Alcohol To Drink Or Not To Drink?

By Stephen Arbuthnot
Glasglow, Scotland

Verses which seem to condone or even to

promote the consumption of alcohol

Genesis 14. 18. ' And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine;
and he was the priest of the most high God'.
Numbers 18. 12.' All the best of the oil and all the best of the wind, and of the
wheat, the first fruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have i
given thee.'
Deuteronomy 7. 13,' And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee. He
will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn , and thy
wine, and thine oil , the increase of thy kine, and thy flocks of thy sheep, in the
land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee'.
Deuteronomy 14. 26,' And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul
lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink'.
Psalm 104. 15,' Wine that maketh glad the heart of man'.
Proverbs 31. 6, ' Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto
those that be of heavy hearts'.
Ecclesiastes9.7, ' Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a
merry heart ; for God now accepteth thy works'.

These Old Testament verses show that wine drinking was part of
everyday life in Bible times. The following New Testament verses show that only
excess is probihited:

Ephesians 5.18, ' And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess'.
1Timothy3.3, ' Not given to wine'.
1Timothy3.8,' The deacons be not given to much wine'.
1Peter4.3, ' For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of
the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings,
banquetings,and abominable idolatries'.

Additionally Paul actually instructs Timothy, for a particular reason,

to take wine- this will be referred to in more detail later. To crown them all, in
John chapter2, the Lord Jesus provides wine at the wedding in Cana.
Now , abstention in principle is quite scriptural. There are
commands to abstain from' fleshly lusts;. 1Pet2.11; and from 'all appearances of
evil'. 1 Thess 5.22. These neccitate deciding what comes under 'lusts' and 'evil'.
In the light of the scriptures cited above one may argue that total abstention from
alcohol cannot be so included and therefore cannot be scriptural. However, two
factors can be put forwardwhich show how our situation today differs virtually
from that of Bible times and there fore allow and abstinent approach.
Firstly, in Bible times there was not available the vat range of non-alcoholic
drinks as there are today - no tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit juices - and, in many
places , no safe drinking water. Thus for many there was no alternative to
alcoholic drinks. We, however, do not have to drink them because of the various
alternatives available. We can therefore give warnings against drinking full force
by totally abstaining. Indeed as there are non- alcoholic alternatives the reason
for our drinking might come within the term 'fleshly lusts' which we must abstain
from by command!

Secondly, it is submitted by some that alcoholic drinks today, especially wine ,

are generally very much stronger than in Bible times. If this be the case the wine
drunk in Bible times is no the product available to us today. Drinking wine as we
know it today would atleast put you much nearer 'excess' than talking a similar
quantity in Bible times. This matter was written about in detail by Norman L.
Geisler, Professor of Systematic Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, in an
article entitled, 'A Christian Perspective on Wine-Drinking in bibliotheca Sacra
(January-March 1982 , pp 41-55). In this he maintined that wine particularly was
substantially weaker than we know it today and could be nothing more than a
form of purified water such was the level of dilution involved. Bible times, wine
was intosxicating but much more of it had to be consumed to become drunk
compared with the 'strong drink' that wine is today.

Verses which warn against the dangers of drink include:

Genesis 9. 21,' And he drank of the wine and was drunken; and he was
uncovered within his tent'.
We might respond,' If this could happen to Noah, who "walked with God",
how much more to us?'
Leviticus 10.9, 'Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee,
when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. It shall be a
stature for ever throughout your generations'. This was comanded because of the
danger of indescretions in divine service in a physical environment. Since all
Christians are priests and operate in the true spiritual sphere, how much more
we need to be sure we don't fail.
Proverbs 20.1, 'Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging. And whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise'.
This should teach us that we're certainly not missing out on anything by
not drinking and we're foolish should we be taken in by the conventions of the
world which insist that you can't get by without a drink.
Proverbs 31. 4, 'It is not for kings, O Lemuel , it is not for kings to drinkd wine;
nor for princes strong drink'.
Isaiah 28. 7,' But they also have ered through wine, and through strong drink are
out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred swallowed up of wine, they
are out of the way through strong drink; they er in vision, they stumble in
judgment'.
These two verses emphasize the need for our decision-making abilities to
be free from any intoxicating influence, and how easy it is for mistakes to be
made if hey are not. We may not have the official responsibilities of those
mentiondin the verses but all of us in our roles int the home, the assembly and
society in general are constantly responsible before God for all that we do.

Reasons for totally abstaining from the consumption of

alcoholic beverages:

1. Prevention of sin: drunkenness is a serious sin as the following verses

show:
Romans 13.13, ' Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and
drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying'.
Galatians 5. 21, ' Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such
like.... of the which i tell you before, as i have also toldyou in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God'.
1 Corinthians 5.11, 'But now I have written unto you not to keep
company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an
idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortiator; with such an one no not to
eat'.

We might work amongst people who love to regale their colleagues about their
drunken exploits of the previous night or weekend and this can be the cause of
much amusemen and a perverted form of admiration. They might also eagerly
anticipate how they are going to similarly enjoy a coming weekend or night out.
But for believers drunkenness can never meet with our approval but only strong
disapproval. It's not even something to make jokes about.

Abstaining from drink ensures we can never commit the sin of getting drunk.

In addition, abstention prevents the many sins into which drunkenness often
leads people . Many crimes, including some linked with driving, would never be
committed apart from drink.

2. Maintenanceof self-control
The following scriptures show the importance of beingin total control of our
faculties:
Galatians 5. 23,' The fruit of the spirit is.....meekness, temperance,(ESV,
self-controll). Against such there is no law'.
2Peter 1. 6,' And to knowledge (add) temperance; and to temperance
(ESV, self-controll), patience; and to patience godliness'.

Self-control is one of the beautiful virtues produced by the Spirit of God. We

should do everything to encourage it and nothing to oppose it. Now, while one or
two drinks in themselves may not make you drunk, it is the comsumption of the
first drink that begins the process of the loss of self-controll. So we oppose the
work of the Spirit of God by even staring to drink. We should not do that which
contradicts the operation of God's Holy Spirit whose role is to keep us as far from
sin as possible, not to take us near to it as we dare! We are also respnsible to
'add' self-controll - we do the opposite if we start the process of its loss by
drinking!

Furthermore, what is immediately affected by the consumption of alcohol are

those abilities we have to form moral decisions. An entry in the 1974 edition of
Encyclopaedia Britannica said about the effects of alcohol,' Low concentrations
lead to an excitement phase which includes loss of socially expected restraint....
the immediate effects of alcohol are to affect thinking, learning, remembering,
making judgments, these progressively deteriorate...eg., thewell behaved
become disorderly, the sexually repressed become amorous'. An NHS Health
Scotland leaflet called What's in a drink? comments, ' Alcohol affects our
judgement and makes us less sensitive to other people's feelings. If you drink, it
might make you do or say things you'll regret later'.

So even after one or two drinks, some people, for example, might make
comments of a doubtful nature which they would normally have the wisdom and
control to keep to themselves because of their possible adverse consequences.
As the apostle James teaches so clearly the control of the tongue is vital. By
totally abstaining we can avoid event the beginning of this dangerous loss of self-
control.

Of 1Timothy chpter 3 verse 3, ' Not given to wine', Jim Allen ha written in the
What the Bible Teaches commentary, 'Not merely the absence of drunkenness...
but the absence of that rudeness and self-assertiveness, that flow from a
diminution of control caused by wine'. Of Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18, Albert
Leckie has written, in the same What the Bible Teaches series,' Be not drunk,
signifying the beginning of a state of drunkenness'.

3. Testimony to the world of the reality of knowing Christ

Drink plays such a dominant role in modern Western Society it is unusual
for people to come out as never touching a drop. Drink for many is a refuge and
a resource for coping with the varied circumstances of life. It is a drug which
people can rely on to get through times of stress and difficulty and to give them a
kind of joy that otherwise eludes them. What an opportunity for Christians to
demonstrate they don't need this, or any other mind-altering drug, as they find
their joy in Christ and His strengthening grace is of particular importance at
special occasions, like weddings or funerals, when drink can be so prominent
among the ungodly.

4. Motivation

In a society where there are so many non-alcoholic beverages

available, the quesion must be asked, 'Why drink alcohol?' Fundamental to the
biblical doctrine of Man is that we have within u a sinful nature of flesh which is
set on committing sin. As previously noted, the Christian must 'abstain from
fleshly lusts which war against the soul'. One such wrong desire is the desire for
intoxication, and coming under the control of mind-altering substances. We must
not allow such desires to be expressed for we have been declared 'dead to sin',
Rom6. 2, and we are not to continue in it. Drinking alcoholic beverages when it is
entirely unnecessary to do so is strongly motivated by our old sinful nature.

Furthermore, we have to make no 'provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts
thereof', Rom13. 14. Drinking certainly opens a door of opportunity for this.

Some people may not drink just for the sensation of intoxication. They may do it
because it is the done thing and don't want to look odd or different. But this is
really the sin of the 'pride of life' which 1 John chapter 2 verse 16 warns against.
Others may drink to cope with the stresses and cares of everyday life and work.
But the Christian has to cast all his care on the Lord Jesus, 1Pet 5. 7.

5.A Good example

1Timothy chapter 5 verse 23 says, 'Drink no longer water, but use a

little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities'. Sometimes, people
use what Paul says to Timothy as authority for drinking. The opposite is the case!
Paul is instructing Timothy to use alcohol for medicinal purposes. His total
abstention had resulted in health problems, perhaps because of the lack of safe
drinking water. So this is authority to use alcohol medicinally, if necessary. But
the health issue aside, this scripture shows that the only man in the New
Testament called a 'man of God' was a total abstainer from alcohol- we should
follow his good example of total abstention!

7. An example to others

We should remember with this issue that we have a particular

responsibility for the welfare of other Christians. Romans chapter 14 verse 21
states, ' It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy
brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak'. If we drink we run the risk of
not only damaging ourselves, and our testimony, but also of bringing others down
with us. In fact, others following our bad example may suffer more than we
ourselves.

Conclusion

Total abstention is without doubt the safest position for the chid of
God to take. Hopefuly, the foregoing also shows that it is the right position in
itself for a christian to take in today's society. Let us take the opportunity in this
drug-crazed age to show that Christians have something in their souls that is far
better than all the drink or drugs that the world could ever supply.