Why? (Part 5)

Why? (Part 5)

I have been asked by several younger pastors about social drinking and why I believe it is wrong. Some may even think my stand against it is old fashioned, but most of the scriptures that relate to alcohol are negative. My first response is that there seems to be great confusion on what the Bible actually teaches regarding alcohol. It is true that alcoholic beverages were used in Bible times and that the wine Jesus drank may have contained some small degree of alcoholic content. What is certainly not true is that the wine Jesus drank is the same as wine today.

In the Bible, drunkenness is always associated with disaster. If you study the lives of Noah, Lot, Nabal, Elah, Ben-hadad, Belshazzar, and the Corinthians, you will see in every case that tragedy followed the use of alcohol. Very few would argue that drunkenness is acceptable, but the only way to insure you never get drunk would be that you never drink alcohol. The Bible doesn’t stop at a simple condemnation of drunkenness, it is clear in its denunciation of alcohol:

-Proverbs 20:1 "Wine will mock you, cause you to fight, and lead you astray."

-Proverbs 23:19-35 state that wine creates poverty, woe, contentions, wounds, mental instability, foul language, and the deadening of one’s feelings. 

-Isaiah 5:11-14 instructs us that intoxicating drink is said to bring on the judgment of God, is done by those with no knowledge, it removes honor, and places one on the road to death and hell.

-Hosea warns that wine will enslave you in Hosea 4:11. 

-Habakkuk 2:5-17 declares that the wicked transgress by wine, that they are proud, and like death can never be satisfied. He further declares a woe against those who give drink to their neighbors.

-Paul said in Romans 13:11-14 Paul that alcohol is a “work of darkness,” it leads to other sins and makes a “provision for the flesh.” This is not becoming to one who has “put on the Lord Jesus Christ."

-Romans 13 also lists some common evils that go hand-in-hand with drinking: revelry, drunken parties, which include immoral activity; lewdness and lust, both of which refer to sexual immorality. Alcohol has been the poor excuse for a myriad of cases of sexual immorality. Alcohol weakens inhibitions, deadens the soul to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and opens the door to the deception of demons. No wonder many are led astray in this regard.

When one uses alcohol because the mind loses control over the faculties and things are said and done that bring offense. How many public figures have we read about, not to mention preachers, who blamed their “misbehavior” or “misspoken words” on the fact that they had too much to drink?

For pastors, perhaps our greatest concern should be the spiritual influence that we have over others. The separate, holy life calls for us to be different from world.
Our choices about the use of alcohol will have a significant influence on others. The long term effect of our influence is often overlooked. Even if the argument could be made that an individual could so control his drinking that it would have no impact on his own life there would still be the need to consider the impact he might have on others.

If someone sees you drinking and knows that you are a professing Christian, and in particular a pastor, then they will assume it is acceptable to drink. However, if they are unable to control their drinking because of your influence on them could lead them down the slippery slope of destruction. I have known of two very influential pastors in the past 15 years who sucumbed to the power of alcohol and had a very devastating effect on their churches, family, and community. I know of one pastor who committed suicide rather than seek help for this addiction. The best way to overcome this situationis not to allow yourself to become menpleasers, but vessels of honor to God. They may call you old fashioned, but those you influence for the good will thank you someday rather than blame you for their predicament.