We learn from the Bible that it is okay to drink a little alcohol, but not okay to drink a lot. Where do you draw the line?
Alcohol
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Moderation.
If you're out of control you've gone too far.
Same with eating. Same with just about everything.
If you're out of control you've gone too far.
Same with eating. Same with just about everything.
half my family drinks
my dad is good at not getting drunk, but it does make me sad.Do you think "heavy" eaters think they eat moderately?
I think people with problems know they have problems.
Y
Yahweh_is_gracious
Guest
Yes, we are. I say this as someone who is most likely an alcoholic but also as someone who is still deluded in thinking that I have control over my drinking, which I obviously do not.
Wine just goes with food. It also has some other health helps (antioxidants, etc.) - and I think we all know what moderation is. Usually you can "feel" it. But I drink about 5 or 6 oz. with a moderate dinner. To me, it compliments cheese and various foods. Especially salmon.
It becomes a problem when you must have it when you are stressed - or cannot go for a time without it. Keeping it as part of a special dinner is not a problem. And certainly not a small glass.
It becomes a problem when you must have it when you are stressed - or cannot go for a time without it. Keeping it as part of a special dinner is not a problem. And certainly not a small glass.
Psalm 104.15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
I will drink no wine before its time.
Okay, it's time!
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75 Bible References on Drinking Alcohol
Should Christians really totally abstain from alcoholic drinks? Or does God tell us we can drink moderately?
In the 1800’s and early 1900’s the church in America took a bold stand for total abstinence. People read research about the word "wine;" Bible studies showed the truth about alcohol. The result was Prohibition with its great benefits. But the prohibition amendment was repealed, and the church began to weaken its conviction against alcohol. Today some pastors say, "What’s wrong with a six pack? Why get hung up on a little wine at a wedding?"
The Bible is the same "yesterday, today, and forever." What godly Bible teachers said in the past is true today. Dr. Robert Teachout, A Semitic scholar who, in 1979, wrote his doctorate on The Use of Wine in the Old Testament, stated, "Alcohol is never approved by God in any amount for the obedient Christian."
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, author of Wine in the Bible, 1989, says, Drinking Alcohol is...a moral issue. It is...a transgression of God’s law."
FACTS TO KNOW
1) The Bible does teach total abstinence from alcohol. Both the main Hebrew word for wine and the Greek word for wine can mean either fermented grape juice or intoxicating wine. The English word wine originally had two meanings also - unfermented juice or alcoholic drink.
2) In the Bible, verses to show God approves of wine are speaking about unfermented juice. Verses that expose the evils of wine are speaking about intoxicating wine.
3) The Bible says alcoholic drink is evil. It is not just the amount one drinks that makes drinking a sin. God condemns the drink itself. (Prov 20:1 KJV) Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
4) God does not lead us into evil; He delivers us from it. He does not teach us to practice evil in moderation. Jesus did not make, use, approve, commend, or tell us to use intoxicating wine.
5) God made man to have fellowship with Him. Alcohol goes directly to the brain, the communication center of the body. It interferes with God’s purpose for mankind.
75 WARNINGS
There is more Scripture condemning the use of alcoholic beverages than will be found on the subjects of lying, adultery, swearing, cheating, hypocrisy, pride, or even blasphemy.
1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.
2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality
3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.
4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine.
5) Deuteronomy 21:20 - A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious.
6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 - God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.
7) Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 - Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink.
9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 - Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine.
10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 - Nabal died after a drunken spree.
11) 2 Samuel 11:13 - By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.
12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 - Amnon was drunk when he was killed.
13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 - The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated
14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 - Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.
15) Esther 1:5-12 - The king gave each one all the drink he wanted. The king was intoxicated when he commanded the queen to come.
16) Psalm 75:8 - The Lord’s anger is pictured as mixed wine poured out and drunk by the wicked.
17) Proverbs 4:17 - Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.
18) Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.
19) Proverbs 23:19-20 - A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.
20) Proverbs 23:21 - Drunkenness causes poverty.
21) Proverbs 23:29-30 - Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.
22) Proverbs 23:31 - God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.
23) Proverbs 23:32 - Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.
24) Proverbs 23:33 - Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces willfulness, and prevents reformation.
25) Proverbs 23:34 - Alcohol makes the drinker unstable
26) Proverbs 23:35 - Alcohol makes the drinker insensitive to pain so he does not perceive it as a warning. Alcohol is habit forming.
27) Proverb 31:4-5 - Kings, Princes, and others who rule and judge must not drink alcohol. Alcohol perverts good judgment.
28) Proverbs 31:6-7 - Strong drink could be given to those about to perish or those in pain. Better anesthetics are available today.
29) Ecclesiastes 2:3 - The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
30) Ecclesiastes 10:17 - A land is blessed when its leaders do not drink.
31) Isaiah 5:11-12 - Woe to those who get up early to drink and stay up late at night to get drunk.
32) Isaiah 5:22 - Woe to "champion" drinkers and "experts" at mixing drinks.
33) Isaiah 19:14 - Drunken men stagger in their vomit.
34) Isaiah 22:12-13 - The Israelites choose to drink; their future looks hopeless to them.
35) Isaiah 24:9 - Drinkers cannot escape the consequences when God judges.
36) Isaiah 28:1 - God pronounces woe on the drunkards of Ephraim.
37) Isaiah 28:3 - Proud drunkards shall be trodden down.
38) Isaiah 28:7 - Priests and prophets stagger and reel from beer and wine, err in vision, and stumble in judgment.
39) Isaiah 28:8 - Drinkers’ tables are covered with vomit and filth.
40) Isaiah 56:9-12 - Drinkers seek their own gain and expect tomorrow to be just like today.
41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 - The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.
42) Ezekiel 44:21 - Again God instructed the priests not to drink wine.
43) Daniel 1:5-17 - Daniel refused the king’s intoxicating wine and was blessed for it along with his abstaining friends.
44) Daniel 5:1 - Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon; led his people in drinking.
45) Daniel 5:2-3 - The king, along with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank from the goblets which had been taken from God’s temple.
46) Daniel 5:4 - Drinking wine was combined with praising false gods.
47) Daniel 5:23 - God sent word to Belshazzar that punishment would be swift for the evil he had committed.
48) Hosea 4:11 - Intoxicating wine takes away intelligence.
49) Hosea 7:5 - God reproves princes for drinking.
50) Joel 1:5 - Drunkards awake to see God’s judgment.
51) Joel 3:3 - The enemy is judged for selling girls for wine.
52) Amos 2:8 - Unrighteous acts of Israel included the drinking of wine which had been taken for the payment of fines.
53) Amos 2:12 - Israel is condemned for forcing Nazarites to drink wine.
54) Micah 2:11 - Israelites are eager to follow false teachers who prophesy plenty of intoxicating drinks.
55) Nahum 1:10 - The drunkards of Nineveh will be destroyed by God.
56) Habakkuk 2:5 - A man is betrayed by wine.
57) Habakkuk 2:15 - Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink.
58) Habakkuk 2:16 - Drinking leads to shame.
59) Matthew 24:48-51 - A drinking servant is unprepared for his Lord’s return.
60) Luke 1:15 - John the Baptist drank neither grape juice nor wine.
61) Luke 12:45 - Christ warned against drunkenness.
62) Luke 21:34 - Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.
63) Romans 13:13 - Do not walk in drunkenness or immorality.
64) Romans 14:21 - Do not do anything that will hurt your testimony as a believer.
65) 1 Corinthians 5:11 - If a Christian brother is a drinker, do not associate with him.
66) 1 Corinthians 6:10 - Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God
67) Galatians 5:21 - Acts of the sinful nature, such as drunkenness, will prohibit a person from inheriting the kingdom of God.
68) Ephesians 5:18 - In contrast to being drunk with wine, the believer is to be filled with the Spirit.
69) 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7 - Christians are to be alert and self-controlled, belonging to the day. Drunkards belong to the night and darkness.
70) 1 Timothy 3:2-3 - Bishops (elders) are to be temperate, sober, and not near any wine.
71) 1 Timothy 3:8 - Deacons are to be worthy of respect and not drinkers.
72) 1 Timothy 3:11 - Deacons’ wives are to be temperate and sober.
73) Titus 1:7-8 - An overseer is to be disciplined.
74) Titus 2:2-3 - The older men and older women of the church are to be temperate and not addicted to wine.
75) 1 Peter 4:3-4 - The past life of drunkenness and carousing has no place in the Christian’s life.
75 Bible References on Drinking Alcohol
Should Christians really totally abstain from alcoholic drinks? Or does God tell us we can drink moderately?
In the 1800’s and early 1900’s the church in America took a bold stand for total abstinence. People read research about the word "wine;" Bible studies showed the truth about alcohol. The result was Prohibition with its great benefits. But the prohibition amendment was repealed, and the church began to weaken its conviction against alcohol. Today some pastors say, "What’s wrong with a six pack? Why get hung up on a little wine at a wedding?"
The Bible is the same "yesterday, today, and forever." What godly Bible teachers said in the past is true today. Dr. Robert Teachout, A Semitic scholar who, in 1979, wrote his doctorate on The Use of Wine in the Old Testament, stated, "Alcohol is never approved by God in any amount for the obedient Christian."
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, author of Wine in the Bible, 1989, says, Drinking Alcohol is...a moral issue. It is...a transgression of God’s law."
FACTS TO KNOW
1) The Bible does teach total abstinence from alcohol. Both the main Hebrew word for wine and the Greek word for wine can mean either fermented grape juice or intoxicating wine. The English word wine originally had two meanings also - unfermented juice or alcoholic drink.
2) In the Bible, verses to show God approves of wine are speaking about unfermented juice. Verses that expose the evils of wine are speaking about intoxicating wine.
3) The Bible says alcoholic drink is evil. It is not just the amount one drinks that makes drinking a sin. God condemns the drink itself. (Prov 20:1 KJV) Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
4) God does not lead us into evil; He delivers us from it. He does not teach us to practice evil in moderation. Jesus did not make, use, approve, commend, or tell us to use intoxicating wine.
5) God made man to have fellowship with Him. Alcohol goes directly to the brain, the communication center of the body. It interferes with God’s purpose for mankind.
75 WARNINGS
There is more Scripture condemning the use of alcoholic beverages than will be found on the subjects of lying, adultery, swearing, cheating, hypocrisy, pride, or even blasphemy.
1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.
2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality
3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.
4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine.
5) Deuteronomy 21:20 - A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious.
6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 - God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.
7) Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 - Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink.
9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 - Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine.
10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 - Nabal died after a drunken spree.
11) 2 Samuel 11:13 - By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.
12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 - Amnon was drunk when he was killed.
13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 - The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated
14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 - Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.
15) Esther 1:5-12 - The king gave each one all the drink he wanted. The king was intoxicated when he commanded the queen to come.
16) Psalm 75:8 - The Lord’s anger is pictured as mixed wine poured out and drunk by the wicked.
17) Proverbs 4:17 - Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.
18) Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.
19) Proverbs 23:19-20 - A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.
20) Proverbs 23:21 - Drunkenness causes poverty.
21) Proverbs 23:29-30 - Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.
22) Proverbs 23:31 - God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.
23) Proverbs 23:32 - Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.
24) Proverbs 23:33 - Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces willfulness, and prevents reformation.
25) Proverbs 23:34 - Alcohol makes the drinker unstable
26) Proverbs 23:35 - Alcohol makes the drinker insensitive to pain so he does not perceive it as a warning. Alcohol is habit forming.
27) Proverb 31:4-5 - Kings, Princes, and others who rule and judge must not drink alcohol. Alcohol perverts good judgment.
28) Proverbs 31:6-7 - Strong drink could be given to those about to perish or those in pain. Better anesthetics are available today.
29) Ecclesiastes 2:3 - The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
30) Ecclesiastes 10:17 - A land is blessed when its leaders do not drink.
31) Isaiah 5:11-12 - Woe to those who get up early to drink and stay up late at night to get drunk.
32) Isaiah 5:22 - Woe to "champion" drinkers and "experts" at mixing drinks.
33) Isaiah 19:14 - Drunken men stagger in their vomit.
34) Isaiah 22:12-13 - The Israelites choose to drink; their future looks hopeless to them.
35) Isaiah 24:9 - Drinkers cannot escape the consequences when God judges.
36) Isaiah 28:1 - God pronounces woe on the drunkards of Ephraim.
37) Isaiah 28:3 - Proud drunkards shall be trodden down.
38) Isaiah 28:7 - Priests and prophets stagger and reel from beer and wine, err in vision, and stumble in judgment.
39) Isaiah 28:8 - Drinkers’ tables are covered with vomit and filth.
40) Isaiah 56:9-12 - Drinkers seek their own gain and expect tomorrow to be just like today.
41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 - The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.
42) Ezekiel 44:21 - Again God instructed the priests not to drink wine.
43) Daniel 1:5-17 - Daniel refused the king’s intoxicating wine and was blessed for it along with his abstaining friends.
44) Daniel 5:1 - Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon; led his people in drinking.
45) Daniel 5:2-3 - The king, along with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank from the goblets which had been taken from God’s temple.
46) Daniel 5:4 - Drinking wine was combined with praising false gods.
47) Daniel 5:23 - God sent word to Belshazzar that punishment would be swift for the evil he had committed.
48) Hosea 4:11 - Intoxicating wine takes away intelligence.
49) Hosea 7:5 - God reproves princes for drinking.
50) Joel 1:5 - Drunkards awake to see God’s judgment.
51) Joel 3:3 - The enemy is judged for selling girls for wine.
52) Amos 2:8 - Unrighteous acts of Israel included the drinking of wine which had been taken for the payment of fines.
53) Amos 2:12 - Israel is condemned for forcing Nazarites to drink wine.
54) Micah 2:11 - Israelites are eager to follow false teachers who prophesy plenty of intoxicating drinks.
55) Nahum 1:10 - The drunkards of Nineveh will be destroyed by God.
56) Habakkuk 2:5 - A man is betrayed by wine.
57) Habakkuk 2:15 - Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink.
58) Habakkuk 2:16 - Drinking leads to shame.
59) Matthew 24:48-51 - A drinking servant is unprepared for his Lord’s return.
60) Luke 1:15 - John the Baptist drank neither grape juice nor wine.
61) Luke 12:45 - Christ warned against drunkenness.
62) Luke 21:34 - Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.
63) Romans 13:13 - Do not walk in drunkenness or immorality.
64) Romans 14:21 - Do not do anything that will hurt your testimony as a believer.
65) 1 Corinthians 5:11 - If a Christian brother is a drinker, do not associate with him.
66) 1 Corinthians 6:10 - Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God
67) Galatians 5:21 - Acts of the sinful nature, such as drunkenness, will prohibit a person from inheriting the kingdom of God.
68) Ephesians 5:18 - In contrast to being drunk with wine, the believer is to be filled with the Spirit.
69) 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7 - Christians are to be alert and self-controlled, belonging to the day. Drunkards belong to the night and darkness.
70) 1 Timothy 3:2-3 - Bishops (elders) are to be temperate, sober, and not near any wine.
71) 1 Timothy 3:8 - Deacons are to be worthy of respect and not drinkers.
72) 1 Timothy 3:11 - Deacons’ wives are to be temperate and sober.
73) Titus 1:7-8 - An overseer is to be disciplined.
74) Titus 2:2-3 - The older men and older women of the church are to be temperate and not addicted to wine.
75) 1 Peter 4:3-4 - The past life of drunkenness and carousing has no place in the Christian’s life.
75 Bible References on Drinking Alcohol
There was actually two kinds: fermented and unfermented. You cannot get drunk on unfermented wine and we have many scriptures pointing to that. Noah for example. David, etc
It is alot to read but I hope that all read it. Drinking is playing with fire and it demonstrates we are not separate form the world. It does not glorify the Lord. Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God.
When Christians Drink by Dr. Ken Matto There is a mode of thought which pervades the Christian mind and that is the error of believing that Christian Liberty is the same as the freedom to sin. This happens when supposed Christians buy into the worldly philosophy of egoistic hedonism which teaches that happiness is the goal of all conduct. This is brought about by churches which teach personal euphoria rather than sound obedience to God’s Word. I would also like to include those Christians who smoke. I have already written a monograph on Christian Liberty and we all know the degenerating effects alcohol and tobacco have on our bodies so therefore I am not going to dwell on this aspect. I am going to dwell on the witness aspect of concession with the world. Recently a person e-mailed me and vehemently disagreed with another article I had on my web site concerning drinking alcohol. He was thoroughly convinced he could have a Budweiser in one hand and a Bible in the other, and still proclaim he was a Christian. If this person was standing on the corner with a few friends drinking beer and you saw them, how would you distinguish who was the Christian and who wasn’t? Let me tell you how you would know. The Christian would be the one bowing his head and giving thanks for the beer. (Just Kidding) Whenever a Christian partakes in any worldly pleasure such as drinking or smoking, it definitely affects their testimony. Now I am not speaking of worldly pleasures such as vacations, enjoying the beach or mountains, or just going to the park. I am thoroughly convinced the Lord has given us those things to allow us to take a break from the fast pace of the world. These things can be enjoyed without them doing any physical harm to our bodies, in fact, they can help rejuvenate us. Here are some facts taken from the Encyclopedia Brittanica about Ethyl Alcohol which is the chief ingredient of all alcoholic drinks. It is anything but good for the body. Poison ingested in any amount or form in the human body does not help it but always has a degenerating effect. Ethyl Alcohol Ethyl Alcohol also called Ethanol, Grain Alcohol, or Alcohol, the most important member of a class of organic compounds that are given the general name alcohols; its molecular formula is C[SUB]2[/SUB]H[SUB]5[/SUB]OH. It is the intoxicating ingredient of many beverages produced by fermentation. Pure ethanol is a colorless, flammable liquid (boiling point 78.5º C [173.3º F]) with an agreeable ethereal odour and a burning taste. Ethanol is toxic, affecting the central nervous system. Moderate amounts stimulate the mind and relax the muscles, but larger amounts impair coordination and judgment, finally producing coma and death. It is an addictive drug leading to alcoholism or drunkenness as the Bible calls it. We have briefly seen that even the encyclopedias report that Ethyl Alcohol is a toxin and no thinking person is ever going to try and convince themselves that toxins in any amount are good for the body, and this goes for both Christians and non-Christians alike. A person may choose to ignore this information but the fact remains Ethyl Alcohol is a poison to the body and no amount of ignorance can overcome reality. At this time I want to share 5 testimonies that we lose when we take up the mantle of worldly living. Internal Testimony Whenever we begin to walk with the world in even the slightest manner we lose the purity of our internal testimony. In other words, whenever we witness to an unbeliever or counsel a Christian we begin to feel like a hypocrite in that we are telling the unbeliever his sins will cast him into hell and we are partaking in the same sin he is. (Rom 2:21-22 KJV) Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? {22} Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? The Bible warns us about hypocritical witness. How can we counsel a Christian about the dangers of sin which we are partaking in ourselves. Just because we refuse to think of worldly compromise as sin, God deems any compromise with the world system as sin. (1 John 2:15-16 KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. This includes the ingestion of alcoholic beverage because it is of the world. Whenever we compromise our internal testimony it confuses us and you will have trouble knowing who you belong to. This is why so many Christians walk around wondering if they are saved or not. If Christians started stripping away their pet sins, their internal testimony will return in full confidence of who they belong to and then they will be able to witness in confidence. External Testimony Another testimony we lose is our external testimony in that others see us and we lose our testimony to them. How can we go to others and say we are Christians when we are partaking in a worldly concession. Every Christian has a responsibility to other Christians. Billy Graham has lost his external testimony when he had his picture taken with the Pope. Jimmy Swaggart lost his testimony when he was exposed concerning the prostitute. Jim Baker lost his testimony when his cloaked lifestyle with Jessica was exposed. Jerry Falwell lost his testimony when he courted the Sodomites. Some of these men may not be saved but their testimony to the world was that they are Christians and as a result of compromise they have lost their testimony. The world now sees Christians as a pack of frauds. You see when one Christian is exposed for wrong it affects every single believer because the world lumps us together as one entity. Your testimony to other Christians works in the same way. (1 Cor 8:9-13 KJV) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. {10} For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; {11} And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? {12} But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. {13} Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. Here Paul is stating to the Corinthians that just because they are freed from keeping the requirements of the law, they have a solemn responsibility to other believers, especially new Christians who can easily be thrown off course by observing the actions of those who are supposed to know better. The Bible in these passages teach us that if another Christian can stumble in their beliefs because of a wrong or questionable action on my part, then it is best not to partake. Those Christians who like to drink or smoke in front of others are in essence saying they don’t care about others. They just want to have their own pet sins. Their attitude is that it is no one’s business what I do. Your actions are affecting other Christians and you are responsible for your actions especially when they confuse and possibly draw another Christian into your sin. Preachers who drink alcohol and then teach the congregation that it is okay and that they are exercising Christian liberty are nothing more than vipers in the pulpit. Actually I like to refer to them as Pulpit Prostitutes. Isn’t it interesting that a man or woman can be arrested for selling their body but the church promotes and gives raises and perks to those who sell out their testimony? Your external testimony is a very fragile thing and must be guarded so it is not tainted intentionally. How can a person who is holding on to the very sins which sent Christ to the cross teach the true gospel? He cannot, he must conform it to his own personal prejudices. (Mat 12:34 KJV) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Rom 14:21 KJV) 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. God-ward Testimony Another testimony we lose is our God-ward testimony. It gives the idea that God accepts questionable behavior by His children. There are some denominations which believe that their clergy can forgive sins and be like a "Savior by proxy." The denomination I belonged to some years back believed by answering 4 questions at time of communion, the presiding minister could pronounce the remission of your sins. This is the attitude that carries over with some people when they become saved. The problem is that we represent the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth. (2 Cor 5:20 KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Whenever we begin to adopt ideas that it is permissible to start drinking alcohol, then the world looks at us and begins to believe that God accepts sinful behavior. I remember many years ago I was walking on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ and I was handed a tract which I started reading. The tract stated that there was nothing wrong with having sex because God is the one who created it. They of course were not speaking of having sex in marriage but outside of marriage. I do not believe they were Christians but some kind of cult, yet that tract made an impression on me, because over 30 years later I remember it. People tend to remember the things that are not right with us rather than the things which are. This is why it is dangerous to embrace an idea that it is okay to drink alcohol because people will think it is accepted by God. When a person sees a Christian with a beer, they will immediately think that God approves it. The fact is that God commands His children to be holy which means to be separate. This means to be separated from the philosophies of the world which propel and set a person’s behavior. (Lev 20:7 KJV) Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. (1 Pet 1:15-16 KJV) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; {16} Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. The holiness of the Christian is to be set apart from the rest of the world which includes the ideas and the actions which are spawned from those ideas. God saves us with the express intent of bearing spiritual fruit not to become entangled with the world from which were delivered from. Our responsibility as Christians is to please God and not to please the world. There is no way to hold a Bible in one hand and a Budweiser in the other and still be a holy testimony for Christ. (2 Tim 2:3-4 KJV) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. {4} No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Separation Testimony When a Christian begins to drink alcohol they are showing they are not separated. Many Christians wonder why God does not use them. God does not use a compromised Christian for the furtherance of His Kingdom. God only uses clean vessels. (Ezek 44:23 KJV) And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. In the Old Testament God expected His people to know the difference between the holy and profane and the clean and unclean. With the Bible we have that at our fingertips. When we drink, we are showing that we are not separated from the ways of the world and are not discerning the difference between the two. This is because we are hindering our obedience by justifying our pet sins. Where did we ever get the idea that Christ saved us so we can do what we want? (Prov 23:31 KJV) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. Many Christians believe there are no Scriptures which prohibit the drinking of alcohol. Here is one which tells us that we should not even look upon the red wine in the cup. Looking comes before drinking. Alcoholic beverage is such a snare that God does not even want His children looking at it because He knows how strong temptation can be and how inadequate the flesh is in handling it. The object that distinguishes the real Christian from the false Christian is our separation from the world. Nowhere in Scripture are we to go back into the sins of the old nature. Alcohol is a sin of the old nature. (Rom 14:7-8 KJV) For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. {8} For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (Rom 13:14 KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Alcohol ministers to the flesh and does not minister to the spirit. Ask yourself the question, while you are drinking beer or whiskey, how much thought do you give to the things of the Lord? NONE, because you are too busy feeling a falsely induced euphoria. Identification Testimony The fifth testimony that you lose is your identification testimony. When you drink alcohol, people do not know of what Kingdom you are identified with. It is a shame when you have to tell someone you are a Christian because your actions prove otherwise. When you do this, what do you think goes through people’s minds when you stress you are a Christian and you are drinking alcohol? In their mind, you are one of them and there is no difference. This is why people feel comfortable in their false churches because they see God’s regenerated Christians doing the same thing, so they figure they are on the road to heaven when in reality they are on the way to hell. Losing one’s identification with the Kingdom of God is like losing one’s mental capacities. Summary Christians who drink alcohol carry ruined testimonies to the outside world and also to those in the church. One group I have not mentioned that is always hurt by poor testimonies are children. They tend to follow the parents in their training. Don’t you think it is confusing to a child to see Daddy or Mommy praying and then have a few beers or smokes? When the children begin to emulate this pattern for themselves, will the parents then beat them for learning their sinful ways? Ask yourself the following question the next time you pop a top or light up, "What spiritual benefit do I gain from this?" Any compromise with the world will always ruin your testimony and keep you from growing in your Christian walk. You may be angry for reading this but the fact remains: (1 Cor 6:20 KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Drinking alcohol does not glorify God in your body, instead it actually begins to destroy your body which is the violation of the sixth commandment. (1 Cor 10:31 KJV) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (Col 3:17 KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. I leave you with this one thought. Do you believe you can sit a six pack of beer in front of you and then say to the Lord, "I drink this beer to your glory?" If you can drink alcohol to the glory of God and in the name of the Lord Jesus, then guzzle. If you can’t, then don’t, it is never too late to regain and repair your testimony for Christ. When a Christian loses their testimony to the world, they lose the most precious aspect of their salvation. When they lose their testimony to the brethren, they lose the trust and respect others had for them and as the Scripture states: (Luke 16:11 KJV) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? The verse speaks of handling money but the principle can be carried to every aspect of the Christian walk. If you are walking with the world, who will trust you with the true riches? http://www.scionofzion.com/when_christians_drink.htm
When Christians Drink by Dr. Ken Matto There is a mode of thought which pervades the Christian mind and that is the error of believing that Christian Liberty is the same as the freedom to sin. This happens when supposed Christians buy into the worldly philosophy of egoistic hedonism which teaches that happiness is the goal of all conduct. This is brought about by churches which teach personal euphoria rather than sound obedience to God’s Word. I would also like to include those Christians who smoke. I have already written a monograph on Christian Liberty and we all know the degenerating effects alcohol and tobacco have on our bodies so therefore I am not going to dwell on this aspect. I am going to dwell on the witness aspect of concession with the world. Recently a person e-mailed me and vehemently disagreed with another article I had on my web site concerning drinking alcohol. He was thoroughly convinced he could have a Budweiser in one hand and a Bible in the other, and still proclaim he was a Christian. If this person was standing on the corner with a few friends drinking beer and you saw them, how would you distinguish who was the Christian and who wasn’t? Let me tell you how you would know. The Christian would be the one bowing his head and giving thanks for the beer. (Just Kidding) Whenever a Christian partakes in any worldly pleasure such as drinking or smoking, it definitely affects their testimony. Now I am not speaking of worldly pleasures such as vacations, enjoying the beach or mountains, or just going to the park. I am thoroughly convinced the Lord has given us those things to allow us to take a break from the fast pace of the world. These things can be enjoyed without them doing any physical harm to our bodies, in fact, they can help rejuvenate us. Here are some facts taken from the Encyclopedia Brittanica about Ethyl Alcohol which is the chief ingredient of all alcoholic drinks. It is anything but good for the body. Poison ingested in any amount or form in the human body does not help it but always has a degenerating effect. Ethyl Alcohol Ethyl Alcohol also called Ethanol, Grain Alcohol, or Alcohol, the most important member of a class of organic compounds that are given the general name alcohols; its molecular formula is C[SUB]2[/SUB]H[SUB]5[/SUB]OH. It is the intoxicating ingredient of many beverages produced by fermentation. Pure ethanol is a colorless, flammable liquid (boiling point 78.5º C [173.3º F]) with an agreeable ethereal odour and a burning taste. Ethanol is toxic, affecting the central nervous system. Moderate amounts stimulate the mind and relax the muscles, but larger amounts impair coordination and judgment, finally producing coma and death. It is an addictive drug leading to alcoholism or drunkenness as the Bible calls it. We have briefly seen that even the encyclopedias report that Ethyl Alcohol is a toxin and no thinking person is ever going to try and convince themselves that toxins in any amount are good for the body, and this goes for both Christians and non-Christians alike. A person may choose to ignore this information but the fact remains Ethyl Alcohol is a poison to the body and no amount of ignorance can overcome reality. At this time I want to share 5 testimonies that we lose when we take up the mantle of worldly living. Internal Testimony Whenever we begin to walk with the world in even the slightest manner we lose the purity of our internal testimony. In other words, whenever we witness to an unbeliever or counsel a Christian we begin to feel like a hypocrite in that we are telling the unbeliever his sins will cast him into hell and we are partaking in the same sin he is. (Rom 2:21-22 KJV) Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? {22} Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? The Bible warns us about hypocritical witness. How can we counsel a Christian about the dangers of sin which we are partaking in ourselves. Just because we refuse to think of worldly compromise as sin, God deems any compromise with the world system as sin. (1 John 2:15-16 KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. This includes the ingestion of alcoholic beverage because it is of the world. Whenever we compromise our internal testimony it confuses us and you will have trouble knowing who you belong to. This is why so many Christians walk around wondering if they are saved or not. If Christians started stripping away their pet sins, their internal testimony will return in full confidence of who they belong to and then they will be able to witness in confidence. External Testimony Another testimony we lose is our external testimony in that others see us and we lose our testimony to them. How can we go to others and say we are Christians when we are partaking in a worldly concession. Every Christian has a responsibility to other Christians. Billy Graham has lost his external testimony when he had his picture taken with the Pope. Jimmy Swaggart lost his testimony when he was exposed concerning the prostitute. Jim Baker lost his testimony when his cloaked lifestyle with Jessica was exposed. Jerry Falwell lost his testimony when he courted the Sodomites. Some of these men may not be saved but their testimony to the world was that they are Christians and as a result of compromise they have lost their testimony. The world now sees Christians as a pack of frauds. You see when one Christian is exposed for wrong it affects every single believer because the world lumps us together as one entity. Your testimony to other Christians works in the same way. (1 Cor 8:9-13 KJV) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. {10} For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; {11} And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? {12} But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. {13} Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. Here Paul is stating to the Corinthians that just because they are freed from keeping the requirements of the law, they have a solemn responsibility to other believers, especially new Christians who can easily be thrown off course by observing the actions of those who are supposed to know better. The Bible in these passages teach us that if another Christian can stumble in their beliefs because of a wrong or questionable action on my part, then it is best not to partake. Those Christians who like to drink or smoke in front of others are in essence saying they don’t care about others. They just want to have their own pet sins. Their attitude is that it is no one’s business what I do. Your actions are affecting other Christians and you are responsible for your actions especially when they confuse and possibly draw another Christian into your sin. Preachers who drink alcohol and then teach the congregation that it is okay and that they are exercising Christian liberty are nothing more than vipers in the pulpit. Actually I like to refer to them as Pulpit Prostitutes. Isn’t it interesting that a man or woman can be arrested for selling their body but the church promotes and gives raises and perks to those who sell out their testimony? Your external testimony is a very fragile thing and must be guarded so it is not tainted intentionally. How can a person who is holding on to the very sins which sent Christ to the cross teach the true gospel? He cannot, he must conform it to his own personal prejudices. (Mat 12:34 KJV) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Rom 14:21 KJV) 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. God-ward Testimony Another testimony we lose is our God-ward testimony. It gives the idea that God accepts questionable behavior by His children. There are some denominations which believe that their clergy can forgive sins and be like a "Savior by proxy." The denomination I belonged to some years back believed by answering 4 questions at time of communion, the presiding minister could pronounce the remission of your sins. This is the attitude that carries over with some people when they become saved. The problem is that we represent the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth. (2 Cor 5:20 KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Whenever we begin to adopt ideas that it is permissible to start drinking alcohol, then the world looks at us and begins to believe that God accepts sinful behavior. I remember many years ago I was walking on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ and I was handed a tract which I started reading. The tract stated that there was nothing wrong with having sex because God is the one who created it. They of course were not speaking of having sex in marriage but outside of marriage. I do not believe they were Christians but some kind of cult, yet that tract made an impression on me, because over 30 years later I remember it. People tend to remember the things that are not right with us rather than the things which are. This is why it is dangerous to embrace an idea that it is okay to drink alcohol because people will think it is accepted by God. When a person sees a Christian with a beer, they will immediately think that God approves it. The fact is that God commands His children to be holy which means to be separate. This means to be separated from the philosophies of the world which propel and set a person’s behavior. (Lev 20:7 KJV) Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. (1 Pet 1:15-16 KJV) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; {16} Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. The holiness of the Christian is to be set apart from the rest of the world which includes the ideas and the actions which are spawned from those ideas. God saves us with the express intent of bearing spiritual fruit not to become entangled with the world from which were delivered from. Our responsibility as Christians is to please God and not to please the world. There is no way to hold a Bible in one hand and a Budweiser in the other and still be a holy testimony for Christ. (2 Tim 2:3-4 KJV) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. {4} No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Separation Testimony When a Christian begins to drink alcohol they are showing they are not separated. Many Christians wonder why God does not use them. God does not use a compromised Christian for the furtherance of His Kingdom. God only uses clean vessels. (Ezek 44:23 KJV) And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. In the Old Testament God expected His people to know the difference between the holy and profane and the clean and unclean. With the Bible we have that at our fingertips. When we drink, we are showing that we are not separated from the ways of the world and are not discerning the difference between the two. This is because we are hindering our obedience by justifying our pet sins. Where did we ever get the idea that Christ saved us so we can do what we want? (Prov 23:31 KJV) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. Many Christians believe there are no Scriptures which prohibit the drinking of alcohol. Here is one which tells us that we should not even look upon the red wine in the cup. Looking comes before drinking. Alcoholic beverage is such a snare that God does not even want His children looking at it because He knows how strong temptation can be and how inadequate the flesh is in handling it. The object that distinguishes the real Christian from the false Christian is our separation from the world. Nowhere in Scripture are we to go back into the sins of the old nature. Alcohol is a sin of the old nature. (Rom 14:7-8 KJV) For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. {8} For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (Rom 13:14 KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Alcohol ministers to the flesh and does not minister to the spirit. Ask yourself the question, while you are drinking beer or whiskey, how much thought do you give to the things of the Lord? NONE, because you are too busy feeling a falsely induced euphoria. Identification Testimony The fifth testimony that you lose is your identification testimony. When you drink alcohol, people do not know of what Kingdom you are identified with. It is a shame when you have to tell someone you are a Christian because your actions prove otherwise. When you do this, what do you think goes through people’s minds when you stress you are a Christian and you are drinking alcohol? In their mind, you are one of them and there is no difference. This is why people feel comfortable in their false churches because they see God’s regenerated Christians doing the same thing, so they figure they are on the road to heaven when in reality they are on the way to hell. Losing one’s identification with the Kingdom of God is like losing one’s mental capacities. Summary Christians who drink alcohol carry ruined testimonies to the outside world and also to those in the church. One group I have not mentioned that is always hurt by poor testimonies are children. They tend to follow the parents in their training. Don’t you think it is confusing to a child to see Daddy or Mommy praying and then have a few beers or smokes? When the children begin to emulate this pattern for themselves, will the parents then beat them for learning their sinful ways? Ask yourself the following question the next time you pop a top or light up, "What spiritual benefit do I gain from this?" Any compromise with the world will always ruin your testimony and keep you from growing in your Christian walk. You may be angry for reading this but the fact remains: (1 Cor 6:20 KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Drinking alcohol does not glorify God in your body, instead it actually begins to destroy your body which is the violation of the sixth commandment. (1 Cor 10:31 KJV) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (Col 3:17 KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. I leave you with this one thought. Do you believe you can sit a six pack of beer in front of you and then say to the Lord, "I drink this beer to your glory?" If you can drink alcohol to the glory of God and in the name of the Lord Jesus, then guzzle. If you can’t, then don’t, it is never too late to regain and repair your testimony for Christ. When a Christian loses their testimony to the world, they lose the most precious aspect of their salvation. When they lose their testimony to the brethren, they lose the trust and respect others had for them and as the Scripture states: (Luke 16:11 KJV) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? The verse speaks of handling money but the principle can be carried to every aspect of the Christian walk. If you are walking with the world, who will trust you with the true riches? http://www.scionofzion.com/when_christians_drink.htm
But I suspect there are a few who don't know what moderation is, since there are people who do drink too much.
There were no refrigerators back then. So unfermented became fermented in about five minutes, maybe.
There are countries, for example those bordering the Mediterranean Sea, which have a sacramental world-view, which says that an infinite God comes to meet finite man using the things of creation: water, oil, bread, wine, the touch of a hand. People of those countries believe that all creation is good. They tend to be connected with the earth, with hard work, with simple pleasures. They appreciate sex as a gift of God not only for procreation but for physical and emotional joy. In those countries, wine is just another gift of the Creator to be accepted in moderation and with thanksgiving.
Then there are other countries, for example those to the north of Europe, which have almost a gnostic world-view, which says that all flesh and matter is weak and sinful, and only intellectual things are pure and godly. They hold that God meets man only in the mental realm, and approach the bible as a set of doctrines which need to be properly decoded. They say man is saved by knowledge and assent to key doctrines. People in those countries tend to believe that creation is fallen. They tend to be connected to business, to the power of investment capital, and they hold a man's financial success as a sign of his election. They accept sex as a necessary evil for the procreation of more tithe-paying foot soldiers for God. In those countries, wine is evil, based on their dictum that "if it feels good don't do it."
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