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Is drinking alcohol considered a sin? What does the Bible say about these two
things? First off, the culture we live and grow up in, and the experiences we have with alcohol play a HUGE role in shaping our views and convictions about it. We've just got to see that right up front. EXPERIENCES: If you grew up in the home of an alcoholic and you saw alcohol ruin a life and a family... or if you seen or experienced first hand how alcohol can ruin a life when it's abused--chances are pretty great that you are going to have some very strong convictions about the destructiveness of alcolhol. And for good reason. I applaud those convictions and I would never do anything to undermine them. Alcohol, without question, can potenially ruin lives when it's abused. CULTURE: Anytime we ask the question, "What does the Bible say about...?" we have to: 1) ...come to the Bible--honestly and (to the best of our ability) without any preconceived notions about the subject--and do our best to simply let the Scriptures define our view. 2) ...think beyond our limited experience. I.e. how has "The Church" --universal, thoughtout history and how do cultures outside of my "little world" view this isssue? In this case--the culture of a Christian living in the heart fo the "conservative Bible-belt" in the United States--would very likely differ significantly from the culture of a Christian living in France. We have to consider that. There are wonderful, devout followers of Jesus in both places... who differ in their view of this subject. You have to consider that. Martin Luther told a story about a drunk who was trying to ride his horse home… He'd get on his horse and ride for a little ways and fall off to the right... then he'd get back on, ride a little bit and fall of to the left. Luther said that Christians are a lot like that drunk on a lot of issues. We have a hard time finding balance. We're constantly falling over to one side (extreme) or the other. Never touch alcohol... period!
"Hey
man,
Jesus Not even NyQuil cold medicine turned water to wine. which is
40 proof!
Dude...
let's
party!" Both conclusions are out of balance. Neither one lines up with what the Bible teaches. s What the Bible teaches about alcohol. Proverbs 20:1 (NIV) "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise." Ephesians 5:18 (NIV) "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." There is a clear message throughout the Bible that drinking to the point of drunkenness is a bad thing… that leads to negative consequences… no doubt about it---drunkenness is sin Then there are other verses in the Bible… Deuteronomy 14:24-26 (NIV) The background on Deuteronomy 14:24-26 Moses is speaking to the Israelites in the wilderness--before they entered The Promised Land. He's teaching them about the tithe. God was going to chose a place to "put His Name." This is a reference to the Tabernacle -- and later to the Temple in Jerusalem. Each year the Israelites were to bring a tithe (10%) of all that the Lord had blessed them with--be that crops, livestock, etc... and bring it to the Tabernacle (or later the Temple). They were to use a portion of their tithe to enjoy a thanksgiving feast--rejoicing in thankfulness to God for his provision. IF THEY LIVED TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE TABERBACLE/TEMPLE to haul everything that far--they could exchange their crops/herds, etc for CASH (silver) and bring that to the tabernacle/temple... when they got there--they could buy whatever they wanted to with the cash (silver) and give it as their tithe. The remainder of the tithe was given to the Tabernacle/Temple and provided for the needs of the priests and to the poor. Okay... with that background in mind... read this text closely. I think it speaks for itself. Deuteronomy 14:24-26 (NIV) "But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice." And then there's Paul's admonition to Timothy... 1 Timothy 5:23 (NRSV) "No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments." I.e. "Tim, there are some really good qualities to wine the will help you brother... drink a little bit of it and it will help your stomach and other ailments." JESUS' FIRST MIRACLE… John 2:10 (NIV) "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." Jesus is at a Wedding Party... they run out of wine... His mother Mary says, "Jesus, can you help us out there?" Jesus tells the servants to fill these large stone jars with water and serve it to the host of the party... and when he tastes it he says, "Wow... usually people server the best wine (the aged, matured, seasoned) first... to impress people... then when they've had a few glasses and won't notice the difference... they serve the cheaper stuff... BUT YOU'VE SAVED THE BEST TILL NOW!" This wine was clearly fermented...and it was considered excellent wine! The ONLY point I'm really making with these passages is that the Bible in some places clearly says that drunkeness is unwise, stupid and sinful... but in other places alcohol is presented as fine--and even as a good thing. Back to Martin Luther's Story It's all about BALANCE Legalism Hedonism It's all bad and this isn't Let's party! just my personal conviction... I'm also going to force my personal convictions on you! BALACE SAYS... A glass of wine with dinner...
Drunkenness a cold beer on 90 degree day Is forbidden/sin after you mow the lawn is fne. A guiding question: to ask yourself as you strive to navigate through life with this issue… "How do I balance my freedom in Christ with my witness for Christ?" For some, alcohol is off limits period… they have good reasons and strong convictions about it and with good reason! And, again, I understand, support and applaud that! But the question still remains--"How do we--as Christians live together nad love each other if we have a difference of opinion on this matter?" The above guiding question and the upcoming biblical principle (I'll share it in a couple of paragraphs) will help you.. Back to this guiding question: "How do I balance my freedom in Christ with my witness for Christ?" Paul helps us on this... first, read this verse... Galatians 5:1 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Jesus set you free-Don't let anyone enslave you with legalism/religious rules. The Galatians had received Christ as their Savior and Lord. There were forgiven and free in His grace--but then a group of religious people, called "Judaizers" came in and said, "Oh, it's great that you've received Christ... BUT YOU'VE ALSO GOT TO KEEP ALL THESE RELIGOUS RULES ON TOP OF THAT..." They started piling all this religious garbage on top of grace... and Paul said--"Don't let people put that on you! Be free in Jesus!" And THEN... remember this is all about BALANCE... then, 12 verses later Paul says... Galatians 5:13 (NIV) You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. It's all about LOVE! ---Love for God and love for people. HERE'S THE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE I TOLD YOU WAS COMING: Your freedom in Christ ends when your behavior begins to harm your relationships with God and/or other people. 1 Corinthians 8 is the perfect passage for this subject... as we go through this passage we'll replace the phrase "meat sacrificed to idols" with "drinking"... BACKGROUND ON 1 Corinthians 8 You need to know a little bit about the situation in Corinth to really appreciate this passage. Many in the church at Corinth had come out of a pagan background--where they had regularly offered sacrifices (meat) to varios idols. Now that they had trusted Jesus---they were divided on the issue--there was a group who was FREE!!!! They understood that idols are just rock... or wood... and that God is the ONLY God! But there was a group who still struggled with this issue... NOW--you could buy meat that had been sacrificed to an idol for CHEAP!!! So there was pleanty fo incentive to do it---some Christians in Corinth would buy/eat this meat with no problem... but others were very offended by that! The ones who were "FREE"... thought they were "superior" to those who's consciences were still convicted over it... and they had a bit of an arogant attitude toward them... So--with that in mind, let's read Paul's words here... 1 Corinthians 8 (NLT) "Now let's talk about food that has been sacrificed to idols (drinking alcohol). You (who feel free in this ares) think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge. While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. 4 So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols (drink a beer/have a glass of wine with dinner)? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God and no other. 5 According to some people, there are many so-called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth. 6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. 7 However, not all Christians realize this (I.e. there different views here! And BOTH of you are Christians--equally loved and accepted in God's sight). Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real (their experience has shaped them--they've seen alcohol ruin lives!), so when they eat food that has been offered to idols (have a glass of wine), they think of it as the worship of real gods (as a bad thing), and their weak consciences are violated. 8 It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't miss out on anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do. 9 But you must be careful with this freedom of yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble (Huge! This is the crux, the key principle here) 10 You see, this is what can happen: Weak Christians who think it is wrong to eat this food (drink a beer) will see you eating in the temple of an idol (drinking a beer at Ruby Tuesday's). You know there's nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the idol (they may be tempted to violate their convictions and drink a beer too). 11 So because of your superior knowledge (haughty/insensitive attitude), a weak Christian, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. 12 And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong (Again, Huge! a key point). 13 If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live--for I don't want to make another Christian stumble." I.e. if drinking a beer or a glass of wine is going to be a stumbling block to a my brother or sister in Christ... I'll never touch it again... period. It's all about BALANCE and LOVE! To have a glass of wine or a beer is not sin-but to become drunk is sin… and to have that glass of wine in a setting where it could potentially offend someone or be a stumbling block to them-is sin. That's what the Bible teaches. My personal Convictions… I don't drink alcohol. Why? Because it would be a hindrance to my ministry
and a potential stumbling block to the faith of lots of people. So,
I just don't touch it. Now, hypothetically, if Kelly (my wife) and I decided to have a nice, candle light dinner together at our home and have a glass of wine with dinner… would that be sin? No. But, if the wrong person from our church came to our house that day and opened our fridge and saw a bottle of wine in there... whoa…. that could wreck their world! And it could ignite a wild fire of damaging gossip that would be a mess! (by the way, the gossip would be more sinful than the bottle of win my fridge… ) I have fantastic bro/sis in Jesus-who if I went over to their home for dinner, would very possibly break out a bottle of wine and have a glass with dinner… I wouldn't think a thing of it and neither would they. At the same time, I know that if I went out to dinner with these bro/sis in public place and there was the slightest chance that having a glass of wine with would be a stumbling block to anyone-it wouldn't even be an issue… they'd just have diet coke or water or whatever. Why would they do that? Because they're hypocrites? No… Because they're ashamed to have a glass of wine in public? No… BECAUSE they know that people have all kinds of ideas about this topic and they don't want there to be any chance of their actions being a hindrance/stumbling block to someone's faith in Jesus. BOTTOM LINE: They care more about being a good witness and the faith of other people than they do about EXERCISING THEIR FREEEDOM in Christ. The greatest example of someone laying aside their FREEDOM/RIGHTS for the sake of others, is our Savior Jesus. Did He have to leave heaven and go to the cross for you and me? NO-he had every right and all the freedom in the world to stay in Heaven. But He loved us and me so much that he chose to lay aside His freedom-and to come die on the cross for us. And that's the example God calls us to follow. You have the freedom in Christ to have a drink… but if that drink is-IN ANY WAY going to be a hindrance to your relationship with God/others-or if there's any possibility of it being a stumbling block to another person-It is sin for you IF YOU DO NOT LAY THAT ASIDE and say, "I care more about my relationship with Jesus and about being a blessing to the faith of others than I do about any of my rights or freedoms." That's the BOTTOM LINE: love God with all of your heart… and love people with all of your heart-and allow that love-to guide/determine your behavior and the choices that you make. sitemap |