by Jesse Flowers
Synopsis: Recognizing the perils of alcohol, Jesse exhorts us to think soberly and seriously about relevant biblical principles that should govern our conduct.
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). Numerous warnings and condemnations of strong drink are found in the Bible (Lev. 10:9-10; Prov. 23:29-35; 31:4-7; Isa. 5:11, 22; Hos. 4:11; Rom. 13:12-14; 1 Cor. 6:10; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:18; 1 Pet. 4:1-4). Despite this fact, there exists a casualness toward alcohol, even among the people of God.
When some saints privately drink alcohol in their homes, partake of beer and wine on business trips, make it available for others to drink at weddings, and certain brethren defend and argue for its moderate consumption, then it is quite apparent that some take a far too casual view of alcohol.
I recently attended my son's Boy Scouts meeting, and they had invited a local Justice of the Peace as a guest speaker. Listening to him for close to an hour, one could easily see that this was a God-fearing man with strong moral convictions. He offered great advice to live by and warnings to heed. At one point, he asked, "Do you know what the number one problem is that I have to deal with the most?" The answer, "Alcohol." Many individuals mess their lives up with drugs, but alcohol has ruined the lives of more people than anything else.
"An estimated 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States" (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). According to the Centers for Disease Control, six people die every day from alcohol poisoning, the effect of drinking too much alcohol too quickly.
The following statistics come from the website for Mothers Against Drunk Driving: "Drunk driving is still the #1 cause of death on our roadways," "every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash," "on average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime," "over 40% of all 10th graders drink alcohol," and "Every day in America, another twenty-nine people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. That's one person every fifty minutes."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's position on the relationship between blood alcohol concentration and driving is that driving performance degrades after just one drink!
An interesting and "sobering" article by Yahoo! News stated that, "Even an occasional glass of wine or beer increases the risk of health problems and dying, according to a major study on drinking in 195 nations that attributes 2.8 million premature deaths worldwide each year to booze. 'There is no safe level of alcohol,' said Max Griswold, a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, WA and lead author for a consortium of more than 500 experts. Despite recent research showing that light-to-moderate drinking reduces heart disease, the new study found that alcohol use is more likely than not to do harm. 'The protective effect of alcohol was offset by the risks,' Griswold told AFP in summarizing the results, published in medical journal, The Lancet, on Friday. 'Overall, the health risks associated with alcohol rose in line with the amount consumed each day.'"
Of course, we could go on and on listing statistics and giving warnings about the grave dangers of alcohol, as well as the havoc and destruction it continues to bring to the lives of countless individuals. So, how is it even possible that a professed child of God could maintain a casual attitude toward alcohol, or worse, even defend the moderate consumption of it?
Why is there casualness toward alcohol among Christians today? For some, there may be an honest misunderstanding of the Bible word "wine." When some come across the word "wine" in the Bible, they automatically equate it with wine today. However, doing so becomes problematic for a couple of reasons. First of all, Bible wines and modern wines are not equal in comparison of alcoholic content. It is a well-documented fact that ancient wines were mixed with water. Many historians recorded that it was three parts water to one-part wine, and that figure is definitely on the lower ratio end. Secondly, the different Hebrew and Greek words that are translated "wine" in our English Bibles range in meaning from simple grape juice to intoxicating drink. So the actual word and the context must always be considered to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
There also seems to be a lack of teaching on the subject of alcohol in general. How much teaching is being done in the home by Christian parents regarding the sin and the great dangers of alcohol (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4)? Of course, parents must first possess a good knowledge, understanding, and conviction on this vitally important topic before they can diligently instruct and warn their sons and daughters (Deut. 6:6-9). How often are Bible class teachers addressing it in the junior high and high school classes? What about gospel preachers? How frequently, when preaching the Word, are evangelists convincing, rebuking, and exhorting with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2) as it pertains to the subject of alcohol? Are we really preaching the whole counsel of God, as did Paul, or do we avoid declaring certain aspects of it that we deem too controversial (Acts 20:27).
A compromise by some elders, preachers, and brethren has led to a casual attitude toward alcohol by many. When the shepherds of the flock who have been charged with watching out for the souls (Heb. 13:17) do not insist and ensure sound teaching on this Bible subject (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9), then a casual attitude among some will eventually develop, if it is not already present. Sadly, some preachers avoid the topic altogether or speak in such generalities that none can be either offended or convicted of the truth (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Some preachers go further and tell us that such things as social drinking belong in Romans 14, and therefore, we can and should receive one another in fellowship. Such individuals twist the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16), ignore the obvious context of Romans 14, as well as the verses just preceding it which condemn "revelry and drunkenness" and exhort saints to "make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Rom. 13:13-14). Some continue to point to our Lord's first miracle when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), Paul's instruction to Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach's sake (1 Tim. 5:23), and the instruction that deacons must "not be given to much wine" (1 Tim. 3:8). This serves as their biblical evidence for drinking alcoholic beverages, all the while ignoring the context, various meanings of the word "wine," as well as ancient wines versus modern wines.
Some Christians stubbornly rebel against God's revealed will. Just like King Saul, some brethren are fully aware that both the Old and New Testaments condemn the drinking of alcohol, but will continue to defend it and partake of it regardless. They have hardened their hearts to the truth through the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). As the prophet, Samuel, said to disobedient Saul, "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you…" (1 Sam. 15:23). The apostle Peter penned: "We have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries" (1 Pet. 4:3). When one takes the time to research and study the various Greek words used in this Bible passage, they will discover that any and all consumption of alcohol is condemned in the New Testament. Yes, even what is commonly referred to as "social drinking" (i.e., "drinking parties") is condemned as well. The Greek word potos denotes drinking "not of necessity excessive, but giving opportunity for excess" (Trench, 225). For some saints, it will not matter how many clear and pointed Bible passages that you show them condemning alcohol, they have made up their stubborn, willful minds and will not be persuaded with truth and reason.
We would do well to remember that we are a people called upon not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by God's perfect will (Rom. 12:2). We are called upon to be holy as our God is holy; holy in all of our conduct (1 Pet. 1:15-16). We must ever be mindful of our influence in this world of sin and wickedness (Matt. 5:13-16). Perhaps, we also need to be reminded of how alcohol is an ingredient in the works of the flesh that will keep us out of heaven and send us to a devil's hell (Gal. 5:19-21)! Brethren, for the sake of our soul and the souls of others, we cannot afford to take a casual approach toward alcohol.
Hood, Marlowe. "Zero Tolerance: No Safe Level of Alcohol, Study Says." Yahoo! News. August 23, 2018. https://www.yahoo.com/news/zero-tolerance-no-safe-level-alcohol-study-says-224245668.html.
Trench, Richard Chenevix. Synonyms of the New Testament. London: Macmillan, 1880.
Author Bio: Jesse has worked with the Pruett and Lobit church of Christ in Baytown, Texas for 10 1/2 years. He and his wife, April, have four children. The church website is biblework.com. He can be reached at jafopie@hotmail.com.
