Is It Alright To Drink?

Is It Right To Drink, As Long As You Don’t Get Drunk? Or, What Is Wrong With "Social Drinking?"

Introduction: The above question is very important. Especially when one considers the extensive use of alcohol and the way it is marketed. Advertisers through commercials appeal to people on many different levels; alcohol helps you to have friends and fun, heart warming images, some are humorous (talking frogs, what’s up, and I love you man), they even have commercials warning you about their product. People reason that surely something that will help me have fun, be popular, and even encourages me to "drink responsibly" can not be bad for me. Some Christians have concluded that drinking is acceptable as long as I don’t get drunk. Or in other words it is the abuse and not the use that is wrong.

I. Understanding Alcohol

a. Alcohol is a drug

i. It is a narcotic and not a stimulant, a depressant, exercising an anesthetic effect on the brain.

ii. All alcoholic beverages have Ethyl Alcohol, a habit forming drug.

iii. Beer has Lupulin, found in HOPS in the brewing process. Has the same chemical elements that marijuana does, except beer has heavier molecular composition.

b. Effects of Alcohol

i. Low doses – a relaxing effect, reduced tension, lowered inhibitions, impaired concentration, slows reflexes, impaired reaction time, reduced coordination

ii. Medium doses – slurred speech, drowsiness, altered emotions

iii. High doses – vomiting, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, coma, death

c. Facts

i. Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the US

ii. 71% of Americans say they drink some type of alcoholic beverage

iii. Per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages amount to 34.46 gallons of beer, 3.47 gallons of wine, 2.53 gallons os distilled liquids for EVERY MAN AND WOMAN in this country

iv. More alcohol is consumed per year than milk or coffee

d. Results

i. Alcohol is involved in 50% of all driving fatalities

ii. Every 30 minutes someone is killed in an alcohol related traffic accident

iii. Of the 15 million Americans dependent on alcohol, 500,00 are between the ages of 9 to 12

iv. 70% of all divorces attributed to alcohol

v. 75% of all crimes attributed to alcohol

II. Drunkenness is Sin

a. All admit this fact, 1 Corinthians 6.10; Galatians 5.19-21

b. The process of drunkenness is also sin, Ephesians 5.18

Drunk – methusko, Thayer, Robinson, and Bagser define the word "to make drunk, to get drunk, or to grow drunk, to become intoxicated.

Drunkenness is a process of becoming drunk. If it takes 5 drinks to become "drunk" then one drink is 1/5 of being drunk. Imagine applying this to getting high on marijuana.

1 Peter 4.3

Drunkenness – excess of wine or strong drink to the extent of loosing complete judgment or control

Revellings – partying with aid of drink, Tayer, 367 "a revel, carousal

Banquetings – POTOS – drinking without reference to the amount

R.C. Trench Synonyms of the N.T. p. 221 "The drinking bout, the banquet, the symposium, drinking, not of necessity excessive"

III. Bible Wines

a. People often infer when they read wine, alcoholic beverage

i. Oinos – in N.T. implies neither fermented nor unfermented, intoxicating nor non-intoxicating drink

ii. Yayin – O.T. what is pressed out, grape juice

iii. Gleukos – wine produced from the very purest juice of the vine.

b. (The context tells us the type of wine) Passover unleavened refers to unfermented juice., therefore, the Lord’s Supper, Luke 22.17-18

i. Jesus turned water into "wine" John 2.6-10.

ii. Can not infer this was fermented wine. Why? Hab. 2.15.

IV. Bible Warnings

a. Christians are to be "sober minded" 1 Thess. 5.6,8

i. Serious minded, in control of one’s self

b. Proverbs warns us of the use of wine

i. Proverbs 20.1 "strong drink" keep in mind Bible wines did not have the same alcoholic content as present day wines

ii. Proverbs 23.29-32 notice the phrase "at last" alcohol has a delayed effect that one does not recognize

V. Twisted Passages

1 Timothy 5.23 used in favor of social drinking

i. Assumption that the wine was fermented

ii. If social drinking was widely practiced and accepted by 1^{st
Century Christians, why did Paul have to tell Timothy to drink some.}

iii. Also this was not social drinking but for medicinal purposes "For your stomach’s sake"

iv. The amount was also limited to "a little"

b. 1 Timothy 3.8 "not given to much wine"

i. Again assumes the type of wine

ii. A passage that forbids excessiveness does not permit anything short of that excessive point. Passages that forbid fornication do not justify anything short of the overt act. Passages that condemn murder do not uphold beating a man just as long as we stop short of killing him.

VI. Questions

a. If drinking beer for pleasure is right, what is wrong with giving it to children?

b. If drinking alcohol for pleasure is right, what is wrong with bringing it to a get-together of brethren for a pot luck or picnic?

c. If drinking alcohol for pleasure is right, what is wrong with Christians sitting in a nice restaurant drinking wine for pleasure?

d. If drinking alcohol for pleasure is right, what is wrong with offering a cold beer to your neighbor?

e. What influence would you have if you try to have a Bible Study with your neighbor while drinking a beer?

f. At what point can one know the sin of being drunk has been committed?

g. If drinking alcohol for pleasure is right, why not encourage it and practice it?

D.T. @ Westside Church of Christ 07.15.07

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