As an addict, can you help me understand whether or not there is a biblical view on addiction as a disease or not?
The Bible does not specifically address addiction as a disease. We must always be careful not to allow the culture around us to redefine what Scripture clearly teaches. While the world may frame addiction strictly through a clinical lens, the Bible speaks clearly and truthfully about the nature of sin and the reality of a life in bondage to it.
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
James reminds us that our temptations do not originate from outside influences, but from within our own hearts. The struggle with addiction reflects the ongoing battle between the desires of the flesh and the perfect Spirit who dwells within us. This is a war all believers must face as sinful people living in a fallen world.
Sin entices, persuades, and gradually leads us astray. When we fail to rely on God in moments of weakness and instead allow ourselves to entertain lustful thoughts, James explains that we begin to be “carried away” by those desires. Over time, what begins as temptation can quickly become something far more dangerous.
This raises an important question. What are we as believers carried away from? Ultimately, we are “carried away” from fellowship with Christ. We drift from the peace, joy, and spiritual growth that only comes from intimacy with Christ, and rather than standing in the victory that He provides, we begin to fall backwards into the bondage of our sinful desires.
JAMES 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James goes on to describe the progression of unchecked sinful desire. When what begins as a thought in the mind is acted upon, sin’s grip begins to take hold. What we choose to entertain internally will inevitably shape our behavior. James explains that when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it brings forth death. The outcome of sin put into action is always death.
Throughout Scripture, death is fundamentally understood as separation from God. From the moment sin entered the world in Genesis 3, it created a division between humanity and the Lord. Whenever sin is allowed to run its course, we exchange the temporary gratification of the flesh for spiritual distance from the One who is the very source of life.
Substance abuse is one example among many of this reality. It entangles a person in patterns that dull the Spirit’s sensitivity (conviction), disrupt fellowship with God, and unbridled, creates an ongoing state of spiritual distance between God and us. For the believer, this is not a matter of losing salvation, but, as with all sin, it is a hindrance in our sanctification (growth), and a distraction to our true purpose in life (to serve Christ).
This separation will certainly serve the enemy’s purposes. The enemy has three clear objectives for a believer: to steal, kill, and destroy. By keeping believers in bondage to cycles of sin, he seeks to stall their spiritual growth and prevent them from maturing in Christlikeness. Instead of growing in sanctification, they remain entangled in defeat and less impactful to those around them. This statement is true for all of sin, not just those related to addiction.
Believers with a history of addiction return to using because they know the feeling that the substance will provide (euphoria, escape from pain/trauma, entertainment, etc.), and as James says, each one is tempted when they are carried away and enticed by their own lust. This is what the world would label as the disease of addiction. The battle in the mind of an addict as they are considering whether to “get high” or remain sober is the same mentality as is with all sin. The reality is that it is a war of the flesh vs. the Spirit, rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, there is always a choice in the decision that is ultimately made, and with it, God promises a means to escape.
1COR.10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
The truth found in 1 Corinthians 10 does not resonate with the unbeliever in the same way it does with the believer. For the unbelieving addict, the desire to return to a substance is not merely a lifelong disease, but a continual symptom of the enslaving power of sin in a fallen world. Scripture teaches that all people are dead in their trespasses and sins, and apart from Christ, the human heart is incapable of choosing true righteousness. Left to themselves, they have no hope of escaping the eternal consequences of their sin.
The reality for unbelievers is that their flesh is their master, continually driving their desires and actions. What the world may describe as a disease often reflects the deeper reality Scripture reveals, the bondage of sin. Apart from Christ, an unbelieving addict may feel as though they are trapped by a lifelong disease, but according to Scripture, they are simply left in their sin. Only through Christ can those chains fully be broken.
Unattached to the saving power of the Gospel, even sobriety cannot save their soul. So we must keep the main thing the main thing when ministering to their circumstances. The Gospel must always be the first and most essential step in addressing addiction in the life of an unbeliever.
ROM.6:22 But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome is eternal life.
ROM.6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When a person chooses to expose themselves to substance abuse or alcohol for the first time, at that point, they have given their flesh a taste for something that it will continually remember, and often, continually desire. For both an unbeliever and a believer, opening this door to sin can create a lasting craving for what they have experienced. Again, this is what the world would call the disease, but all sin can be considered a disease by this definition. Sin, like a cancer, wants to continue spreading in the one it has infected until it reaches its goal of death.
2COR.5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The only permanent cure for addiction is the same as for all sin. New life and fellowship found in Christ. Taking our thoughts captive into obedience to Christ is the solution to the dilemma of the progression of sin that James has outlined for us in his writings. Slavery to sin is replaced by bondage to Christ, and as a direct result, new life. It is only through walking in the Spirit and obedience to God that we can truly have an everlasting victory over the sin that so easily entangles us.
Scripture says plainly that if we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. You must know your enemy and his tactics, and acknowledge your Savior to defeat the power of sin.
Additionally, you may find listening to our teaching on James 1C, helpful in answering this question.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
