15 March 2009
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15 March 2009
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Alcohol Arguments Analyzed Logan Summers According to the National Center for Health Statistics, a total of 21,634 people died of alcohol-induced causes in the United States in 2005. That same source said that sixty-one percent of adults drank alcohol in 2006. Some in the church believe there is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol. In this study, we will analyze three of the most common arguments used in the attempt to justify the non-medicinal consumption of alcoholic beverages. Jesus Did It! The argument is that since Jesus turned water into wine, it is okay to drink alcohol (Jn 2:1-11). However, this idea is inconsistent with the character of Jesus. Would the Son of God give us something that destroys brain cells, causes disease, and impairs our judgment? Jesus lived under the Law of Moses (Gal. 4:4), and He was without sin (Heb. 4:15). If Jesus had given intoxicating wine to others, then He would have sinned (Hab. 2:15). The objection is brought up that since Bible translations read “wine,” it must have been intoxication wine. However, one must allow the context to define the meaning of the word. “Wine” in the Bible can refer to intoxicating or non-intoxicating grape juice, depending on the context.1 It is much like our word “Coke.” Any kind of soda pop is called “Coke” in Southern States, but in Northern States these carbonated drinks are called “soda” or “pop.” If we ask for a “Coke” up North, it automatically means that we want a Coca Cola. However, if we ask for a “Coke” down here, then we must specify which kind of soda pop we want. So with “wine” in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to an intoxicating beverage that brings much misery (Pr. 20:1; 23:29-35). Sometimes it can refer to the unfermented juice that is still in the grape on the vine (Isa. 65:8)! Context must determine the meaning. In the New Testament, one must look at the Greek vocabulary and syntax in order to determine if the “wine” Jesus made was intoxicating wine or not.2 When considering the context and the total teaching of the Bible, there is no way Jesus made intoxicating wine! Deacons Drink! First Timothy 3:8 speaks of deacons not being given to “much wine.” The conclusion is drawn that we can drink some alcoholic beverage as long as it is not in excess. This is often contrasted with just a few verses before, where elders are told to be “not given to wine” (1 Tim. 3:3). Is it the case that deacons can drink, but elders cannot? If so, what would be the logical reason for that? This gives more rights to the deacons than to the elders. Who is to say what is too much wine and what is just a little? It cannot be the person drinking because his or her judgment is impaired. It cannot be someone else who is drinking either. If deacons are Scripturally authorized, they are the only ones who are. Those who hold that we can have a little wine must also hold that we can be a little wicked (cf. Eccl. 7:17; Rom. 6:12). What about the other qualifications? Deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not greedy for money, knowledgeable in God’s Word, and found blameless (1 Tim. 3:8-9). Christians must strive to do their best (Rom. 12:1-2). If one is failing in an area that he knows he certainly should not be, he will have to answer to God. To do our best to fulfill all the qualifications of a deacon, elder, or a faithful Christian, we will abstain from alcohol. These verses are not to say we can do a little drinking, but rather, they warn against it. You Just Can’t Get Drunk! The final argument that some people make to justify the consumption of alcoholic beverages says that the Bible only teaches against getting drunk, but not against drinking a little bit. It is true that the Bible does teach against drunkenness, but that is not all it says on the subject. Consider Paul’s teaching, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thes. 5:5-8). Note that night and day are contrasted. Drunk and sober are then contrasted along with night and day. The exact opposite of night is day. The exact opposite of drunk, then, would be totally free from the influence of intoxicating beverages. It is not just the “being drunk” that is sinful here, but the act of getting drunk is also condemned (1 Thes. 5:7). “Every time you take a sip of wine your body reacts as if it’s being poisoned. Which of course it is.”3 Also, what is the standard? If a person is drinking his judgment is impaired. How can he know when he is or is not drunk? What is the line of demarcation? It is not today’s 0.08%, considering how watered down the alcohol was in New Testament times.4 Let us heed the words of Peter, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). Conclusion Drinking intoxicating beverages is dangerous because it destroys brain cells, impairs judgment, and is spoken strongly against in the Bible. Jesus did not make intoxicating wine, deacons did not drink it non-medicinally with God’s approval, and we have no precedent to even begin drinking it. Can we really read Proverbs 23:29-35 and come away with the conclusion that drinking alcohol is good (cf. Pr. 20:1)? Endnotes 1 Wayne Jackson, “John 2:1ff–The Wine That Jesus Made,” ChristianCourier.Com. 27 June 2003. <http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/666-john-2-1ff-the-wine-that-jesus-made>. |