Shame on you.
Shame on me.
There is shame on every one of us. That is a fact. The good news is (don't miss this) that Jesus came and took all of that shame, and set us free. What a tragedy, then, to behold the shackles from which we have been freed, only to set forth and load other burdens upon our back, or even worse...on the backs of others. I am here refering primarily to alcohol, but could be refering to any of a number of extra-Biblical rules, laws, and commands that Christians heap on themselves and others. I was born and raised in the southern United States in what is known as, for better or for worse, the Bible Belt. Many of you may not have experienced what I am about to describe, but where I am from the very consumption of alcohol is viewed as a sin, or in the very least it is handled as if you enter some 10th circle of holiness by abstaining from alcohol. As I have grown up in body and in spirit, I have become increasingly concerned with this belief, it's effect on the Christian communities in which it holds sway, and it's inablity to be squared with our Sacred Writings.
The first issue any thoughtful Christian is going to run up against if he or she wishes to promote the idea that alcohol is inherently sinful or that a person is more holy for abstaining from alcohol is the fact that virtually every major role player in our Bible used alcohol, and some even promoted it's use. From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to Saul, David, and Solomon, and to Jesus, Paul, and the early church, all of them are known from scripture to have used alcohol with quite a bit of regularity. Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High, brought out wine to celebrate Abram's miltary victory (Genesis 14:18), wine was used as a drink offering in the Old Testament (Exodus 29:40, Numbers 15:10), God said he would bless the wine of His chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:13), it is said that God's people may use their money for wine or strong drink and consume it before God and rejoice (Deuteronomy 14:26), David says that God causes the earth to bring forth wine to gladden the heart of man (104:15), King Lemuel in Proverbs says to "Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress" (Proverbs 31:6), Jesus used wine in his parables (Matthew 9:17), Jesus made good wine when they ran out at a wedding celebration (John 2:1-10), Jesus was accused of being a drunkard (Luke 7:33), Jesus and his disciples drank wine at the last supper (Mark 14:23-25), Jesus drank sour wine on the cross (John 19:30), and Paul advises Timothy, a pastor, to drink wine (1 Timothy 5:23). In fact, the Bible has 247 references to alcohol: 17 warnings against abusing alcohol, 19 examples of people abusing alcohol, 3 references to selecting leaders, 1 verse advocating abstinence if drinking will cause a brother to stumble, 59 references to the commonly accepted practice of drinking alcohol with meals, 27 references to the abundance of wine as an example of God's blessing, 20 references to the loss of wine and strong drink as an example of God's curse, 25 references to the use of wine in offerings and sacrifices, 9 references to wine being used as a gift, and 5 metaphorical references to wine as a basis for a favorable comparison, 33 symbolic references ("the wine of His wrath," etc.), 21 references to vows of abstinence, 4 references to people falsely accused of being drunk, and 4 references which don't seem to fit a category. From this, it seems obvious that alcohol has uses other than evil, and that there is no prohibition of alcohol to Christians. John Owen, a Puritan theologian from the 17th century, said, "Only what God has commanded in His Word should be regarded as binding, in all else there may be liberty of actions" Yet, many still persist in insisting that all faithful Christians should abstain from alcohol. Why?
Well, arguments usually fall in one or more of the following catagories:
1) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it causes some to stumble or sin.
2) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it can cause harm to the body.
3) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it leads to drunkeness and alcoholism.
4) Christains should abstain from alcohol because the "wine" refered to in the Bible wasn't alcohol.
5) Christains should abstain from alcohol because in a culture that tends to abuse alcohol, it is easier and less confusing to just avoid it all together than to try to pick and choose when it is and isn't appropriate.
6) Christians should abstain from alcohol to be a good witness to others.
7) Christians should abstain from alcohol because the issue of alcohol causes division in the church.
I will here try to address each of these issues in short. I could probably say quite a bit about each point, but I would like to keep this from becoming a book.
1) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it causes some to stumble or sin. Well, I certainly realize that not everyone handles alcohol in a way that honors God, and that there are many people out there who are addicted to alcohol. There are, without a doubt, circumstances when a Christian drinking alcohol could cause someone to stumble into sin, and in those cases, I believe it would absolutely be a sin to consume alcohol. Shame on anyone who would go out for a few beers with a known alcoholic. Yet, to say that because there are circumstances where alcohol can be abused means that it should be avoided all together is silly, as well as inconsistent with the rest of life. Sex can be abused. Should we Christians stop having sex with our husbands and wives? Gluttony is a way that food can be abused. Should we stop eating? I admit this point is not my own. It was Martin Luther who originally said, "Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we prohibit and abolish women? The sun, moon, and stars have been worshipped. Shall we pluck them out of the sky?”
2) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it can cause harm to the body.
Again, certain foods can be harmful to the body if eaten in excess. Should we not eat them? Cars kill thousands of people every day. Almost everyone of us know of someone who has been harmed or killed in a car wreck. Should Christians stop driving cars? Of course not. More than that, there have actually been many demonstrated health benefits that arise from drinking moderate amounts of red wine and a few other alcoholic beverages.
3) Christians should abstain from alcohol because it leads to drunkeness and alcoholism. Yet again, almost everything in creation can be abused and lead to problems. Abstaining from God's gifts is not the answer. You cannot legislate righteousness.
4) Christains should abstain from alcohol because the "wine" refered to in the Bible wasn't alcohol. In other words, the wine refered to in the Bible was really grape juice. This one is absolutely false, and a perfect example of how people will sometimes actually make up things to justify their position. If this were the case, why the 17 warnings against drunkenness in the Bible? Did the partakers of the Lord's table at the church of Corinth get drunk on grape juice? I have had my fair share of grape juice, and it hasn't done anything to me that could be described as "drunkenness." No, when the Bible says wine it really means (surprise or surprises) wine. A similar, but equally invalid, argument says that the wine of Biblical times had a lower alcohol content than modern wine. Whatever the alcoholic content of the wine of the Bible, it was of a sufficient level for there to be a need for warnings against drunkenness. It was, once again, real wine.
5) Christains should abstain from alcohol because in a culture that tends to abuse alcohol, it is easier and less confusing to just avoid it all together than to try to pick and choose when it is and isn't appropriate. If anyone became a follower of Jesus because they wanted easy, they are in for a rude awakening. "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household." -- Matthew 10:24-25. The Roman culture of Jesus' day abused alcohol as much as any culture that has ever existed, and Jesus did not find abstaining to be the answer. Why should we? What our culture needs is not Christians who will check out of the alcohol problem, but Christians who will demonstrate to the watching world how to use wine and everything else in a way that honors God. I shudder to think of all the people who have written off Jesus because of Christians who avoided drinking or being around alcohol. They called Jesus a drunkard, and it certainly wasn't because he avoided alcohol.
6) Christians should abstain from alcohol to be a good witness to others. Making up your own rules and then following them does not make you a good witness. It may, in fact, make you a worse witness. Also, this one has the built in assumption that drinking alcohol makes you a bad witness. If that is the case, then Jesus and the apostles lost their witness. The very idea of such a thing is almost laughable.
7) Christians should abstain from alcohol because the issue of alcohol causes division in the church. First of all, this is sad, and is more a testament to the destructive nature of man-made rules than of alcohol. Secondly, you are not doing your Christian brothers and sisters any favors by letting them remain in error. Would you avoid bringing a black person to a racist church, just to avoid dividing the church? I should hope not. You would call on them to believe the Bible, and to repent, and to live as Jesus would have them live, and not to errect artificial walls that alienate us from the very cultures and peoples that we are supposed to love.
It is not wise to prohibit that which God has given as a gift (Deut. 14:26; Ps. 104:15), or to functionally condemn the actions of Jesus (John 2; Luke 7:33-34; ) and Paul (1 Tim. 5:23). Alcohol can indeed be abused, and there are circumstances when it should be avoided. Yet, alcohol is not inherently sinful, nor does abstaining from alcohol make you in the least bit more holy than one who chooses, in their Chrisian liberty, to drink alcohol. C.S. Lewis said, "there is a special kind of bad person that cannot give a thing up without forcing everyone around them to also abstain." I pray that we, as followers of Christ, would not be that sort of people. Any follower of Christ may (not should) drink alcohol with a clear conscience, so long as
- they are not doing it to get drunk
- it isn't illegal (prohibition by law, under-age drinking, driving under the influence)
- they are not causing anyone to stumble
- they are not addicted
- they are not doing it to flaunt their Christian liberty
- they are doing it, and all things, to the Glory of God
I understand that there are people who choose to abstain from alcohol for various reasons, and that is wonderful so long as they are doing it to honor God and they do not look down upon those who choose not to abstain. I do not pretend that it will always be easy to know the way, but I do know that in the end, the law always kills, but it is the Spirit who gives life. I conclude with a word from John Piper and a word from the book of Colossians:
"I want to hate what God hates and love what God loves. And this I know beyond the shadow of a doubt: God hates legalism as much as he hates alcoholism. If any of you still wonders why I go on... after hearing all the tragic stories about lives ruined through alcohol, the reason is that when I go home at night and close my eyes and let eternity rise in my mind I see ten million more people in hell because of legalism than because of alcoholism. And I think that is a literal understatement."
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ...If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh." -- Colossians 2:16-20-23
Sources of quotes, statistics, and some thoughts: The Derek Webb Message Board, Reformissionary, Alcohol and the Bible, Between Two Worlds, and Desiring God
5 comments:
Be careful in your zeal to advocate alcohol consumption as a Christian right of passage. You should, in my opinion, not use your religious freedom to condone or promote this practice. Please read:
Romans 14
(Verse 1)
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters."
(Verses 14-21)
"As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
Note: Both strong and weak Christians can cause their brothers and sisters to stumble. The strong but insensitive Christian may flaunt his or her freedom and intentionally offend others' consciences as you have. The scrupulous but weak Christian may try to fence others in with petty rules and regulations, thus causing dissension. Paul wants his readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others' needs. Because we are all strong in some areas and weak in others, we need constantly to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.
Proverbs 23:29-35
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles, in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?"
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
In 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13, Paul addresses the "gray" areas of life and how to handle disputable matters. The Word in Life Study Bible has a good "consider this" commentary written about this passage.
"In first-century Corinth, meat sacrificed to idols (v.1) proved to be an issue on which believers vehemently disagreed. It was a "gray" area of life, a matter for which there seemed to be no clear-cut instruction. How should Christians handle such disputes? Through a predetermined set of dos and don'ts? No, Paul offered a different perspective, one that appeals to conscience. Paul argued that food and drink do not determine our reletionship to God (V. 8). Meat offered to idols is inconsequential because, ultimately, there is no such thing as an idol (vv. 4-6). An idol is not God, so the mere fact that a priest blesses meat and offers it to an idol means nothing. From that point of view, Christians should be able to enjoy whatever food they want. However, questionable practices, (in this case, alcohol), may affect one's relationships with fellow believers or unbelievers (V.9). As members of Christ's family we are obligated not to be a "stumbling block," but a loving neighbor. Our faith is not merely private, but has a corporate ethic and public responsibility as well. So we live in a tension: God's grace frees us to choose as we please, but God's love requires us to ask questions of conscience about our choices. From what we eat or drink, to whom we live and work with, to where we live, to what we do with our money and time - almost everything we do affects our neighbors (vv. 10-13). So we need to ask, are we treating them with love? We need not allow others to manipulate us through legalistic criticism. But we do need discretion as to how our choices affect those around us. It's not enough to follow Christ just in our hearts; we also need to follow Him in our consciences."
Romans 14:15 Yet,if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love.
Ultimately Jason, your strong convictions about such "gray" areas should be kept between you and God in order not to offend your brothers and sisters in Christ. Though you seem to be a strong Christian, this is the way of a mature Christian. I do not believe it is sinful to take an occaisional drink either. However, I would never assert my religious freedom to do so in front of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ of whom I might offend. That makes the consumption of it sinful.
Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
I know this is a sensitive subject, but posting such powerfully worded statements hiding behind anonymity is something I find quite cowardly. You write boldly, but then take no responsibility for defending what you so passionately wrote. If you cannot claim your words are they really worth saying?
I believe some of you may have misunderstood me. I am not saying that every Christian should drink. I am saying that Christians can drink and should not be looked down upon for it. If a Christian chooses to abstain, that is wonderful, but they should not force that belief upon their Christian brothers and sisters.
Also, the blog indicates that I do believe that there are times when any Christian shouldn't drink. Again, I do not believe in flaunting your Christian liberty (that is also in the blog), but nor do I believe in forced abstinance.
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