to God
One must not oversimplify the problem of addiction. Substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, rage disorders: these are typical problems Western society faces. The presenting issue is only what people see, not the root cause.
Truthful, gentle gospel counseling plus friendship and discipleship with fellow believers contribute to recovery from issues such as trauma or abuse. Patience and mercy are incredibly important.
“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). This second part of the verse tells the believer at least two things:
1. The addict overcomes his earthly desires by God’s power alone.
2. God turns towards the addict who cries out in distress; he does not turn away.
There is a trap door, made available by the Holy Spirit to any believer who is enslaved: freedom in Christ. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus does not specify which burdens qualify because all burdens outside of his will are heavy.
One manages idols in his or her own strength, and they will often overwhelm that strength. But the burden Christ gives is different.
He knows that the Christian’s yoke is light because he does not bear it alone. Carrying one’s cross is painfully difficult, but the Christian relies on the Holy Spirit, not on willpower or discipline.
What Does This Mean?
God’s love is not contingent on our self-control and victory over addiction; He is the victory. We are invited into the most holy union right now. If we adhere to Jesus, we can develop a habit of worshiping Jesus and nothing else.
There is no limit to the number of times we can come back with our hands open, letting go of idolatry once more. The Lord knows how bloody it is to rip oneself away from drinking, cigarettes, or pornography.
There will be some scarring; some scabs we keep picking at. We are too prone to mistake our own blood for the blood of Christ and to think that, by beating ourselves up and running from Jesus, we can save ourselves.
Everyone struggles with addiction to one degree or another; idolatry is common to all people. The key, though, is to be open and honest with the Lord: keep bringing these struggles to him. Only Christ’s blood saves.
For further reading:
What Is Temptation in Christianity?
How Do We Take Our Thoughts Captive?
What Does the Bible Say about Struggling with Mental Health?
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