Alcohol Abstinence: Obedience or Sacrifice?

1) Stumbling Block Theory – the principle of that which is “permitted” vs. that which is “profitable” is visited numerous times in the New Testament. These scriptures have collectively become the foundation of “stumbling block theory” that is so often debated by the proponents on both sides of the abstinence issue to the point of senseless philosophical entanglement without resolution. The irony and folly of this debate is that we equate the example of eating meat sacrificed to idols to alcohol use. This is errant in its context as well as in its application. Is it logical or reasonable to place alcohol use on one side of the social and theological scales to weigh it against eating meat sacrificed to idols on the other side? How many annual deaths were attributed to eating such meat? How many families destroyed? How many lost jobs? How many hours of lost productivity? What percentage of the gross national product was wasted in treatment of the so-called “victims”? In what way did the “brother” stumble? Did he justify his continued idol worship reasoning that the ceremonial surplus provided an economical supply of meat to Christians?

2) Enabling and Hypocracy – At what point are we enabling our brother or sister?

3) Adam sinned first – in cowardice by following Eve and doing nothing. He enabled Eve to sin by not fulfilling his God appointed duty of leadership as husband.

4) God does not seek to eliminate fun in your life. He is not the “Cosmic Killjoy”!

5) In biblical days, fermentation was unavoidable in the absence of refrigeration.

6) Church Covenant. Can we reasonably decide which rules to be bound by? If so, then why do we even have rules?

7) Where exactly is the line between taking a drink and being intoxicated (how much)?

8) What is the definition of “occasional” drinking (how often)?

9) What is the definition of “social” drinking (under what circumstances)?

10) Why even approach the line? Is the moderate and private use of alcohol a “victimless crime”? Consider the case of adultery. The Old Testament is clear on the subject. Yet Jesus clearly speaks out against the principle of approaching - but not crossing the line by using lust as an example.

11) Just how important is it for you to have a drink “in moderation”? Let’s be honest. The primary appeal of the sinful use of alcohol is intoxication! Does it make sense to risk “approaching the line” in alcohol use to enjoy the relaxed but not intoxicated effects of alcohol on the grounds that it’s “not prohibited”? Is our disdain for the one who drinks with the purpose of getting drunk and our respect for the one who drinks in moderation (committed to neither drunkenness nor abstinence) a socio-economic or moral distinction? Where is the “plumb line” that we might know what amount of alcohol is “permitted”?

12) What redeeming value does alcohol have in today’s world?

13) What redeeming value does abstinence have in today’s world?

14) The secular business world sometimes chooses sobriety over drunkenness. How often has a business executive “gotten someone drunk” in order to obtain self-serving strategic business information or trade secrets?

15) Men seeking to sexually exploit women often encourage drunkenness on the part of their victim while they themselves choose sobriety.

16) “Yes but” is the universal precedent of an excuse and should be an alarm when we hear or say it. People who are good at making excuses are seldom good for anything else. As you try to defend drinking in moderation, are you starting with the words “yes but”?

17) Alcohol use leads to other sin. Not because it is proven in every case to lead to drunkenness or dependency, but by allowing rationalization and compromise to become the basis of our decision making process rather than the principles of Scripture, the life and teachings of Jesus, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit.

18) Salt and Light. We are in the world, but not of the world. We are called to be different. But is there any difference in the eyes of the secular world? Abstinence is an opportunity to not only to proclaim, but also to show, in a positive, respectful, and loving way, that we are different.

19) The first miracle performed by Jesus was turning the water into wine. This is often cited as patent consent to alcohol use. If this is to be used as an example in the life of Jesus that we are to follow, then why do we conveniently leave out the fact that Jesus did NOT DRINK any of the wine? Who are we followers of? Christ, or the crowd?

20) How can drinking, in any amount, or in the privacy of your home, glorify God?

21) If drinking is OK, then why do we (as Christians) tend to keep it secret?

22) If, on the hottest day in August, Jesus Christ appeared at your door, hot, sweaty, and thirsty. Would you offer Him a cold beer?

23) Our bodies as temples. It is known that alcohol is a drug, depressant, and intoxicant regardless of the quantity consumed.

24) If marijuana were made legal, would it be OK in moderation and in the privacy of Christian homes? Cocaine? Speed? Heroine?

25) Does anyone (or any thing) in heaven drink, even a little, as a ceremonious part of worshipping and praising God?

26) Contextual sin (depending on the circumstances) – Obviously sex in and of itself is not sinful because both its use and abuse is clearly prescribed in scripture. Divorce is another example where the Bible provides clear guidelines on both what is permitted and what it not permitted. Since the Bible does not prescribe the proper use of alcohol (only its abuse), by what authority do we make up our own standards on its use? In fact, there are no uniform standards on “safe” alcohol consumption, only various opinions. The effect of the same amount of alcohol varies between individuals. State laws are not uniform in defining “legally drunk” or even the age at which one can legally choose to drink. Some states even have different ages at which you can decide what to drink, based on whether you decide to drink beer or wine as opposed to “hard liquor”! Is it safe to assume that the absence of a biblical standard “thou shall not drink, even a little” is Gods way of saying “it’s not all that important – make up your own mind”?

27) How about abortion? As Christians, do we not agree that the debate on “when life begins” is irrelevant and that life begins at conception? When does “drunkenness” begin?

28) Excessive anger might be a biblical example of a “contextual sin”. Becoming angry is the natural response to being provoked. Even God gets “angry”. Can we argue that using alcohol, like becoming angry, is a natural response to anything? Unlike alcohol use, anger is another case where we are given clear biblical instruction in both its use (experiencing) and its abuse (harboring).

29) Sacrifice - Don’t hold back! Even though it “might” be “considered” by “some” to be “permissible” under “certain circumstances” to drink in “moderation” as a Christian, consider this: We are assured of our salvation because Jesus, holding nothing back, sacrificed everything. Knowing that Jesus held back nothing and proved His love for us, is making a decision for abstinence too much of a sacrifice for us to demonstrate our love for the one who gave everything?