The Question of Alcohol
The other day, I received this comment from one of my readers...
Here is my response...
Much can be said against alcohol, speaking from a logical, common sense standpoint. I have not heard of anyone that chose to be an alcoholic when he took his first drink. It is simply impossible to know beforehand if we will be able to resist an alcoholic addiction, so it is wiser to avoid alcohol altogether.
I am reminded of a conversation I once had with an acquaintance that occasionally drinks light alcoholic beverages. I will call him Bill, though that is not his real name:
See the trap into which alcohol may lead? We can be convinced that we are in control when alcohol actually has us firmly sealed in its grip.
What does Scripture say? In summary, I believe the Scriptural consensus is that alcohol is not bad in and of itself. Drunkenness is forbidden, but drinking wine on occasion is not. One might recall that Jesus turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding.
As I said earlier, drunkenness is expressly forbidden in Scripture. Not only is alcoholic addiction forbidden, but the state of being drunk is forbidden also; to be drunk once is as wrong as having an alcoholic addiction. Ephesians 5:18 says plainly, “And be not drunk with wine...”
For further reference, look up Genesis 9:20 & 21, Genesis 19:30-36, I Kings 16:9 & 10, Proverbs 23:29-35, Proverbs 31:6 & 7, I Corinthians 5:11, I Timothy 3:3 & 8, and Titus 1:7. Each of these passages either warns against wine or tells of a person that got into trouble because of wine.
Though alcohol itself is not forbidden, I believe it is best to avoid it altogether to prevent even the possibility of addiction or drunkenness.
I've been in an ongoing debate with a friend on the subject of alcohol. Out of curiosity, where do you stand? -Stephen
Here is my response...
Much can be said against alcohol, speaking from a logical, common sense standpoint. I have not heard of anyone that chose to be an alcoholic when he took his first drink. It is simply impossible to know beforehand if we will be able to resist an alcoholic addiction, so it is wiser to avoid alcohol altogether.
I am reminded of a conversation I once had with an acquaintance that occasionally drinks light alcoholic beverages. I will call him Bill, though that is not his real name:
Bill- “I won’t become addicted; I can quit whenever I want.”
Scott- “Then why don’t you quit?”
Bill- “I don’t want to.”
See the trap into which alcohol may lead? We can be convinced that we are in control when alcohol actually has us firmly sealed in its grip.
What does Scripture say? In summary, I believe the Scriptural consensus is that alcohol is not bad in and of itself. Drunkenness is forbidden, but drinking wine on occasion is not. One might recall that Jesus turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding.
As I said earlier, drunkenness is expressly forbidden in Scripture. Not only is alcoholic addiction forbidden, but the state of being drunk is forbidden also; to be drunk once is as wrong as having an alcoholic addiction. Ephesians 5:18 says plainly, “And be not drunk with wine...”
For further reference, look up Genesis 9:20 & 21, Genesis 19:30-36, I Kings 16:9 & 10, Proverbs 23:29-35, Proverbs 31:6 & 7, I Corinthians 5:11, I Timothy 3:3 & 8, and Titus 1:7. Each of these passages either warns against wine or tells of a person that got into trouble because of wine.
Though alcohol itself is not forbidden, I believe it is best to avoid it altogether to prevent even the possibility of addiction or drunkenness.
Labels: Biblical Worldview
posted by Scott Eash at 5:34 PM
5 Comments:
The problem is a combination of smoking and drinking. That is what is totally whiping out a lot of bodies. The body cannot recover. The problem I run into is that those people are endangering my life, increasing my insurance rates and being a bother to me. I minimally drink maybe a beer or two a week and do not smoke. I am not being a bother to anyone else. Why should they legally be able to bother me. That is what I want to know.
James T. Horn
Redmond, WA 98052
hornj98052@comcast.net
I know that here in California smoking is somewhat curbed by not being able to smoke indoors in public places like bars or restaurants.
Scott,
Looks like you're beoming quite prolific in the blogosphere. I wanted to commend you for the sentiments you expressed in your post entitled "What is the Standard?" I'm glad to see that you're seeking to apply that principle regarding the issue of alcohol and drinking.
If I haven't already, let recommend to you another excellent blog by another friend of mine, Caleb Hayden. Caleb was a fellow Vision Forum intern with me back in 2003 and the theme of his blog is same as yours. Hope you enjoy it. Blessings!
Nathaniel Darnell
BTW, I'm honored that you have our web site on your links column.
Scott,
I was interested in your comments on Alchohol.
From my opinion, it does not seem that your view takes Proverbs 31:6-7 into account:
"Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."
I couldn't help but notice that this passage was overlooked in your list of "further reference" for Bible versus on alcohol.
How do you square your view against the words of scripture here?
Freedom Defender,
I want to thank you for bringing to my attention a passage that I had missed. I did not intentionally leave it out; I will add it to the "further reference" list. Thanks for holding me accountable and not allowing that to slip by unnoticed.
That passage adds further weight to the argument that it is wisest to avoid alcohol altogether. However, I don't believe it counters my original claim. ("Drunkenness is forbidden, but drinking wine on occasion is not.")
I believe that the Bible teaches that drinking wine in moderation is not sinful. You may recall that Jesus turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding. Also consider I Timothy 5:23 where Paul encourages Timothy to drink wine for his "stomach's sake".
Once again, thank you for your comments.
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