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Is it a sin for Christians to drink alcoholic beverages?
Proverbs 20:1 (KJV): Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
As soon as I got to my office yesterday, I had an email from a member of my church concerning yesterday’s blog entry about Faith helping people overcome their addictions. The member wrote: “Hey Pastor, I learned something new about you today”. He went on to say that he read my blog entry to mean that it was ok for Christians to drink moderately as long as they didn’t become drunkards. Understanding that many of my fellow bloggers may suffer from the same illness as my member [selective reading-Ha! Ha!], the email began my mind juices racing on the topic of today: “Is it a sin for Christians to drink alcoholic beverages?
Let me begin by clarifying my position-I DO NOT believe that it is a sin if a Christian chooses to drink but I DO believe that it is wrong for a Christian to drink alcoholic beverages for numerous reasons. As far as I’ve read, the bible says that a drunkard will not enter the kingdom of God; it does not come right out and state that all drinking is wrong{I Corinthians 6:8-10]. Galatians 5:13 teaches that God gives us a free will to decide for ourselves if drinking alcoholic beverages is wrong for us, but with that liberty- comes responsibility to choose what is right. I Corinthians teaches us that we may be free to drink, but if a weaker brother sees our liberty and stumbles because he can’t control his drinking, then we should choose to be an example to our weaker brother.
For me, the sin is not in the drinking, but that the drinking leads to sin. The obvious ones are when a person gets drunk and then becomes abusive to someone who was created in God’s image, in particular a spouse or children. Or how about drinking and driving and foolishly killing a person as a result of an accident? And what about the mental and physical damage alcoholism does to a person’s body? It not about that one drink, but that the one drink leads to two, then twenty and then you wake up one day an alcoholic. Those are a few of the ways drinking leads to sin!
So, I ask you: “Is it a sin for Christians to drink? Is it a personal decision or should all Christians not drink? Why do some denominations allow for drinking, yet some absolutely forbid it? Let’s chat amongst ourselves fellow bloggers!!!
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By KDF
January 31, 2008 3:30 PM | Link to this
Good afternoon. The question is “is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol?” I believe it is okay. But I believe that Christians in the U.S. should look long and hard at drinking. Our culture reads alcohol consumption as a way we party, not as something we enjoy alone at home in front of the T.V., or at dinner with the family. As an alcoholic and Christian to boot I not only can’t, but won’t drink due to witnessing. Few observers of our Faith don’t put two and two together. They see a Christian drinking, then think it is okay, and there are far too many alcoholics out there to promote this. Ephesians 5:18 and 1 Timothy 3:13 condemn drunkeness, and the New Testament is covered with “sobor-mindedness” in the New King James Version.
I volunteered at the Advocacy Center for a short while as a Case worker for children. Probably 80% of those children had parents who abused alcohol and/or drugs. Most countries do not face the problems we currently do on this.
Drinking is an individual choice we make. The Holy Spirit has convinced ME not to drink. Now for all you readers who are not Christians, I did have some very fun drunk occasions, but the seasons are short, and my life now compares far away from those days with Christ now centered in it. Thanks Pastor Joe!! <><
By Obadiah Sheeply, Jr., skeptic
January 31, 2008 11:50 PM | Link to this
Good grief, Joe. This the dreariest thing I have ever read. Of course it is not a sin to take a drink. Christian or not, it doesn’t matter. Can things be taken to excess so that they become evil manifestations of what began innocently enough? Obviously. So obvious that it hardly requires blogging. Is is a sin to eat a Cheeto? No. A billion Cheetos and you don’t have enough money for the rent or you endanger yourself and your health? Sure. Or laughing. That’s innocent. But what about uncontrollable obtrusive laughing at inappropriate moments? Not good. Ho hum. I am neither a drunkard nor a Christian. But I live a moral life, contribute to charity heavily, treat people with respect, etc.etc., but I like an occasional margarita. It’s not a sin. And many Christians who live good lives and do good works would feel the same. Sorry. You have not even defined what sin is, of course. I look forward to that dreary post.
Discuss something important.
By Fred
February 1, 2008 1:54 AM | Link to this
Alcohol sin? Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water into wine. Jesus told the parable of the wine-skins. And I don’t think that Jesus served Welch’s Grape juice at the Last Supper. In fact, some of the Twelve had so much wine at the Last Supper; that they “passed out” in the Garden.
By KDF
February 1, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this
Pastor, this is an incredibly wonderful blog to have and thank you for it. Obadiah, evidently patience and the understanding of others does not affect you. It affects me because I am given the gift of encouragment.
Thanks again; and Obaidah, please keep blogging! <><
By Obadiah Sheeply, Jr.
February 2, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
Thanks for being concerned about me, KDF, but nothing I have said implies anything about whether patience and understanding of others affects me. I believe that I am as undertstanding as the next guy and certainly care for my fellow man equally as much as you, I am sure. my impatience here only reflects the fact that we could be discussing more important topics, but aren’t. You can bet I will keep writing. I just hope the topics get to be more substantive. Fred’s point about wine and the Last Supper is, of course, well taken if one believes that the story actually happened as written.
By Pastor Joe
February 2, 2008 9:21 PM | Link to this
This entry is for Obadiah: Hey man, so glad to hear you will continue to tune in-your opinion has value in our dialogue so I do hope you keep blogging with us. you mentioned in your last entry that you would like to see us discussing “MORE IMPORTANT TOPICS”. Any suggestions? if so, let me know and I would be happy to work them im when I can. I am trying to blog on a news report of the day, but when it’s a slow news day, I might be able to work something in. This offer goes out to all my fellow bloggers that might want to offer some suggestions also!
By Fred
February 3, 2008 4:34 AM | Link to this
Pastor Joe: I agree with Obadiah. Much more cosmic questions than the pros and cons of Biblical drinking. Here’s a religious curve-ball question. Why does God keep Himself so well hidden on this Earth? Even in Bible days, God was discribed as “a still, small voice” by one of the great prophets. Much suffering and pain with prayers unanswered? Where is the hidden God when children suffer and babies die? We seem to have faith in an invisible, well-hidden God.
By KDF
February 3, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Morning everyone. Man, some of you work really late or get up early. Reminds me of my Navy days!!
Fred, as to the “small voice”, maybe we don’t listen well enough today. We keep our ears so polluted with noise, whether it be natural noises of God’s earth, or we create noise, or we keep things plugged into our ears all day. As for me, I believe God is very bold, and we are very small. God feels much pain as a father would, only more so. His Son paid the ultimate price, not only with physical pain, but with the burden of dying for all our sins. That is something I just can’t imagine, especially when he hears and sees his name blasphemed, which I hear too often.
As to prayer, God listens to every one. His answers are perfect, as He is perfect. Sometimes He says “yes”, somteimes “no”, and other times with “not yet”. I believe that the Bible is innerent; if not, then I, the created, try to create the Creater, which is biblicly wrong and even scientifically wrong.
This is fun!!! <><
By hoot
February 14, 2008 2:45 AM | Link to this
My friend used to justify his drinking by this. “Is say’s in the Bible that Jesus drank wine didnt he?” Yes, I replied. “Then you cant tell me that Jesus drank wine and didnt get crocked every now and then”