We will step into a controversial subject this morning. For some, this could mean the difference between a fruitful Christian life versus a life that ends in disappointment—a life of unfulfilled potential. It could even mean the difference between life and death for some. That’s why we must address it.
Paul told the Ephesians: “. . . I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).i He did not avoid the difficult subjects. Preachers are often tempted to do that. If the appearance of success by keeping the crowd is the primary objective, preachers will avoid controversial subjects. If faithfulness to God and the wellbeing of the hearers is the primary goal, then preachers will risk subjects like this. Earlier in Acts 20:20, Paul talked about his proclamation of the gospel and how he taught from house to house. In that context he said, “I
kept back nothing that was helpful.” I share this teaching today because I believe it will be “helpful” to you.
The title of this message is: Why I Don’t Drink Any Alcohol. I will share with you nine reasons. We will probably only finish the first three today. The church has changed dramatically since the time I first became a Christians. Decades ago, one would need nine points to explain why he would drink any alcohol. That was particularly true for conservative ministers. But the majority opinion has shifted. It has shifted so much that today I find it necessary to give you nine reasons why I don’t drink any alcohol. Many will disagree with my position on this. I only ask that would hear me out. I will seek to deal with the whole counsel of God on this subject, rather than simply quote a few proof texts for my position and avoid passages that might challenge it. In the timeframe, we cannot be exhaustive. There are many verses that relate to the issue of alcohol. But we do want an honest examination of
Scripture as a whole. Our understanding of this should be informed by the overall revelation in the Bible. Nine reasons why I don’t drink any alcohol:
Reason #1:
DRINKING A LITTLE ALCOHOL EASILY LEADS TO DRINKING TOO MUCH ALCOHOL.
I know this from personal experience and by observing the behavior of others. Alcohol diminishes our reasoning power. Therefore, as we drink a little, we can easily convince ourselves that one more won’t hurt. And that can lead to drunkenness.
The Bible clearly teaches against drunkenness. Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler (NLT says, ‘leads to brawls), And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Do you want to be a wise person? If so, beware of the deceptive nature of strong drink.
Proverbs 23 expands upon this warning. Verse 19-20 warns against both drunkenness and gluttony: “Hear, my son, and be wise (There is this issue of wisdom again); And guide your heart in the way. 20 Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” A lifestyle dominated by impulses for fleshly gratification can rob you of provision and success. When we address alcohol consumption, people invariable bring up gluttony: “Well the Bible also condemns gluttony and look at all the overweight Christians.” My response to that is this: one sin does not justify another. Just because a lot of people live in fornication, does not mean its alright to murder. Proverbs 23:19-20 is warning against both drunkenness and gluttony. They are both wrong. However, you seldom hear of someone’s judgement being so impaired by donut consumption that they veer out into the wrong lane and cause a head-on car accident, killing innocent people. “Every year, more than 15,000 people are killed as a result of drunk driving.” “In the U.S., 25% of traffic-related deaths are caused by driving under the influence (DUI).”ii In those cases, this subject is a matter of life and death.
Proverbs 23:29 asks the rhetorical questions: “Who has woe? [Do you want to be a person who has woe?] Who has sorrow? [Ironically alcohol promises to alleviate sorrow. And it may give a quick emotional boost. But the long-term consequence is sorrow.] Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?”iii The answer follows in verses 30-31: “Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly.” While drinking a glass wine, have you ever taken pleasure in swirling the contents around as described in this verse? I have literally done that. It’s amazing how vivid Scripture can be.
Notice how vivid verses 32-35 are: “At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. [Its potential is very destructive. It can ruin your life]. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things [You will say things you wish you had not said. It can destroy your marriage]. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea [the room will spin all around you], Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 ‘They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?’” For the alcoholic, waking up means seeking “another drink.” It becomes a driving force in the person’s life.
The warning against drunkenness is even stronger in the New Testament. First Cor 6:9 asks the question: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Many people preach a grace message that contradicts that statement.iv First Corinthians 6:9 then warns against deception. Did we not read earlier: “Wine is a mocker”? Could it ultimately rob a person of their eternal salvation? Listen to the things listed here that cause a person to “not inherit the kingdom of God.”v First Corinthians 6::9-10: “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” Drunkards are listed there with adulterers, homosexual, sodomites, and thieves. It must not be a trivial thing in God’s eyes.
Galatians 5:19-21 lists it with heresies, envy, and murder. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Someone will respond, “I’m not a drunkard. I only drink a little.” Considering the seriousness of drunkenness according to these passages, do you really want to risk becoming a drunkard? Those who abstain from alcohol avoid that risk.
My first reason for leaving alcohol alone is that it can be very deceptive. I might think I can handle it and find out too late that I cannot handle it. First Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” You can try charming the snake, but you always run the risk of it biting you. A little alcohol can easily lead to too much alcohol: drunkenness. And that can lead to a destructive addiction.
Reason #2:
ALCOHOL HAS THE POTENTIAL OF BECOMING ADDICTIVE AND DOMINATING MY LIFE.
I want to avoid that in every way I can.
A lot of bondage begins with a promise of liberty. “You don’t have to be restricted like those legalistic, old-fashion fundamentalists. God wants you to be happy. He is not a hard taskmaster.” I’m sharing with you the reasoning behind those who would say, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow we shall die.”vi It all sounds good to our flesh, but there is often a dangerous deception involved.
In his condemnation of false prophets, Peter says they speak “empty, boastful words” and appeal to “the lustful desires of sinful human nature.” They may very well tell you what you want to hear. Second Peter 2:19 continues, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage” (NIV). The danger of drinking a little is that it easily leads to drinking more over time. And it can easily lead to bondage. Do you know anyone who is in the bondage of alcoholism? Has it really made their life better? Did it make their marriage better? How about the impact on their children? Did it improve their overall success in life?
In 1 Corinthians 6:12 Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” The NIV says, “‘Everything is permissible for me’-- but not everything is beneficial. for me’-- but I will not be mastered by anything.” Renown Bible scholar Gordon Fee says, “‘Everything is permissible for me” is almost certainly a Corinthian theological slogan. This is confirmed by the way Paul cites it again in 10:23; in both cases he qualifies it so sharply as to negate it—at least as a theological absolute.”vii Everything is not permissible for you. Murder is not permissible, even when a wicked government approves the abortion of innocent babies. Adultery is not permissible. Stealing is not permissible. The Bible clearly prohibits some behavior. Drunkenness is certainly a prohibited lifestyle.
But what about alcohol in moderation? There is no law in the Bible that says a Christian cannot have a beer every now and then. There is no commandment that says alcohol must never touch your lips. In fact, there are verses like Psalm 104:15 that speak of wine in a positive sense. Wine was offered along with the Old Testament sacrifices.viii And Jesus’s first miracle was to turn the water into wine. If we are to address the whole counsel of God, we must take all of this into consideration.
Wine was a significant part of life in biblical times. Without the water-purification methods we have today, it could even be safer to drink than the water. It sometimes served as an antiseptic to deal with bacteria in the water. In fact, Paul told Timothy to use it for medicinal purposes. In 1 Timothy 5:23 he wrote, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.” Just as strong drugs like morphine have legitimate medical use today, so wine could be used medically in Paul’s day. Proverbs 31:6 even says, “Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.” When we were in Iowa, we had a thirty-nine-year-old friend named Ann dying of cancer. Her doctor gave her morphine in the last few days of her life when the pain was extremely severe. I was grateful to that doctor for doing that. The opiate that could destroy lives when misused, helped relieve pain and make her death easier. In biblical days, wine could serve a similar purpose.
In Matthew 27:34 “wine mingled with gall” (NIV) was offered to Jesus as He was dying on the cross. It was a standard act of mercy to grant some pain relief to those “perishing.” Jesus refused it because His commitment was to bear the full punishment of sin (John 18:11).ix In biblical times wine was used for legitimate medical purposes.
But what about Jesus turning the water into wine (John 2:1-12)? That was His first miracle, after all. Wine in those days was fermented. The claim that it was simply grape juice cannot be substantiated.x
However, the alcohol content was considerably less than what we are comparing it to today. Naturally fermented wine is typically less than 15% alcohol.xi It was a common practice in ancient times to dilute that with three parts waters to one part wine.xii When that was done, it was only 3 or 4 percent alcohol. Liquor purchased today ranges from 20-70% alcohol by volume with an average of about 40%. Distilled alcoholic drinks can be as much as 95% alcohol.xiii So, what people drink today is very different from the wine consumed at a wedding feast like this. In short, we are not comparing apples with apples.
What constitutes this difference? It is the ability of modern distilling processes to concentrate the alcohol content. This first came into common use in Europe as a medical breakthrough during the Middle Ages. “In fact, the first documented use of distilled alcohol comes from a 12th century Italian medical school—not a bar.”xiv “Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) was the first to clearly described the process which made possible the manufacture of distilled spirits.xv A medical professor named Arnaldus of Villanova (d. 1315) called the product aqua vitae which is Latin for life water. He said, “This name is remarkably suitable, since it is really a water of immortality. It prolongs life, clears away ill-humors, revives the heart, and maintains youth.”xvi His list of benefits is both humorous and heartbreaking when you consider the broken families, broken dreams, and early deaths that can be attributed to distilled liquor. Crude distilling processes existed as far back as 800 BC in China, but there is no record of the distilling of alcohol in Israel during Bible times.xvii
Therefore, the wine at the marriage in Cana was a very different product than the liquor people drink today. Today’s liquor can be ten times as intoxicating. If you’re going to drink today’s products, you must drink very little to stay within the realm of biblical moderation. The Bible does not condemn small portions of alcohol. Instead, Scripture issues strong warnings against its potential danger. Hosea 4:11 warns, “'Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.” One reason I avoid harlotry, wine, and new wine is that I don’t want to be enslaved by it.
I grew up in a home enslaved by alcohol. I don’t remember when I took my first drink of alcohol, but I was drinking it when in elementary school. I vividly remember one occasion when I got drunk because the next morning, I was very sick. I was about 11 or 12 years old at that time. In those days the kids were often present in the homes where the party was held. There was no money for babysitters, although there always seemed to be money to buy alcohol. We developed a strategy for getting all the alcohol we wanted. Once the adults began to get drunk, we could switch their full beer for an empty one, and they would not notice it. We would wait until they took a couple of drinks. Then while they were distracted in conversation, we would make the switch. Then we would gather in a bedroom and have our own party. On this occasion there happened to be a pile of raw sweet potatoes. As we were getting drunk, we ate the raw sweet potatoes with the beer. The combination did not work well for us.
Growing up I witnessed firsthand the immorality and violence that naturally accompanied the drinking. At the time, I thought it was normal. I also saw the way alcohol destroyed some of my uncles’ lives. My maternal grandfather was an alcoholic. My paternal grandmother was an alcoholic. And my father was an alcoholic.
With all that negative feedback, you would think I would know better than to drink. But that was not the case. In my late teens and early 20’s, I was a heavy drinker. I never had a couple of beers and then stopped—never! Once the drinking started, it continued until I was drunk. To make matters worse, I was a very aggressive drunk. So, there were fights as well: fights that made no sense. One time I and another guy just looked at each other, no words, and began fighting. “Who has contentions . . . Who has wounds without cause?” “Those who linger long at the wine.” Why would you want me to drink a little “social” drink? My social skills go out the window when I drink.
With a family-line history of alcoholism and my own history with it, it seems the better part of wisdom that I would leave it alone entirely.
When offered alcohol, I don’t always have the opportunity to explain myself the way I am doing today. So, people assume I am just being prudish and judging them.xviii They have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. They know there was wine at the wedding in John 2. They know Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach’s sake. They seem to think I don’t know those passages. Most of them do not know that the wine at the wedding was very weak in alcoholic content. Most have not done an adequate risk assessment of alcohol for their own lives. If drunkenness can put your eternal destiny in jeopardy, why would you play around with? If “at the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper,” why would you risk it?xix
So, in 1 Corinthians 6, after warning Christians about the deceitfulness of sins such as drunkenness, Paul writes in verse 12, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Drinking a little alcohol, is not an issue of some biblical law against it. Wisdom tells me that it is not helpful. It is not worth the risks involved. I will not risk being brought under its power. I have seen better men than me think they could handle it and watched them fall. I have friend who was an elder in one of the fastest growing, largest churches in America until he fell under the power of alcoholism. He told me the addiction began with an occasional glass of wine at the end of the day. “Wine is a mocker” and it made a fool out of a very good man.
Reason #3:
I HAVE FOUND A BETTER SOURCE OF PEACE AND JOY.
Ephesians 5:18 commands Christians: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” The NIV says, “Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery.” Drunkenness reduces inhibitions and opens people up to all kinds of other sins. We all know this. But even with two or three drinks the function of the frontal lobe is suppressed, so that people do things they would not otherwise do.xx The more alcohol consumed, the more the rational filter is inhibited. When our behavior is inappropriate, we cannot use the excuse, “I was drunk.” Scripturally, you are responsible to not be drunk. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
The alternative to alcohol is to “be filled with the Spirit.” That’s an interesting contrast. It is a contrast between something that is profitable and something that is not profitable. It is a contrast between something that pleases God and something that displeases Him. It is a contrast between something that ruin your life and something that can make life rich and fulfilling. Have you experienced the peace that the Holy Spirit can bring into your life? Have you experienced His joy? The Psalmist said to God, “You will show me the path of life: In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures evermore” (Ps. 16:11).
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” People who love alcohol, talk about alcohol. You can tell a lot about what fills people’s heart by just letting them run their mouths. People who love the Lord talk about Him. They talk about His goodness. They talk about the joy of His fellowship. I’ve found more joy in the Lord, than I ever found in a bottle. And there are no hangovers.xxi
We will have to deal with the other six reasons next week. I don’t want to rush through this because it is an issue every Christian is faced with in our society. I want to equip you to make a scriptural risk assessment for your own life and make a wise choice about this issue of alcohol consumption. We have a lot more to say about this in the next message.
But in concluding this message, I want to address those who are already ensnared by alcoholism. There is hope for you. For all the living, there is hope no matter how bound you may be.xxii You already realize that “At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.”xxiii You have already felt some of that sting—its impact on your family; its impact on your work and other relationships; the impact on your relationship with God. You want to be free, but how. Many before have learned the insufficiency of willpower alone. You need a power greater than your own. And that power is God Himself.
The good news is that God loves you so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to provide a way at the cross for you to be free.xxiv God’s Son was named Jesus “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). He still saves from the sin of drunkenness. He is able to deliver you from the guttermost to the uttermose (Heb. 7:25).
However, He won’t do that against your will. You must choose God’s path of deliverance. It is a path of TOTAL SURRENDER. Anyone willing to surrender and lose his life to the will of God will find freedom in Christ. It is a biblical paradox: you experience abundant, fulfilling life by giving your life over to God.xxv
The mistake that is often made is trying to get God to fix the alcoholism while retaining overall control of your own life. That simply does not work.xxvi Freedom is found in total surrender. Freedom is found in acknowledging your own inability to run your life and turning it over to God. Freedom is found in trusting God with your future, obeying Him in whatever He chooses for you. The path that got you into this bondage was a process. The path for coming out of it is a process. But the journey to freedom begins with a decision: a decision to turn in the right direction and begin walking with God. Begin where you are, and let God lead you out of that terrible pit. If that is the choice you want to make today, then join me in this prayer.
God, I am a mess. But I come to you for help. I have messed up my life, and I cannot fix it. I ask you to take over my life from this day forward. I know that my own sinfulness has gotten me into this mess. I know that Jesus’s death on the cross has made possible my forgiveness. I confess my sin and ask you to forgive me. Cleanse me of the alcoholism and every other sin that offends you. I surrender my life to you. I surrender to Christ as my Lord and Savior. I receive your forgiveness. I receive your mercy. I receive your deliverance in Jesus’s name. Amen.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture verses are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Sa El, “How Many People Die From Drunk Driving In America? Plus Over 13 Drunk Driving Statistics For 2022!” Simply Insurance. Accessed at https://www.simplyinsurance.com/how-many-people-die-from-drunk-driving/.
iii Cf. Isa. 5:22.
iv Cf. 1 John 3:7; Richard Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019), 170-189.
v Concerning this danger of not inheriting the kingdom of God, Gordon Fee writes, “Paul’s point in all this is to warn ‘the saints,’ not only the many who has wronged his brother, but the whole community, that if they persist in the same evils as ‘the wicked’ they are in the same danger of not inheriting the kingdom. Some theologies have great difficulty with such warnings, implying that they are essentially hypothetical since God’s children cannot be ‘disinherited.’ But such a theology fails to take seriously the genuine tension of texts like this one. The warning is real; the wicked will not inherit the kingdom. That first of all applies to the ‘unsaved.’ Paul’s concern is that the Corinthians must ‘stop deceiving themselves’ or ‘allowing themselves to be deceived. By persisting in the same behavior as those already destined for judgment they are placing themselves in the very real danger of that same judgment. If it were not so, then the warning is no warning at all.” Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, TNICNT, N. B Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, and G. D. Fee, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 242.
vi Cf. 1 Cor. 15:32.
vii Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, TNICNT, N. B Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, and G. D. Fee, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 251-252.
viii Cf. Gen. 14:18; Ex. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:4-5; 1 Sam. 1:24.
ix See Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel Green and Scot McKnight, eds. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992) s. v. “Wine” by D. F. Watson, 871.
x New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “Wine.” Retrieved from PC Study Bible version 3 software. Originally published in 1988 by Moody Press in Chicago, IL The Greek word oinos is typically translated wine in the New Testament. A study of the Hebrew words translated wine, mixed wine, strong drink, etc. is helpful, but beyond the scope of this message.
xi Dan Brennan, “What Are the 4 Types of Alcohol?” MedicineNet. Accessed at https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_4_types_of_alcohol/article.htm .
xii Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), 72. See also Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel Green and Scot McKnight, eds. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992) s. v. “Wine” by D. F. Watson, 871.
xiii Dan Brennan, “What Are the 4 Types of Alcohol?”MedicineNet. Accessed at https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_4_types_of_alcohol/article.htm .
xiv Vinepair Staff, “The History Of Distilling,” Vinepair. Accessed at https://vinepair.com/spirits-101/history-of-distilling/.
xv C. Patrick, Alcohol, Culture, and Society (Durham: Duke U Press, 1952), 29 as quoted by “Earliest History of Liquor: Distilled Spirits Timeline,” Alcohol Problems and Solutions. Accessed at https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/earliest-history-of-liquor-distilled-spirits-timelines-for-the-world/.
xvi B. Roueche, “Alcohol in Human Culture” in S. Lucia, ed., Alcohol and Civilization (NY: McGraw-Hill, 1963), 171 as quoted by “Earliest History of Liquor: Distilled Spirits Timeline,” Alcohol Problems and Solutions. Accessed at https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/earliest-history-of-liquor-distilled-spirits-timelines-for-the-world/.
xvii Vinepair Staff, “The History Of Distilling,” Vinepair. Accessed at https://vinepair.com/spirits-101/history-of-distilling/.
xviii Cf. 1 Pet. 4:3-4.
xix Prov. 23:32.
xx Andrew Huberman, “Alcohol & Your Brain,” Huberman Lab Clips. Accessed at https://youtu.be/CJynHWYo7D8.
xxi Cf. John 10:10.
xxii Cf. Eccl. 9:4; Job 14:7; 2 Thess. 2:16.
xxiii Prov .23:32.
xxiv Cf. John 3:16-17.
xxv See Matt. 16:25; John 10:10.
xxvi Cf. James 1:6-8. Pagan worship is an attempt to “use” the gods for one’s own purposes. We do not use God to get what we want. We surrender to God so that He can use us in His eternal purposes. Meaningful life and eternal life are only found in surrendering to the Creator’s rightful authority over our lives.
