What
The Bible Teaches
about
Wine and Strong Drink
A.
The
Bible has never been unclear about the important issues in life - the problem
has always been that people play ignorant instead of taking the time to "search the
Scriptures"
(John 5:39) for the right answer
about how to live, and what is right
to do. This is true with what we are about to study.
B.
Wine, and strong drink have plagued mankind from the time of Adam and
Eve’s fall in Genesis 3 up to today. It has affected even the best of people -
see Genesis 9:20-22, where "Noah
began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine,
and was drunken; and he was uncovered
within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father."
So began the sad tale of alcohol's warped
influence!
C.
This study will show that the correct use of wine and strong drink is not
to be “in moderation” but only as a
medicine - it is definitely not for social entertainment or pleasure --
"He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that
loveth wine
and oil shall not be rich"
(Proverbs 21:17).
D.
From the very start of this study, let the Scriptures make it very clear
that "Wine
IS a mocker, and strong drink IS
raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
(Proverbs 20:1). It is not an issue of whether wine can "become" a
mocker when abused, but that its very nature IS mockery to the Christian life,
and that it deceives all who think they
can handle it!
E.
This study has been designed to present God's
view of wine and alcoholic drink. You will need to fill-in the answers to
the questions from the Scriptures presented. Every
Scripture verse has been written out for you. Please study all the
Scriptures presented, and then fill in the blanks.
II. A Brief Outline of the Subjects this Study Will Cover
•
The
Different Kinds of Wine and Strong Drink
•
The
Results of Drinking
•
What
About Beer?
•
Biblical
Warnings About Liquor
•
The
Usual Reasons for Drinking
•
The
LIE About Drinking "in Moderation"
•
Some
Questions from Other Scriptures
•
How
to Overcome the Addiction, and Attraction to Liquor
These
are not the ideas of someone living in an "ivory-tower," but someone
who has worked with those who have hit "rock-bottom" both physically,
and spiritually, and found the pathway back out has been laid-out perfectly by
the Lord Jesus Christ as presented in the pages of God's perfect word, the
Bible! Take this honest look at both yourself, and alcoholic drink in the mirror
of God's word, and see if you can ever be the same again! What you will find is
that real life is found in Jesus Christ, not in a bottle!
A.
The
Different Kinds of Wine and Alcoholic Drinks
1.
Did you know that there are TWO
types of "wine" in the Bible?
a.
_____
wine
- squeezed from the grape - grape juice (Lk 5:37)
"And no man putteth new
wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled,
and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and
both are preserved." (Luke 5:37,38).
b.
_____
wine
- fermented - alcoholic grape drink (Lk 5:39).
"No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better"
(Luke 5:39).
The
word “wine” in the Bible can refer to either fermented
(alcoholic), or unfermented (pure)
grape juice. The
word 'wine' is a general term. It is the surrounding context of each
verse that tells you which kind of wine God is talking about.
2.
There is also a drink referred to as “__________ drink”
(Prov 20:1).
Wine is a mocker, strong
drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
3.
Let’s look in detail at each of these three drinks:
a.
The
Fruit of the Vine
- called, “New Wine” - the
juice of the grape.
1)
It is not found in the “vat” but in the “_________”. It is fresh
from the grape - simple grace juice - with nothing added!
"… new wine is found in the cluster (of grapes)…"
(Isa 65:8)
2)
God’s people never drank alcoholic wine!
"Ye
have not eaten bread (they ate Manna), neither
have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD
your God."
(Deut 29:5,6)
"…thou
didst drink the pure blood of the grape."
(Deut 32:14).
3)
God’s blessings are found in “new” wine, not in drinking fermented
drinks. We will study fermentation a little later on.
"Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the
firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and
thy presses shall burst out with new
wine."
(Prov 3:9,10)
4)
Wine is compared to “blood”
in the Bible, and God's people are supposed to only drink the “… ________ blood
of the grape” (see Dt 32:14 above). There should never be anything added
to the grape juice.
5)
New
wine is a refreshing beverage, not an intoxicating drink!
"O LORD my God, thou art very great: thou … causeth the
grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring
forth food out of the earth; And wine
that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and
bread which strengtheneth man's heart."
(Psalm 104:1,13-15). All
of the above was "natural" and unleavened,
6)
Jesus drank “new” wine at His last supper.
Jesus never drank alcoholic wine, or any strong drink!
"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new
with you in my Father's kingdom"
(Mt 26:29).
b.
Fermented
Wine
- called “Old Wine” - what we call 'Liquor'
1)
Old wine is made by man. It is not natural. Let’s look at how fermented
wine is made, and what makes it “old”:
a)
It must be allowed to “decay” or spoil (the natural starches in the
juice are allowed to break-down into sugars and alcohol).
b)
The temperature, and sugar content must be regulated. If the decaying
process is not carefully controlled, then it will sour, and be bitter, and
therefore not enjoyable.
c)
Yeast (“leaven” in the Bible) is added to enhance the decaying
process. This is referred to as “mingling” wine with additional ingredients.
Mingled wine may have sugars and other seasonings added during the fermentation
process to enhance the flavour for those "special meals."
"Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out
her seven pillars: She hath killed
her beasts; she hath mingled her wine;
she hath also furnished her table." (Prov 9:2)
"Who
hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath
wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the
wine; they that go to seek mixed wine."
(Prov 23:29,30)
d)
When kept under pressure, the resulting carbon
dioxide from the fermentation is retained in the liquid until opened,
producing a “pop” and resulting in all the carbonated bubbles, as well as
the “head” on beers.
2)
Old wine in the Bible is only used as
a drug, not a refreshing beverage:
"Drink no longer water, but USE a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
(1 Tim 5:23)
Emphasis mine.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he
was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound
up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,
and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."
(Luke 10:33,34).
3)
It is referred to as an “intoxicating” beverage because it has the
power to render someone senseless, or with less sense. Notice Paul tells Timothy
to “____ a little wine”, not drink a little wine. Use
it like you would a modern medicine. Old wine cleanses cuts and bruises, and can
be used to purify water under extreme circumstances. People kept it around
for “using”, not drinking. You would NEVER take glass-fulls of
medicines, yet people do with alcohol, and they do it to their hurt!
4)
Fermented wine is only the beginning of a path that leads to stronger
liquor! Alcoholic drink is never satisfying!
"Yea also, because he transgresseth (sins)
by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire
as hell, and is as death (that is what he looks like and smells like
after his "night out"), and cannot
be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all
people"
(Hab 2:5)
5)
Old wine is only permitted to be drunk (which is the past tense for of
the word "drink") in the following situations:
a)
When about to _____ - in order to not worry, and be able to ignore pains
and past haunting memories.
"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. Give strong drink unto him
that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him
drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more."
(Prov 31:4-7)
b)
As medicine, alcoholic wine can be used as:
i)
A psychological drug (Prov 31:6,7) to calm the overburdened mind - like
using a sleeping tablet.
ii)
A physical drug (1Tim 5:23; Lk 10:34) to ease pains, and clean out
wounds.
"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
(1Tim 5:23)
"But a certain Samaritan… bound up his wounds,
pouring in oil and wine, and set him
on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."
(Luke 10:33,34).
"And they gave him (Jesus on the cross) to
drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not."
(Mk 15:23). Jesus was NOT going to allow anything to be used to numb the pains
He was experiencing!
6)
The love of old wine is wrong
(Prov 21:17), and is therefore a fleshly lust that “______ against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11) - it keeps the person from ever
conquering sin and self, and being able to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).
"He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that
loveth wine and oil shall not be rich."
(Pr 21:17)
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain
from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1
Peter 2:11)
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit" (Eph
5:18)
c.
Strong
Drink
1)
Strong
drink (like whisky and rum) is harder drink than alcoholic wines and beers.
These drinks have been referred to as “spirits” due to all the “extra”
alcohol that is added to them for a greater “punch.”.
2)
Hard liquor is a picture of God’s wrath
and judgment on a nation - IT
IS NOT AS A BLESSING!
"For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
and the wine is red; it is full
of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the
wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."
(Ps 75:8)
"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou
wilt."
(Mt 26:39).
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud
voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb"
(Rev 14:9,10).
1.
If you drink New Wine - It
refreshes, and makes a person’s heart and health good (Ps 104:15, "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man"). Grape juice is good for digestion,
variation (variety is the spice of life), supply of vitamins, natural sugar and
extra energy intake.
2.
If you drink Old Wine and Strong
Drink:
a.
It numbs the brain making the person “think” that things are great.
It is Satan’s counterfeit of new wine, and of the joy of the Lord that comes
from enjoying natural foods.
b.
It impairs your ability to make right decisions:
"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." (Prov
31:4,5).
c.
Liquor and immoral sex always
go hand in hand (Gen 9:20-24; Hab 2:15,16; Lam 4:21). It enhances the domination of the flesh!
"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness
of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a
garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered
the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not
their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his
younger son had done unto him." (Gen 9:20-24)
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! Thou art filled with shame
for glory: drink thou also, and let thy
foreskin be uncovered (nakedness): the
cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing (vomiting)
shall be on thy glory." (Hab
2:15,16)
"Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that
dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup (of God's wrath) also shall pass through unto thee: thou
shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked." (Lamentations
4:21)
d.
Liquor and _________ go hand-in-hand.
"Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he
is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and
is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and
heapeth unto him all people… For the violence
of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid,
because of men's blood, and for the violence
of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein." (Hab 2:5,17)
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that
they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine
inflame them! (Isaiah
5:11)
e.
Watch how the Lord in Proverbs
23:29-35, describes the life of someone who spends their time enjoying a few
drinks:
1)
They have troubles (woe), and ___________, and arguments (contentions)
"Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions?"
2)
They don't make sense when they talk (they babble).
"Who hath babbling? …"
3)
They have wounds from fights that they don't remember.
"Who hath wounds without cause? …"
4)
They look terrible - not healthy and robust!
"Who hath redness of eyes? …" They
that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
5)
Alcoholic drinks have a hypnotic affect When you stare at it for a while, it moves in
the cup drawing you into its attraction.
"Look not
thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup,
when it moveth itself aright."
6)
Ultimately,
the drinker finds themselves in all sorts of trouble
(Pr 23:32-35):
a)
Bitten
with addiction to its poison!
Its effect is disastrous, not beneficial!
"At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth
like an adder.
b)
Lustful,
and remorseful
for all the things you end up doing and saying when you drink!
"Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine
heart shall utter perverse things."
c)
Physically
sick:
dizzy and unable to stand or walk straight.
"Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the
midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast."
d)
Emotionally
sick:
blaming everything and everyone around you instead of blaming yourself! You will
wish it was all a bad dream
(Pr 23:35)!
"They
have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?"
e)
Addicted
- dependant upon it, and not able to escape its hold on you
(Pr 23:35)!!
"I will seek it yet again."
f.
Liquor and self-centeredness
go hand-in-hand. Drinking has the habit of becoming more important than even the
welfare of your own children (Joel 3:3) - people will end up selling almost
anything in order to get a drink!
"And they have cast lots for my
people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink." (Joel 3:3)
g.
Liquor and religion
go hand-in-hand (Isaiah 28:7,8; Deut 32:31-38) - almost all the world’s
religions use either drugs or alcoholic drink to enhance their
“spirituality” in the worship of their god.
"But they also have erred through wine, and through
strong drink are out of the way; the
priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are
swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in
vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and
filthiness, so that there is no place clean." (Isaiah 28:7,8)
"For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies
themselves being judges. For their vine
is of the vine of Sodom, and of the
fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their
wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
… For the LORD shall judge
his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power
is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,
Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and
drank the wine of their drink offerings (to
false gods)? let them rise up and help
you, and be your protection." (Deut 32:31-38)
h.
Drinking in moderation is possible,
but rarely maintained, and always ends in disaster! Just as with anything, it IS possible
to do something, and it not hurt you (1Cor 6:12). But that is not the way to
tell if you should do it or not! We have to do what is RIGHT by God's standards,
and not what we can get away with!
"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are
not expedient:… I will not be brought under the power of any." (1
Corinthians 6:12)
i.
Drinking liquor drives you away from your _______ and family (Hab 2:5)
because it never can satisfy the emptiness of the heart!
"Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he
is a proud man, neither keepeth at home…
and (he)
is as death, and cannot be
satisfied…" (Habakkuk 2:5)
j.
Drinking liquor is usually pushed upon people (Hab 2:15). People don’t
normally go after the drink unless it is greatly advertised and pressured upon
them (see any conversation at a pub between someone who is drinking and someone
who is just sitting at the bar).
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest
him drunken…" (Hab 2:15)
1.
Beer is made using basically the same process as that of wine, except,
instead of using grapes, barley grain is used.
2.
The purpose of drinking beer is the same as that of wine - to help a
person “relax, and unwind.” A
normal Christian does not need a beer or a glass of wine to help them end a day,
anymore than a child does. An adult who looks to ANY drink for help at the end
of the day (to calm, and relax) is only looking for a cheep substitute to prayer
and fellowship with God. They are carnal,
and backslidden, and need to repent!
3.
Even though the alcoholic content of beer is low, that is not a reason to
drink it - most people who do drink beer,
drink a lot of it - not just a sip or two. At the end of the evening, the
beer drinker is full of alcohol, and is usually unfit to drive - and
is unfit to be a Christian!
D.
Biblical
Warnings about Liquor:
1.
Beware how drink becomes like a “god” to people.
They live for it!
“Woe unto
them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that
continue until night, till wine inflame them!”
(Isa 5:11)
2.
Drink
is made out to be a proof of your manhood and strength.
“Woe unto
them that are mighty to drink wine,
and men of strength to mingle strong
drink.”
(Isa 5:22)
3.
Drink
is not to be a social event in your home or anywhere.
“Woe (trouble) 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!”
(Hab 2:15)
4.
God
says that wine and drink will make a mockery out of you. In other words, the
person who drinks, is dumb, dumb, DUMB!
“Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging: and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise."
(Prov 20:1)
5.
Drink
is not a disease, but an act of the will against God - a sin!
E.
The
Usual Reasons for Drinking
- why people drink intoxicating liquors:
1.
To
forget troubles and heartaches - Sometimes God wants
you to have your troubles, to get you to see you are only "reaping
what you
______" (Galatians 6:7,8). To try to remove God’s payback for your sin is
to ignore God, and to reap more troubles. Then there are the times when you are
called upon to suffer for being in the right (Philippians 1:29). Who would run
to a bottle to "cope" with God's blessing (Mt 5:11,12)?
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting."
(Galatians 6:7,8)
"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him, but also to
suffer for his sake." (Philippians 1:29)
"Blessed are
ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake." (Mt 5:11)
For
a Christian to try and use anything other than Christ to cope with problems, is like a married man running to a harlot
to help him cope with his life's problems! It
is just as wicked in God's eyes!
2.
Because
they don’t have anywhere else to turn
a.
All humans are sinners by nature - we sin naturally. The core of our
being is sinful in God's eyes. We are not pure, and holy.
b.
Our sinfulness is the source of our emptiness, and lustful desires for
wrong things.
c.
The desire for Drink, is just one of many many sins that can take over a
person's life.
d.
So many have been presented with religion
as the answer to their sins, and sorrows, only to find it too is empty. So they
turn to drink. But only Christ will
satisfy when we turn to Him for the real help we need (Isa 53:4-6).
"Surely he
(Jesus)
hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
way; and the LORD hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)
3.
Because
they would rather take the risk with
drink, than with drugs
- they shouldn’t take either risk,
when there is a sure help with Christ (John 10:10)!
"I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
4.
Because
of pressure -
friends and family are too important to you if THEY can pressure you into doing
what God condemns (Mt 10:37)! What if they talk you into stealing, or lying - it
is all the same - you have no excuse, no
matter how much pressure you feel!
"He
that loveth father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37)
F.
The
Lie about
Drinking in “Moderation”
1.
Nobody can “handle” fermented liquor in moderation unless the
following conditions can be met:
a.
You have to first give a person
a drink, which violates Hab 2:15. Read it and see that it is wicked to give a
friend a drink!
“Woe unto
them that are mighty to drink wine,
and men of strength to mingle strong
drink.”
(Isa 5:22)
b.
The person has to first drink “to excess” to find out where their
limit is - this then violates the first rule of “drink” because you have to
get yourself “drunk” to know when enough is enough!
c.
The person then has to keep
drinking in order to develop and maintain their tolerance of drink,
so that they can handle more and more without getting drunk.
All
of this is just a balancing-act that God never intended the Christian to get
into. The Christian stays clear of things that can hinder their ability to serve
their Lord!
“Abstain
from all appearance of evil.”
(1Thes
5:22)
2.
Moderation
is anybody’s guess because a person does not usually know when they have
exceeded their own personal limit of drink until someone else sees it, or they
kill someone on the highway!
3.
Alcoholic
drink affects a person's alertness,
and yet the apostle Peter says in 1Peter 5:8, "Be
sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour"
4.
God expects a Christian to stop
drinking completely at salvation:
“Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived:Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, Nor
thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall
inherit the kingdom of God.
And such WERE
some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor 6:9-11)
5.
None of the listed people are “Christian” in their actions at all!
The thing to ask yourself as you re-read the list is: Can
I do ANY of those things, IN ANY AMOUNT and it be right with God? (Read
this question again and again until you get the meaning!)
a.
Neither fornicators -
Fornication is sex before marriage. If we are allowed to drink in moderation,
then according to this, it is ok when we commit fornication in moderation! NO! Fornication is wrong from the start!
b.
Nor idolaters - Idolatry is
completely wrong. A person cannot be a Christian and still have just a few
idols!
"Wherefore,
my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." (1Cor 10:14)
c.
Nor adulterers - Adultery is
sex with another partner besides your spouse and is completely wrong - No
Christian is right with God if they even commit adultery ONCE (Heb 13:4)! They
must repent, confess, and FORSAKE the sin - not just "reduce" it!
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed
undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13:4)
d.
Nor effeminate - Being
effeminate is when a man acts like a female, and is beginning down the road to
homosexuality. God says that it is wrong for a man to stop being masculine, and
says acting like a woman even in moderation is wicked!
e.
Nor abusers of themselves with
mankind - This is homosexuality, and is not condoned in the slightest! It is
an abomination to God!
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a
woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to
death; their blood shall be upon them."
(Lev 20:13)
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also
the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward
another; men with men working that
which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence (punishment)
of their error which was meet
(fitting)." (Rom 1:26,27)
f.
Nor thieves - Thievery is
wicked, and wrong even in the slightest amount for a Christian! You cannot
separate petty theft from big-time stealing. Stealing is wrong in all amounts!
"Let
him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his
hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
(Eph 4:28)
g.
Nor covetous - Covetousness is
wrong, and is not OK for the Christian just as long as that Christian doesn’t
let it take control of their life - it is just completely wrong (Ex 20:17)!
h.
Nor drunkards - Most people
when they come to this verse read all the above descriptions correctly, but when
they get to the word “drunkards” here they only imagine that God does not want a
Christian to get “plastered” drunk, and that it is OK if they drink a little. Sorry! Just as with ALL the other words, God
has no tolerance for the Christian even dabbling in any of this sin! God
considers a person who drinks even “in moderation” the same as a person who
gets drunk. To "take" just one item from a store brands you as a
"thief." To kill just one person brands you as a murderer!
To drink just ONE alcoholic drink identifies you in God's eyes (maybe not in
people's eyes), but in GOD's eyes as a DRUNK!
i.
Nor revilers - A reviler is a
bad tempered man or woman, and God says that the Christian is NOT to lose their
temper at all!
j.
Nor extortioners - Extortion
is the illegal gain of money. A Christian is never to obtain money illegally,
even if it is in “moderation!”
None
of the above people “shall inherit the kingdom of God.” And so the Bible continues,
“And such WERE some of you: but ye are washed (cleansed from the sins), but ye are
sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”
(1Cor 6:11).
Notice
that the Christians in Corinth had at some time in the past been sinful in one
or more of the above areas, butthat
NOW, because of Jesus Christ saving
them, they are different - they surely WERE that way, but are NOW washed,
sanctified, and justified by Christ - and they were not supposed to try and
“cut back” on adultery, idolatry, thievery, homosexuality, or drunkenness.
They were supposed to stop all of it
completely, and live for Jesus Christ - the One who saved them "______ their
sins"
(Mt 1:21), not saved them to be able to remain IN their sins.
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins."
G.
Questions
from Other Scriptures
-
Here are presented some verses that people quote to prove drinking in moderation
for a Christian is permissible:
"And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit" Ephesians 5:18
1.
Ephesians
5:18 The question is, whether the “excess”
is in being drunken (which is usually
thought), or in the wine itself
(see Pr 20:1)?
a.
Look at 1 Peter 4:4. Is it ok if a Christian does just a
"little" rioting, as long as it is in moderation? NO! The riot itself
is excessive, just like wine itself is
excessive!
"Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with
them to the same excess of riot,
speaking evil of you" (1 Peter 4:4)
b.
The Christian has been converted
at salvation from sin's power to the power in the life of Jesus Christ, and
therefore, the person's desires
have been
converted - they have been changed from seeking satisfaction in wine, money,
rebellion (riot) and pleasures, to seeking the things of God, and especially the
Holy Spirit!
c.
Most "Christians" only dabble in yielding to the Holy Spirit
because they want to continue to "dabble" in yielding to the desire
for wine and beer and strong drink! God help us to get either on one side or the
other. Jesus said in Rev 3:16,17, "thou art
neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
"A bishop then must be … not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but
patient, not a brawler, not covetous"
1Timothy 3:2,3
2.
1
Timothy 3:3 The question here is whether “given”
can only mean “intoxicated” or “addicted” to something. Look at verse 2
where “given to hospitality” is not intended to mean “intoxicated” with it,
but open, and welcoming it to happen in your daily life. The Christian is commanded NOT to welcome drink into their life, nor
to be open to drinking AT ALL! In other words, don't even desire it!
"Likewise must the deacons be grave, not
doubletongued, not given to much wine,
not greedy of filthy lucre" 1 Timothy 3:8
1
Timothy 3:8
“...not given to much
wine” is referring to home use
where you CAN use old wine in medicinal uses, but the Christian is to be careful
not to get used to having it in everything you eat and drink. People can abuse a
drug that was meant to aid medicinally, and end up getting addicted to it - like
modern kids “sniffing glue!” Glue is good to have around your home - but
make sure that you don’t find yourself buying loads of it to sustain
someone’s “habit!”
3.
“habit!” The
wine here is like the wine of Romans 14:21, ("It is good neither to eat
flesh, nor to drink wine , nor any
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak"),
where
the Deacon must be above question, and careful not to allow in his home what
would cause others to stumble, including even grape juice. Remember, the same
kind of "bottles" that held intoxicating wine, also would at other
times hold fresh, grape juice. The problem would be for the new believer to
discern whether "deacon so and so" was drinking alcohol, or new wine
(the bottles weren't probably labelled).
"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of
God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not
given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre" Tit 1:7
4.
Titus
1:7 Again, it is the same thing as 1Timothy 3:3, but especially
notice the words “not given to filthy lucre”
- if we can drink to moderation, then, as long as we are moderate about it, we
can partake of filthy lucre (money obtained wrongfully, just for the love of
it)! The Bible is its own interpreter. The words "not given to"
means "not
desiring it."
"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour
as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not
given to much wine, teachers of good things"
Titus 2:3
5.
Titus
2:3 “not given to much
wine.” See 1 Timothy 3:8 above. The problem here is whether a person is
allowed to drink as long as "much" is not consumed. No. The command is
that the older women of the passage were to resist the constant pressure of the
day to turn to wine, and to teach the younger women GOOD things, not how to drink!
"And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying
one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full
of new wine." Acts 2:12,13
6.
Acts
2:12,13
“drunk with new wine” - Those who doubted the supernatural nature
of the events of Pentecost came up with some illogical conclusions about why it
was happening:
a.
Some said this was “crazy” (saying this event had no meaning).
b.
Others thought they were drunk
with “________ wine,” which is only a derogatory statement. Nobody can get
drunk on NEW wine because grape juice does not have any intoxication. It is like
saying they were drunk because of
drinking buttermilk - being unable to handle anything more than milk. The world
just brands things that they don't understand as crazy, or immature. That’s
how they treat most of history, and the Bible.
"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:
Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them
to the same excess of riot, speaking
evil of you" 1Peter 4:3,4
7.
1
Peter 4:3 “excess of wine”
- This implies that as long as you don’t get caught up in drinking wine “to
excess” (where you get drunk), then you are all right with God. According to
Ephesians 5:18, the excess is IN the fermented wine to begin with - it is built
into wine. The thing that Peter points out in this verse is that these
Christians were no longer caught-up in the excess of wine - they had been saved,
and their thirst for liquor had been converted to a thirst for God and His Holy
Spirit! For further proof, look at verse 4, where the excess is found in the “rioting”
- it is NOT good for a person to riot, as long as it was in moderation, and not
in excess - that would be silly!
John 2:1-11
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of
Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his
disciples, to the marriage. And
when they wanted wine, the mother of
Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have
I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after
the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And he saith
unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare
it.
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the
water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants
which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and
saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when
men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the
good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him."
8.
John
2:1-11
“the water that was made wine” - This is usually where everyone
refers to when they want to justify their desire to drink alcoholic wine, never
imagining for one moment that the wine these people were drinking might actually
be just fresh grape juice!
a.
Can you imagine Jesus showing up three days into a drunken binge, and
offering them MORE liquor? Go on, think about it!!!
b.
Jesus would be violating His own rules if He gave His neighbour alcoholic
“drink” (Hab 2:15).
c.
Jesus made extra special tasting pure grape juice that was enjoyed by all
the members of the wedding party because they still had their discerning senses
even though they had been drinking “wine” for three whole days! These people
were not drunk with fermented alcoholic liquor, but were enjoying refreshing
grape juice!
d.
Jesus
never drank wine that was mixed with anything else (Mk 15:23), but was only
fresh from the vine
(Mark 14:25)!
"And they gave him (Jesus on the cross) to
drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he
received it not." (Mark 15:23)
"Verily
I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that
day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
(Mark 14:25)
H.
How
To Overcome the Addiction, and Attraction to Liquor
- The following list is a basic outline of things a person has to do to win over
the addiction of alcohol - for a more thorough study, contact Pastor Craig.
1.
Accept
the
fact that no one is born an alcoholic, but rather we are all born sinners, and
therefore sin - some by drinking, and others by thieving, etc. Without the
salvation that Christ purchased on His cross, there is no victory available over
drink or any other sin in your life!
2.
Get
saved (Mt 1:21; 11:28,29). You cannot win over addiction without the
victorious power of Christ in your life! This cannot be over-emphasized: an
alcoholic must not seek to become sober, or become a better husband, or anything
but a defeated sinner who surrenders to the saving power of Jesus Christ (Rom
10:13)! You must come to the living SAVIOUR, and only then will you find rest in
your SOUL!
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins." (Matt 1:21)
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls." (Matt 11:28,29)
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
3.
Surrender
your entire life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Mt 7:24-27) - Let HIM be
the authority that tells you how to live your life - no longer live for your own
appetites! Don’t be a slave
to your habits - instead, be a prisoner
of Jesus Christ from now on
(Eph 4:1)!
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a
rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matthew(Mt
7:24-27)
4.
Repent
of drink as a wicked and evil sin against both God, and the temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is your body (1 Cor 3:17; 6:19,20). This means more than being
sorry - it means forsaking the sin of drink, and replacing it with the Holy
Spirit of God
(Prov 28:13)!
"If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Cor 3:17)
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor 6:19,20)
5.
Replace
the drink with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18).
"And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)
a.
Fast and pray through the struggles of depression, anxiety, and
nervousness that got you dependant upon drink in the first place!
b.
Seek God's Holy Spirit to fill each of those holes in your life that you
used to try and fill with alcoholic drink!
c.
Progressively saturate your life with God's word in study, and with God's
work, as you yield to right living!
d.
Remember, sin (even drink) "shall not have _________ over
you."
"Sin
shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14)
6.
Become
accountable
to a mature Christian who will help you through the times you used to rely on
the liquor for. This is a must. You
at least need a godly, Bible-preaching pastor to whom you can rely upon for
straight biblical counsel, and rebuke when needed. You also need friends that
will be there for you when you struggle and want to give in.
7.
Get
busy serving the Lord
in your life - quit having so much time to spend drinking, and get out dealing
with people about Christ! You will find that you have a load of money to use for
tithing and a load of time to spend getting the gospel out to the lost!
III. Brief Summary of Conclusions
A.
There are two kinds of wine - new (fresh squeezed) and old (alcoholic).
B.
God forbids and warns against the distribution of old wine, unless it is
only for medicinal purposes.
C.
Jesus never drank old wine - He always drank it new, fresh from the
grape.
D.
Drinking wine and strong drink “in moderation” is impossible for a
Christian, just like committing adultery in moderation is impossible!
E.
Drinking beer is the same as drinking wine in God’s eyes.
F.
The Christian who seeks to be filled with God’s Holy
Spirit MUST abstain (stay totally
away) from intoxicating “spirits”.
G.
There is a CURE for addition to alcohol - becoming a slave to nothing and
nobody outside of Jesus Christ through His perfect word!
H.
Therefore, the only way out of addition to alcohol is found in
repentance, and surrender to Christ on a daily basis, seeking to be filled with
the Spirit as you study, and live by the perfect words of the living God - the
Bible!
Craig
Ledbetter is Pastor of the Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland.
He can
be contacted at the address bellow: