The last time I posted a blog was
right before I started my journey to receive a degree in divinity. Since I am
about to graduate I find I have a little time on my hands. For my first blog in
almost three years, I have chosen to share a paper I recently wrote on ‘Why
Christians should not drink’. I am by no means perfect nor do I expect
perfection from others and while I know I have my point of view, I know others
may not agree. This is a paper meant to stir discussion and thought, not point
fingers. I hope you see it as such.
Let us just kill
the white elephant in the room. Nowhere in scripture does it say it a Christian
cannot drink. In fact, biblically speaking, Christ himself drank wine. He
turned water into wine at the wedding, he was accused of being a drunkard
because he ate and drank wine with the poor and unwanted. At the last supper,
Christ instituted communion by drinking wine. Up until prohibition, churches
throughout the United States used wine in their communion service.
So
why is there a debate today about whether or not a Christian can drink alcohol?
Because the abuse of alcohol around the world is a major social issue, the
question should not be 'can we', it should be 'should we' drink
alcohol. During the course of this paper, I believe you will agree with me that
a Christian should not partake in alcoholic beverages. There are several
reasons for this belief, but I will just focus on a few of them.
First,
there is no biblical definition of what it means to be drunk. What we see in
scripture is simply we should not be drunk on 'mixed drinks or wine'.
Drunkenness first appeared in scripture in Genesis, when we see Noah drinking
too much of the spirit. Then in different parts of the Old Testament, we see
several people becoming drunk. Eli suspected Hannah; the women of Samaria were
accused of making their husbands drunk. Even Lot, who escaped the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah, was drunk when he lay with his daughters who bore him
grandchildren. Drunkenness has been around for a long time.
In
these examples, we do not see a sufficient definition of what it means to be
drunk. All we know is that whenever the alcohol begins to affect our decision
making process, more than likely we are drunk. Alcohol today is not the same as
it was in biblical times. It is much stronger, cheaper and more readily
available. In biblical times, it was mainly available to the wealthy. Today,
$5.00 is sufficient to get you tipsy. If there is, something God clearly does
not want us to be and we do not know God's definition of what that means, then clearly,
we should abstain from using it.
Secondly,
the flesh is weak and because of this weakness, we are susceptible to making
wrong decisions, including knowing when to say when. Now one might say I know
when I have had enough and I know my limits so I will never be drunk. If
drinking alcohol impairs our judgment, then is it not possible that it can
cloud our judgment of when we have had enough?
Our
mind is altered when the effects of alcohol begin to infiltrate our brain, more
specifically the nerve cells in our brain. Alcohol interferes with the
communication between all nerve cells. It slows down your ability to process
information. With every drink your ability to make decisions takes longer and
longer. So if you are drinking at a fairly fast pace, it is possible then to
become drunk before you realize it.
In
addition, should we not care about what others are thinking of us as we drink?
Some may say no and use Christ as the example. He went against conventional
thinking, the norm. He brought about change because of radical opposition to
the high priests and Pharisees. However, if we take a closer look at His
teachings and what scripture says, we see that we should care. We see that in
order to make change, we must be able to reach out to people. If we have
offended people by our actions or if we show a life of little to no change,
they will ignore us or dismiss what we have to say.
In his blog, [i]‘Does it
matter what others think?’ John Piper says we should indeed care and not only
should we care we need to realize love demands it! “Our aim in life is for "Christ to be
magnified in our bodies whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:19-20).
In other words, with Paul, we do care - really care - about what others think
of Christ. Their salvation hangs on what they think of Christ. And our lives
are to display his truth and beauty. So we must care what others think of us as
representative of Christ. Love demands it.”
Now let us explore a different angle. The great
commission says we are to go and make disciples. When we make ourselves
available to God to be used to make disciples, it can happen at any given time
or moment. How hard would it be to witness to someone with alcohol on my
breath? Would that person have any desire to listen to someone who they deem as
being drunk?
2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to be instant, in season
and out. [ii]John
Wesley, in his Explanatory notes on this passage, says that being ready in
season and out, means I need to create moments of opportunity to share the
Gospel message even when one does not exist. How difficult would it be for us
to create these moments and people thinking we are just drunks.
Finally, Paul plainly says, do not make your
brother stumble. How ignorant are we when we justify doing something that can
make someone near us stumble? Do we have freedom from sin, yes, but that does
not mean we have to exercise every freedom. Paul says there are many things
that he can do, but that does not mean he ought to them.
In his commentary on Romans 14:13-23, John
MacArthur lays the groundwork for this thought process. That while we have
freedom, it does not mean we should exercise such freedom. MacArthur even goes
at length to explain it is about our Christian maturity level. [iii]“But although we are permitted to enjoy that
freedom, we are not commanded to do so. We are not obligated to exercise every
freedom we have in Christ. In fact, the greater out love and spiritual
maturity, the less important those freedoms will be to us and the more willing
we will be to relinquish them for the same of best serving the Lord and others,
especially other believers.”
While this really just comes down to personal
conviction, I do not condemn my brothers who decided to have an occasional
glass of wine. Again, clearly scripture does not advocate abstinence from
drinking. Nevertheless, I believe clearly, scripture communicates the dangers
strong drink can have on our lives, either with our relationship with God or
with the ability to witness to unbelievers. This is why I believe it is better
for believers not drink.
