Problems with Drinking

Question: Why Do Christians Not Drink Alcohol?

1. Is there a clear command in the Bible saying that all believers should completely abstain from drinking alcohol?

A. The closest we come to a general command is found in Prov. 20:1 and Prov. 23:31. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.”

B. Certain groups of people were commanded to abstain from drinking alcohol: a. The priests (Lev. 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 statute for ever throughout your generations.” b. Israelites during the wilderness wanderings (Deut. 29:6) – “Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.” c. The Nazarites (Num. 6:3-4) – Samson (Judges 16:17) and John the Baptist (Luke 1:15) d. Kings (Prov. 31:4-5) – “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” e. Pastors and deacons (I Tim. 3:3, 8)

C. Certain individuals in the Bible chose to abstain from drinking alcohol: a. Daniel (Dan. 1:8) – “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” b. Timothy (I Tim. 5:23) – “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.” c. The Rechabites (Jer. 35:6-14)

D. Examples of people in the Bible who drank alcohol: a. Noah (Gen. 9:21) b. Lot (Gen. 19:32) c. Nabal (I Sam. 25:36) d. Uriah (II Sam. 11:13) e. Amnon (II Sam. 13:28-29) f. Belshazzar (Dan. 5:1-6)

E. There are many clear commands and condemnations in the Bible against drunkenness: a. Isa. 5:11-12, 22 – “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands…Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.” b. Hab. 2:15 – “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” c. Luke 21:34 – “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” d. Rom. 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.” e. Gal. 5:19-21 f. Eph. 5:18 – “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” g. I Thess. 5:7-8 – “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”

2. What about Jesus turning the water into wine (John 2:9-10) and drinking from the cup at the Last Supper (Matt. 26:27-29)?

A. Two main words used when speaking of potentially alcoholic beverages: a. Wine – yayin (Hebrew) and oinos (Greek) b. Strong Drink – shekar (word “sugar” is derived from)

B. Note that Jesus never calls it “wine” during the Last Supper; only the cup (and the same when Paul speaks of the Lord’s Supper in I Cor. 11:23-28).

3. What about the idea of being a casual/social drinker as long as you don’t get drunk?

A. First of all, if you need to drink in order to be “social” and fit in, you’re probably running in the wrong social circles. Prov. 23:20 says, “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh.”

B. It is much easier to get drunk off of alcohol now than it was in Bible times. In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody, 1980, Vol. I, p. 376, it says in reference to wine of Bible days: “not fortified with extra alcohol. Concentrated alcohol was only known in the Middle Ages when the Arabs invented distillation (‘alcohol’ is an Arabic word) so what is now called liquor or strong drink (i.e., whiskey, gin, etc.) and the twenty per cent fortified wines were unknown in Bible times. The strength of natural wines is limited by two factors. The percentage of alcohol will be half of the percentage of the sugar in the juice. And if the alcoholic content is much above 10 or 11 percent, the yeast cells are killed and fermentation ceases. Probably ancient wines were 7-10 per cent…to avoid the sin of drunkenness, mingling of wine with water was practiced. This dilution was specified by the rabbis in New Testament times for the wine customary at Passover.”

C. Can you honestly say you as a Christian consuming alcohol would bring glory to God (I Cor. 10:31-32)? How would it help your testimony among unbelievers or among fellow Christians?

D. The dangers of addiction (Prov. 23:29-35) – In I Cor. 6, Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

E. Statistics about alcohol a. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), there are over 80,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. each year. Alcohol poisoning kills six people every day. Alcohol-impaired driving accounts for more than 30% of driving fatalities each year. Drunk driving costs the U.S. $199 billion every year. Teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year. There are 1.4 million drunk driving arrests in the US every year. b. 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. Roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for AUD. c. A US Department of Justice study found that as many as 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol abuse is the fourth leading cause of mortality in the country. More than 10% of all U.S. children live with a parent who abuses alcohol. d. 86% of people aged 18 years and more reported drinking at least once during their lifetime. 71% of people in the same age group reported that they drank during the past year while 56.9% drank in the past month. 8% of full-time college students aged between 18 and 22 years reported that they consumed alcohol in the past month. 7% of teens aged 15 years reported that they drank at least once during their lifetime. 8% of individuals aged between 12 and 20 years reported drinking in the past month. Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.