Alcohol: "Less Degradation and Misery" (Part 2)

As a co-worker once observed: "Show me a man who can change water into wine, and I'll show you a man with a lot of friends." Of course, he was thinking that Jesus created alcoholic wine, just as country singers Thomas Rhett and Miranda Lambert do. If Jesus believed in partying (or created booze for others to party), then why did His apostles teach sobriety? Consider a few verses.

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober… (1 Thess. 5:6-8a).

Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded (Titus 2:6).

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers (1 Peter 4:7).

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

And when the devil swallows up a Christian, he does not care if he or she is already pickled. Now who gave Peter and Paul the authority to command sobriety if they did not receive it from Jesus? Were they so presumptuous as to manufacture this doctrine out of thin air? Did they add in something the Lord left out? No. Jesus Himself taught, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

The Second Story

An article related to the mostly pro-drinking article just reviewed from January's Christian Chronicle is titled, "How Drinking Became an Idol" (30-31). The female author of the article begins with a riveting paragraph, in which she asks readers to envision what in their minds would be the picture of an alcoholic—from a binge drinking college student to a wino with a bottle in a brown paper bag. Then she asks, "Or could it be the clean-faced preacher's wife sitting in the pew on Sunday morning, nursing the first of many hangovers for the week?" (30). The writer is speaking firsthand from her own experience.

Objectionable is her blasé attitude toward a problem that has made her miserable. Her poignant paragraph begins with the words, "While some Christians may drink alcohol responsibly, many may be struggling more than you could imagine." Exactly! And this is one of the reasons Christians should never begin drinking, period. But she disagrees, saying that some might point to her story as proof "that drinking alcohol of any sort is sinful" (30). So then, drinking is okay?

Why would someone who has suffered so many problems defend the use of alcohol? Wouldn't this be like someone whose life and marriage was ruined by pornography defending the rights of others to view it? Someone might respond by saying, "Just because I know someone who was killed in an automobile accident doesn't mean I'm not going to drive a car," or "Just because the Titanic sank doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy my Caribbean cruise." Right, and both of those examples are valid, but they are not parallel with something that is inherently evil. Presumably, everyone knows that Matthew 5:28 condemns pornography; we'll show the evils of alcohol shortly.

Despite writing several paragraphs about the problems of becoming an alcoholic (and not even realizing it), she eventually says, "I do not want to condemn all drinking" (31). What? Why not? Maybe she wrote the line so as not to alienate those in the position she was in—so that they might listen to her. She does rave about how much better her life is now. But what does the Bible say about drinking?

One general observation is: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler. and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Pr. 20:1). Why is wine a mocker? Supposing that every earnest soul just intended to have a glass or two of wine and that every one of them succeeded, and that all people drank responsibly, how would wine be a mocker? Brethren have explained this problem well, but The Pulpit Commentary contains some excellent wisdom:

The evil that it produces comes on by slow and insidious stages. No one thinks of becoming a drunkard on the first day of tasting intoxicating drink. Every victim of the terrible evil of intemperance was once an innocent child, and, whether he began in youth or in later years, every one who has gone to excess commenced with moderate and apparently harmless quantities. Happily, the majority of those who take a little are wise or strong enough not to abandon themselves to the tyranny of drinking habits. But the difficulty is to determine beforehand who will be able to stand and who will not have sufficient strength. Under these circumstances, it is a daring piece of presumption for anyone to be quite sure that he will always be so wary as to keep out of the snare that has been fatal to many of his brethren who were far safer not to tempt our own natures, and to guard ourselves against the mockery of wine, by keeping from all use of the strong drink itself (9:1:391).

Wine mocks us in precisely the way this commentator described. This nation's 15,000,000 alcoholics all began by thinking they could handle their liquor. They have all been mocked by wine.

"Don't Drink" Versus "Don't Get Drunk"

Many are quick to say, "But the Bible doesn't say, "Don't drink"; it says, "Don't get drunk." First, go back and read the last section. Next, read carefully Proverbs 23:31: "Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly." Now, if God's people are warned not to even look upon it, then actually drinking it ought to be considered out of the question. But why shouldn't folks even look upon it? Wine is a mocker.

Solomon lists several practical reasons for abstinence, such as woes, sorrows, contentions, wounds, complaints, seeing strange things, and speaking perversely. People are familiar with these effects of alcohol; they surprise no one. So, if this verse is not saying, "Don't drink at all," what is it saying?

"But that's in the Old Testament." Yes, the entire Book of Proverbs is—not to mention Psalms and 37 other books. We are truly not under the covenant that God made with Israel, which was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14); we are under only the New Testament of Jesus Christ. However, do we not regard the facts of the Old Testament as true? Do we not regard the prophecies of the Old Testament as true? Do we not regard the moral principles of the Old Testament as true? When Jesus was asked about marriage, to what passage did He go, if not Genesis 2:18-25?

The Old Testament has great value for Christians as well as Jews. Proverbs 23:31 is clear; has God changed His mind? The New Testament is replete with warnings against drunkenness. Probably the most familiar verse is what Paul wrote in Galatians 5:21, but Jesus also warned against being "weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come upon you unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34).

The New Testament does not repeat Proverbs 20:1 and 23:29-35 because it is unnecessary. They already explained the way in which wine makes a mockery of people and the problems associated with drinking. Does wine work differently now than it did 3,000 years ago? No, the same principles describing all these matters are the same as they were back then. We also now know all the damage that alcohol does to the liver and other organs. It was poisoning people's bodies back then just as it is today even though no mention is made of it. Alcohol ravages the body no matter what covenant anyone has lived under.

Justifying Wine

"But there are verses that recommend wine." Hmm. This statement springs from desperation. Okay, so let's look at Proverbs 31:6-7:

Give strong wine to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

One can almost hear someone saying, "Well, I'm miserable, poor, and bitter." Sigh. Really? Does that sound like an appropriate description for a child of God? First of all; this verse has a context—the one who is perishing and about to die. This is an exception to the usual rule as already stated in Proverbs 20:1 and 23:29-35. The Bible does not contradict itself; so, this verse is not teaching that social drinking is sometimes the right thing to do. In order for this exception to apply, a person must be about to die. The reasonably healthy soul has no case or authority for drinking alcohol recreationally.

Jesus was offered wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23) in order to offer Him relief from the pain of the crucifixion, but He refused. We also know that wine could be used as medicine. It is found in several health remedies today. The other three descriptions are not separate categories; the misery is associated with the dying soon to follow. The same is so with the bitterness and the poverty. Notice that the first verb is give. He is not on his way to the liquor store for a few snorts after dinner. Let him drink is giving permission (as well as the alcohol) under the circumstance of his impending death.

Another argument that the writer of the "Idol" article made was based on Psalm 104:15: "And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart." Notice the other two items are legitimate; therefore, there is no reason to think that the wine in this verse is anything but the tasty fruit of the grape. If the psalmist meant an intoxicating beverage, he would have been at odds with what Solomon wrote. Also, there is no reason to doubt that what Melchizedek brought to Abraham was anything other than the fresh fruit of the grape (Gen. 14:18).

Conclusion

Yayin in the Old Testament and oinos in the New Testament are both words that refer to fermented or unfermented wine. The context must determine which type of wine is meant.

One other point needs to be made. In light of the fact that 15,000,000 people in this country are alcoholics, and none of them intended to become such when they began drinking, does anyone bear responsibility for getting them to where they are now? Of course, each one of them must give an account of themselves (2 Cor. 5:10), but what about those who encouraged them to drink in the first place—their parents, their friends, or (dare we suggest) even Christians?

If Paul talked about the guilt someone must bear for being a stumbling block to a brother regarding the eating of meats offered to idols, what would he say about a "Christian" fellowship in which alcoholic beverages were served? What occurs in the mind of a sinner or a new Christian when he comes to your home, and you offer him wine or beer? He thinks, "If Christians do this, it must be all right." Thanks to encouragement from a Christian, he may become an alcoholic; his soul may be lost. Abstinence avoids having to live with regrets.