First, let me say right up front, not that it really matters, I don't drink alcoholic beverages. However, I'm not ready to play "Holy Spirit" with anyone. I can tell you, too, that we have people in our churches who drink wine, beer and I'm sure other alcoholic drinks. And guess what? I'm leaving them in God's hands! It's my job to love people; it's the Holy Spirit's job to clean us up! One acid test, however, is that if we as believers have to "hide" anything we're doing, it's probably not pleasing to the Lord. Food for thought!
Let me be honest. I can't drink alcohol, not because I'm a pastor, but because the Holy Spirit convicts me otherwise. I definitely feel that if I drank alcoholic beverages, I might cause a weak believer or even a "pre-Christian" to stumble. I never want to hurt my credibility and testimony. Having said this, let me take you to several often-quoted Scriptures, and then I'll make further comments.
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
"He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine" (John 4:46).
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 4:18).
"No longer drink water exclusively, but us a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments" (1 Timothy 5:23).
"An overseer must...not (be) addicted to wine..." (1 Timothy 3:2-3).
Please note the following principles I gather from these (and other) Scriptures:
- Drunkenness is absolutely forbidden by the Scriptures.
- Jewish culture did not view wine like we do in our American culture. Wine in the Bible was definitely a fermented beverage. Too many verses, both in the Old and New Testaments affirm this fact.
A discussion about wine drinking cannot be separated from cultural norms. The use of wine in Bible days was usually centered on festivities like weddings or used for medicinal purposes. In my opinion, the question of American believers drinking alcoholic beverages must include a discussion of OUR culture. Believers who use the argument that wine in Bible times was not fermented, need only look at key passages which refer to drunkenness. I don't think you can build an anti-drinking argument on that basis alone.
I look to another principle that I feel speaks more pointedly than even fermented vs. non-fermented arguments. It is the principle Paul expounds in 1 Corinthians 8:9 and 12. "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak...and so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
You see, you may be able to drink and alcoholic beverage and not feel convicted, but if another believer (or unbeliever) sees you and it causes that person to stumble, then you probably need to leave it alone. Your liberty may cause someone to lose faith, and you never want that to happen, do you? I know for sure that if I drank in public (which I don't) and someone who knew me saw me guzzling a beer or whatever, I'm one-hundred-percent sure I would cause an offense or perhaps (worst case scenario) even cause someone to lose out with the Lord. Like anything else, the drink itself is not the REAL issue; it's how the action negatively affects other people.
In our culture, drinking may be viewed by unbelievers as alright; however, in my experience, when unbelievers see Christians partaking of alcohol, it usually causes them to call into question the believer's walk with Christ. If you were to travel in Europe and eat with believers, I promise you they would serve you wine with at least the evening meal. In those cultures wine is treated like drinking water! Drinking then would not be an issue to anyone!
The REAL issue is not, "Should I drink or not drink?" The REAL issue is, "Is what I'm doing--whether it's drinking or whatever--going to cause anyone to question the validity of the gospel?" You must answer that question for yourself!
