To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jIcQHr5jCek
SHOW NOTES
Welcome to a new episode of the Hope Rescue Podcast. Last week we answered the question, “Are tattoos a sin?” This week we are answering the question, “Is drinking alcohol a sin?” Keep reading to find out!
Tim and Kimberly begin the discussion by listing some of the top arguments against Christians drinking alcohol:
1. Drinking is a bad witness to God.
2. Drinking is addictive.
3. Drinking can impair your judgement and inhibition.
4. Drinking is a pleasure of the flesh.
5. Drinking leads to drunkenness.
6. Drinking destroys families.
7. Drinking can kill you through bad health or drunken driving.
8. Drinking is a stumbling block to others who may be alcoholics.
9. Drinking destroys your body.
10. Drinking costs money and is a waste.
Can all of these statements be true? Absolutely. Are they the norm? Not usually. Drinking can make someone a bad witness if they are drinking in front of an alcoholic and causing someone else to stumble. Drinking can be addictive, but is not always. Drinking can impair your judgement if you are not responsible with it. Drinking is a pleasure of the flesh, but so is eating pizza and sitting in a hot tub. Drinking can lead to drunkenness, but it does not have to. Drinking has destroyed families, but it does not always. Drinking can potentially lead to a person’s death, but it is not the most likely. Drinking can be a stumbling block to others if used irresponsibly. Drinking can destroy your body if you let it. Lastly, drinking does cost money and may be seen as a waste to some, but that same concept could be applied to many different things such as paying for ice cream or paying to see a movie.
Kimberly explains that anything taken to the extreme can become sin in our lives. We have to look at the motive behind why we desire something. Do we want to drink alcohol to fill a void or escape a situation? The same question can be asked about any desire we have, such as overeating or overexercising. If we desire alcohol to simply enjoy, God says to rejoice in that. But if we are desiring something to numb us or help us escape reality, it’s time to take a step back and evaluate if it is a healthy choice.
Tim also brings up the argument that leaders in the church should not drink. First Timothy Chapter 3 precisely outlines the requirements for leaders in the church, which says in verses 2-5, "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?” The word “drunkard” used in verse three is the greek word “paroinos” which literally means addicted to wine or always staying near wine. It is not saying that church leaders cannot have alcohol, but it is saying church leaders should not be addicted to alcohol.
Another common argument against drinking alcohol is Ephesians 5:18 which says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” In this verse in Ephesians, Paul was actually drawing a comparison between being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit verses being filled and controlled by alcohol. There are negative consequences to being filled and controlled by alcohol and there are positive consequences to being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Keeping this fact in mind, we must be careful to not drink alcohol in excess to the point of letting it control our lives and our minds.
To wrap the discussion up, Tim quotes 1 Corinthians 6:12 which says, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” If we are feeling convicted by what we consume, we have to stop and ask ourselves, “What are we under the power of?” If alcohol is dominating your life and you are not allowing your actions to be motivated by the Holy Spirit, by all means quit drinking alcohol.
Is drinking alcohol always a sin? No. Jesus himself drank wine while on earth, and His very first miracle was turning water into wine at a marriage feast. The Bible describes wine as a gift from God (Psalm 104:15) but like all good things from God, we should not abuse alcohol by using it excessively or idolizing it.
Thanks for tuning in to another week of the Hope Rescue Podcast. If you have any questions or comments, email us at info@hoperescue.org. We love you guys!
QUOTES
“When we use any substance in excess and allow it to control our actions, we will quickly find our lives in chaos.” -Tim
“Anything taken to the extreme can become sin in our lives. We have to look at the motive behind why we desire something.” -Kimberly
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
Deuteronomy 14:22-26 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.”
1 Timothy 3:2-5 "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?”
Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit”
