Before the holidays I listened to a radio-preacher tell people it was a sin to drink alcoholic beverages. This educated, well- respected minister seemed pretty well versed in the Bible and has a fairly large following. I found his message most disconcerting. It always bothers me when Christians try to support personal philosophies biblically. This tactic tarnishes the credibility of the Christian community.
Now, I’m not suggesting we take tequila shots every time we see the word “winebibber” as we read the Bible; although, this might encourage some to search the scriptures. But to condemn those who drink a glass of wine with dinner goes to the other extreme. And that seems to be the problem with people – they tend to go to extremes. Many who drink aren’t satisfied unless they are drunk; many who don’t drink aren’t satisfied unless they convince others they shouldn’t drink either. We tend to make our standard, God’s standard. What we like, God likes – whether it be music, clothing, hairstyles, food, or drink. Thus we make God over into our image, instead of the other way around.
God has given us many blessings. But every blessing can be a curse if not used properly. The following can be blessings or curses, depending on how they are used: food, sex, money, and, yes, wine, beer, and other forms of fermented beverages. Not everyone who eats is a glutton. Not everyone who has sex is an adulterer, fornicator or pervert. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. The sin lies within abuse of the blessing – not the blessing itself. Why else would wine be spoken of as both good and bad in the same texts in 1 Samuel 1:14, 24 and Joel 1:5, 10?
Martin Luther summed it up well: “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?”
God gives us the freedom to choose whether to drink alcoholic beverages or not to drink them. What we do with that freedom is up to us. But let’s not make the mistake of condemning those who do not choose the same way we do.
(Next time we’ll delve a little more into what the scriptures say about this subject.)
