Ref. Page 20 “Will One Go To For Using Tobacco?” https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/ 2002/nov/page20.htm “Though deduction from valid implications is a proper use of biblical hermeneutics (e.g., Hebrews 7:12-17; 8:4), we must be careful that we do not categorize new sins that are conspicuously absent from the several lists of sins throughout the New Testament (Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-6; Revelation 20:8).” Question; Are you trying to say that anything not specifically listed as a sin cannot be a sin? That is the impression your statement leaves. Please clarify. ~ Grady Duncan, North Jefferson Church of Christ, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
When I was growing up as a Catholic, I was told that it was a sin to eat meat on Fridays. Later, I was instructed that the breadwinner could eat meat on Fridays because he needed to keep up his strength for manual labor, but his family was still prohibited from eating meat on Fridays. Still later, Catholics were permitted to eat meat on Fridays without restriction. The residual remains of that Catholic doctrine is a menu emphasis on Fridays for fish and macaroni and cheese. The truth of the matter is that it either was a sin to eat meat on Fridays or it never was a sin to eat meat on Fridays, but it is certain that God’s Law for the religious age in which we live has not changed in about 2,000 years.
Likewise, members of the churches of Christ were taught and believed in bygone years that it was a sin to work on Sunday, or that it was a sin to play cards. It has either always been sinful to work on Sunday (associating it with the Jewish Sabbath and Judaism) or play cards, or it has never been sinful to work on Sunday or play cards (unless there were other sinful reasons involved).
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had altered the God-given Judaism about which anyone can read in the Old Testament by adding to it their own do’s and don’t’s. Our Lord condemned them for this. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
I am not trying to say anything! Many activities are clearly enumerated in Scripture as sinful. In addition, clearly understood biblical principles make any number of other activities also sinful. Yet, if over zealous, strongly opinionated, biblically inept or maliciously arrogant, one can make new sins where God did not designate, explicitly or implicitly, that certain things are sinful. For instance, just because the Judaizing teachers of the first century believed that Gentiles had to proselyte to Judaism before becoming Christians did not make it so (Acts 15).
