I’ve certainly drunk my fair share of alcohol – especially in my misguided youth whilst at college, and frankly I’m ashamed of what I did. That said – let’s get to the question; Should a Christian drink alcohol? Well – the answer is surprisingly simple, and no it’s not like asking many other questions that because they are omitted or not mentioned it is and often wrongly assume something is ok.
There is little – almost no mention of the marriage ceremony or how it should be done in The Bible – yet men are wise enough to understand from reading The Bible end-to-end how it should to be done to please God – one man – one woman – for life – until death – no questions. That’s a tough ask and hence it does say that marriage is not for all – you need to be tough. That is total commitment – that is the model God gave with the Israelites and Jesus gave for us (they are committed to seeing it through despite all our failings).
But I digress; In this case the question; should a Christian drink alcohol is right there in the text – it’s not open to interpretation – it’s simply a case of are you ready to accept it and get on with the business of being obedient. I know I wasn’t (I let myself off the hook a little as when I was in college I had zero knowledge of God and the Bible) – but now i do and I am often still often not prepared to bend to the Bible and look for ways to make it bend to me – we all do that – hopefully less as we age and mature.
So let’s have it – the bIble verse that tells us that alcohol is not good for a Christian; notice it does not forbid alcohol, but merely shows us unequivocally that it’s not God’s desire for Christians to be anything other than 100% sober-minded. Why? Because we live in a world of traps set by our adversary, and alcohol stops the mind and conscience and will functioning properly.
So the verse on alcohol which gives us God’s perspective (and there are plenty of others);
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
Now – the above verse is talking about a man that is preparing the way for the Lord – John the Baptist. And aren’t we meant to also be preparing the way for the Lord? I would say so. Sure it’s debated wether Jesus drank wine at the wedding – perhaps he did as it was customary. He certainly made wine so it’s not evil in itself – nothing is. God never has a problem with living normally and in some wine in moderation can never do much harm. The trouble is – one leads to two – leads to three – leads to debauchery and in the end madness and mayhem and all kinds of ungodliness.
In this day and age not drinking is tough – as it’s a social ‘norm’
If we are honest – the above verse shows us what would be His – God’s preference if we are to get serious about Jesus and set an example of supreme sober-mindedness and focus on godly things. I don’t think anyone can argue that verse and we you do – it’s at our peril.
