Alcohol

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on November 7, 2012 at 12:34pm

There are differing opinions on this subject, but the Bible does not clearly condemn the drinking of alcohol. It does, as you have stated, condemn drunkenness. The Bible also tells us to be careful of what we do, meaning that we are to keep the weaker brother in mind. If you know a person is a recovering alcoholic you would not serve wine at dinner.

 

It is safe to say it is better to refrain from alcohol, but it is not a command. I have chosen to refrain ... that is a free choice on my part.

 

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by adam chung on November 7, 2012 at 8:24pm

Yes like LT said, it is not a command but you must consider your brothers and sisters.  The bible talks about being cautious and to not cause your brothers and sisters to stumble.  Being drunk not only desecrates the temple of the Holy Spirit (the body), but can also cause others to stray from God based on a popular view of Christians being hypocrites.  As you mentioned, drinking in moderation is the key.  It is easy to take the pleasures of the world and turn them into idols; for example money, entertainment, alcohol, etc.  As long as you make conscious decisions about them and enjoy them with good intent, then it will be ok.   

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on November 8, 2012 at 9:28pm

I have always liked this post by brother Ron:

 

Reply by Ron Payne on June 23, 2008 at 1:42am

 

"Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." 1Co 8:13

Working amongst Alcoholics I found that even though Paul referred to meat and not wine, yet under the circumstances, it was important for me, to not be known or seen as being a partaker of alcohol. Rather than be a hypocrite, I stopped drinking alcohol completely.

Many social workers amongst alcoholics will say: "No! People should not allow the failings of others to rule your life" They continued to drink socially. Yet Alcoholics would point them out to me and ask: "How is it possible to speak of the dangers of even starting off with one drink, when they themselves drink?"
I found that it was indeed a denial of what some social workers believed. It was easy to judge who had the correct approach, by the successes we had.

Alcohol can deceive in that it can easily become a habit. There is basically no cure for alcoholism.
An Alcoholic can stop drinking for a long period of time. Swear that he is completely free and cured. One morning he wakes up to a hangover as if he had been drinking all night. The urge is so strong and the conviction that he needs to have a "Straightener" so persistent that he does not go to work that day but spends his time waiting in front of the store for them to open. Unfortunately he CANNOT at this stage just have one drink. He returns to the exact same condition that he was in, before he stopped.

There is a drug called "Anti booze". This is given to alcoholics to assist them to not drink. It cannot cure them. What it does is create a situation, that should they have one drink on top of "Anti booze" they start to feel they are going to die, after awhile they start to fear that they are not going to die.

One can always tell if an Alcoholic who is on "Anti-Booze" has begun to feel the desperate need to have another drink. This condition is known as a "Dry Drunk". Because he knows he cannot drink on top of "Anti Booze", he then starts to persuade himself and his family that he no longer requires the medication "Look at me!" he will argue "I have been off the alcohol for 8 months" He then stops his medication and once he is sure that his system is clear. He goes back to drinking and cannot stop until he needs help once again.

To avoid the situation described above. Alcoholics can have an implant of "Anti Booze". Normally placed in the upper leg by a surgeon.

When an Alcoholic experiences a "Dry Drunk" again, where the need for alcohol becomes so great, they have been known to cut "hack" the medication out of their legs themselves.

There is a need for the alcoholic to have regular support amongst other alcoholics who will understand and know exactly what their Buddy is going through and the symptoms he will show when leading up to a "Dry Drunk".
Alcoholics Anonymous do a great job in these circumstances. Unfortunately their claim towards being religious fails in that their belief is in "The God as You understand Him" They use this term because Alcoholics come from every religion. One Alcoholic told me that the God as he understood Him, was a bottle of Brandy that he had purposely placed on top of the wardrobe facing his bed. This was to remind him everyday as to who or what was his God.

The worst thing you can do to help an alcoholic is to scold him and pour his booze down the drain.
He needs expert help from those who specialise in the problem.  Ofcourse there are many today who are totally free from alcohol and have passed the need for assistance. But they are the ones who are and have been totally aware of the sutuation for quite some time and refuse to have "just one drink"

You Brother and friend - Ron.

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on November 8, 2012 at 9:31pm

This is my post, from an old discussion:

 

http://www.allaboutgod.net/forum/topics/1383940:Topic:144317?id=138...

 

Are we talking about someone who drinks wine as part of a meal? A social drinker, as Christians we should not partake in such practice. Are we talking about hard liquor? Are we talking about someone who had a history with alcohol or someone who all their adult life has been able to drink a margarita every blue moon to once a year and go no further?

Drinking not to get drunk has never been a sin and is not now a sin. But should a Christian drink! Generally speaking, no, a Christian should not drink. If a Christian likes a glass of wine here and there, but lives in a culture that consider drinking to be a sin for Christians, even if they do not get drunk; it should be done in the privacy of their home, Why????? Why not drink a drink every blue moon - I never had a problem in my life drinking, and the bible says not to get drunk, not, not to drink.... So why would I have to do it in the privacy of my home?

SO IF A DRINK (A DRINK) IS NOT A SIN (unless a drink gets you drunk) WHY ARE WE NOT TO DRINK – We live in a society that looks at drinking as a sinful action for Christians (not for them, but for us, especially those with ministry gifts), so we love people enough to not do anything that can hurt our testimony, plus you all know that once the Spirit of the Lord is upon you with his awesome anointing all You want is more of him…. And drinking is not an issue.

Paul says (all things are lawful unto me, but not all things are wise...) Even if something is technically OK with God, and not pushing the envelope too far, is it the wisest thing you can do?

Pastor Randy (a good friend of mine) told me the following story:
His dad used to make beer steak, you cook steak in beer, it kills the alcohol, but makes the steak taste like beer. Nothing wrong with that right? Well, he had been witnessing to a lady for many years and one day went to the store to buy his beer and steak to cook together, not to drink it, she happened to be the checkout lady! She freaked out and told him to never witness to her again. He tried to explain, but she wouldn’t hear it. From that day on his dad has never made it again, why? Not because God doesn’t want him to, but to stay away from the appearance of evil.

Romans 14 – however teaches that if something is sin to you then its sin and don’t do it, but don’t try to impose that conviction on someone else.

The easy way out is to say drinking is a sin.... Period. But we then are saying something the bible does not teach. Some pastors are not equip to communicate the truth properly or fear that the congregation will take their comments out of context and only hear what they want to hear, so they just choose to say drinking is a sin. As I often state: we are to be prudent when we teach the truth, but what people do with that truth is between them and God.

Those who had issues with alcohol should never drink and those who never had a drinking problem should not drink, because is perceived by those we are trying to reach as sin and because we are so full of the Holy Spirit we have no desire for it….

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