Photo by Lorin Both on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34
In our key verse Jesus gives a final warning about the coming day of judgment. A day the world should dread, but Christians should welcome if we are ready. It is a day said to come as a thief in the night, or suddenly, like a trap. Sadly, many Christ followers will be found on that day pursuing worldly pleasures instead of righteousness. Jesus warns us to always be ready.
Can a Christian drink alcohol? That question has been debated in the church throughout history. The Bible doesn’t condemn taking a drink, but it does condemn drunkenness. Ezekiel uses drunkenness as a metaphor for divine punishment on Judah for their sinful lifestyle. The people of Judah will go into exile.
You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. Ezekiel 23:33
Where the debate usually comes to rest is this question; will our casual drinking influence someone else negatively? The Apostle Paul taught that all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. In his example the debate surrounded whether it was all right to eat meat that might have been served to idols. Paul said it was completely okay to do so, but if it hurt the walk of a brother or sister, he would never eat meat around them.
The same can be said about drinking. It can affect our Christian witness and influence the opinion of how others see us. Paul, in teaching Timothy and Titus how to pick church leaders wrote,
Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Titus 1:7
not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 1 Timothy 3:3
Drunkenness is never okay for any of us. Drinking around others who have a problem with drinking is never okay either. As loving Christians, we should support our family and friends who struggle with alcoholism, and not drink.
Is drinking an issue in your life? Does it tend to lead to drunkenness because you can’t stop? I urge you to pray about this and if the answer is drinking takes you where you don’t want to go then get with someone to hold you accountable. If it is a severe problem, get into a good AA program. Then draw closer to God through prayer and Bible study and further away from the bottle. Drunkenness can lead to disaster. As Peter so plainly put it to the new Christians he was teaching,
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 1 Peter 4:3
Drinking could be considered a gateway for more and worse sins, especially if our mind is clouded in drunkenness.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for answering prayers of deliverance from addiction. Help me to live a life worthy of you, always ready for your return. Come soon Lord, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.
