Should Christians Drink?
By Glenn Dunehew
Published April 2008
Dorm Bible Study Series
I spend lots of my time doing Bible studies with students at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and I get all kinds of questions asked about moral issues. But probably one of the most common questions I hear is this: “Can a Christian drink alcohol?”
My first response to this question is always, “Why do people drink, anyway?” The answer is usually 1) “To be social,” 2) “Because it makes me feel good,” or 3) “Why not?” Let’s look at each of these reasons for a minute.
- “To be social.” Do I really have to drink alcohol to be social with people? Can’t I be just as social with a soft drink in my hand? Does it really make any difference what I have in my hand when I talk with people? Lots of people congregate around alcohol, but personally I would rather congregate around a game or an event. Will my friends reject me if I refuse to drink with them? Or will they think that I am pushing my beliefs on them if I don’t drink?
If your friends reject you because you don’t drink, then they are really not your friends. A true friend would not insist that you do something harmful, or something that you just don’t want to do. And why is your decision not to drink classified as “pushing your beliefs” on someone else? In actuality, they are pushing their beliefs upon you by using peer pressure.
- “Drinking makes me feel good.” We have to understand, first of all, that alcohol is a drug. It is a narcotic which depresses the central nervous system and produces the “buzz” that so many people like. At first, this stimulus can make you feel more free in your actions and words. It seems to make your inhibitions leave. This is why people do things after drinking alcohol that they would normally never do. Everything seems to become rosy.
However, when a person comes down off of the effects of alcohol, his problems are still the same, if not worse, because he has not dealt with them.
As a person drinks more, alcohol begins to affect him in greater ways. This is why many people get extremely depressed or become isolated. So much for the goal of being “social.” And if the drinking continues, the “good feeling” also leaves. Anybody that has experienced a hangover after a late-night drinking spree knows that there is nothing to feel good about the next morning!
- “Ok then, why not? I like the taste.” If taste is an issue, then why not drink non-alcoholic beer or wine? But then this provokes another response from many people that I talk to: “So why even drink at all?
If we look in the Bible for an answer, a good place to start is the book of Proverbs. The author of that book says that it is wrong to drink by bringing out the consequences of drinking. Here are three different passages which relate to alcohol:
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
“He who loves pleasure will become a poor man: he who loves wine and oil will not become rich” (Proverbs 21:17).
“Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine … for the heavy drinker will come to poverty” (Proverbs 23:20-1).
The author of Proverbs says that if you want to be wise, you should stay away from alcohol. Most students arrive on campus hoping to improve their place in life and to become a success in their future career. Yet these scriptures indicate that if you are fond of alcohol, your chances of becoming wealthy are slim. Sure there are wealthy people who drink, but have you ever wondered how much better off they would be if they did not drink?
Think about all the money that is spent on alcohol each year. In some university towns, more than $250,000 will be spent each weekend by college students on alcoholic beverages. And that number increases, of course, on football weekends when all the alumni arrive to celebrate.
What about the New Testament? What does it have to say about drinking? After all, didn’t Jesus turn the water into wine? Here are just a few scriptures which should help us reach a conclusion:
“For he (John the Baptist) will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor: and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).
“It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles” (Romans 14:21).
“Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy” (Romans 13:13).
The New Testament has a lot more to say about alcohol than just “don’t get drunk.” Luke tells us that John the Baptist did not drink because he had a vow not to defile himself. This shows that the Lord views alcohol as a defilement – and infers that the person drinking it cannot be under the power of the Holy Spirit.
These scriptures also tell us that our drinking can cause others to stumble. Suppose, for example, that you are a Christian and someone you know sees you drinking. Let’s say you never get drunk because you know when to stop; but the other person does not have the same amount of self-control that you do … and they end up getting drunk. You have therefore encouraged their drunkenness!
On the subject of alcohol, the Bible tells us to “act like it is day.” People tend to drink more at night or in dark places because deep inside they know it is wrong. And there is often a progression from drinking to carousing, which later leads to sexual promiscuity. Habakkuk 2:15 says, “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, who mix in your venom even to make them drunk, so as to look on their nakedness!” Many young men drink at parties so they can encourage their date to get drunk and loose.
“Just Drinking?”
Where does “just drinking” stop and drunkenness begin? Let’s look at a good illustration for this:
In the drawing, we see that God is way up at the top. The devil is like a dog who is tied up in someone’s front yard. He has limited power, as seen by the path he has worn on the grass. Some people see how close they can get to sin without stepping into the path of the dog. But suppose the dog is pretty smart. He lunges only part of the way out, and the next time not as far. This lures us into believing that we can get closer and still not get caught. But then he attacks – and we are his target!
People are always telling us what is a sin and what is not a sin. But the question should always be: Is this action bringing me closer to God or further away from Him? What is my motive in wanting to do this? Is it to please myself or to give glory to God? These are the real issues we need to address when talking about alcohol.
Next Month: Are People Born Homosexuals?
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » AALARM Student Group at Harvard Addresses Intolerance of Religion
Your comments are welcome!
The Four Keys to the Millennium (Book)
Foundations in Biblical Eschatology
By Jay Rogers, Larry Waugh, Rodney Stortz, Joseph Meiring. High quality paperback, 167 pages.
All Christians believe that their great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will one day return. Although we cannot know the exact time of His return, what exactly did Jesus mean when he spoke of the “sign of His coming” (Mat. 24)? How are we to interpret the prophecies in Isaiah regarding the time when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:19)? Should we expect a time of great tribulation or reformation and revival before the Lord returns? Is the devil bound now, and are the saints reigning with Christ? Did you know that there are four hermeneutical approaches to the book of Daniel and Revelation? These, and more questions, are dealt with by four authors as they present the four views on the millennium. Each view is then critiqued by the other three authors.
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?
Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!
Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.
Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)
Running Time: 145 minutes
$17.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Massacre of Innocence (DVD)
Exposing The Occult Roots of Abortion
This presentation looks at the spiritual roots of abortion and exposes the myths surrounding child killing. Little known historical facts about abortion and how they relate to modern feminism are presented logically and accurately. Has been effective in converting many to a pro-life position.
Massacre of Innocence goes where no pro-life presentation has gone before in “tearing the lid off abortion” to reveal the spiritual realities we must battle if we will bring an end to this crime. The presentation is absorbing, fast-paced, informative and incredibly devastating to any attempt to justify abortion.
“… an extraordinary statement … a powerfully articulate presentation about what abortion really means, and why a great and moral nation like the United States must not allow the slaughter to continue.”
— Congressman Robert K. Dornan
Running time: 85 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Abortion Clinic 911 Calls
Exposes the Dangers of Abortion to Women!
These shocking eyewitness accounts expose the dangers of abortion not only to unborn children, but to the health and lives women as well. An antidote to the smokescreens of the liberal media, these six short clips show what really happens in and around abortion clinics.
Although the content is emotionally gut-wrenching, these videos have been used in church seminars and small groups to educate Christians on the abortion issue and to lead people toward a pro-life position.
Watch these pro-life videos on-line.
“These videos helped change my mind from pro-choice to pro-life. Your videos are what did it for me. I will be walking in next year’s March For Life in San Francisco.” — A. Jackson, California
“I was going to have an abortion until I saw your video. Praise Jesus!”
— M. Drew, YouTube Commenter
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Martin Luther (DVD) 1953 Classic
Niall MacGinnis – Digitally Remastered
The dramatic classic film of Martin Luther’s life was released in theaters worldwide in the 1950s and was nominated for two Oscars. A magnificent depiction of Luther and the forces at work in the surrounding society that resulted in his historic reforming efforts, this film traces Luther’s life from a guilt-burdened monk to his eventual break with the Roman Catholic Church.
In spite of its age, this film continues to be a popular resource to introduce Luther’s life. This historical epic captures the life and times of the greatest figure of the Protestant Reformation with depth and clarity, while giving a glimpse at the private man in the eye of the storm. Luther’s protest against the established order of the Church gave birth to one of the largest religious and cultural movements history and serves as a prime example of how one man’s spiritual convictions can change the course of human events.
Running Time: 105 minutes
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
I am toally convinced that God does not want us under the influence of anything. Pray for me. Tonite even as I write this I have had a bottle of white wine. I am not an acoholic by any means, but I still need your prayers.
Prayfully Yours
Gloria Cromer
Posted by Gloria on 08/15/2009 01:58 AM #