Most people’s view on drinking is if it’s consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful nor addictive. Some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol they say, is a matter of Christian freedom. But, with these freedoms comes a personal responsibility to act accordingly, and to also not be a stumbling block for others. We can’t argue that drunkenness and addiction are sins. Why? Because within the confines of scripture it tells us so.
Ephesians 5:18 tells us to avoid drunkenness
The bible condemns drunkenness and it’s affects Prov. 23:29-35, and we are not to allow our bodies to be mastered by anything 1Cor 6:12, 2Peter 2:19
We are to refrain from doing anything that makes our brother stumble in their faith, or our conscience 1Cor 8:9-21
What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness
But, let’s take a look at the realities of alcoholism:
As a former alcoholic, I have strong personal views, and looking at the condition of society today, I hold to the opinion; “why do it?”
As a recovered alcoholic I can’t understand why Christians would drink. I’ve only known alcohol as a way to escape reality. I don’t know why if you are drinking for the taste you wouldn’t just drink something else that tastes good.
Christian weddings who provide alcohol open the door for people being intoxicated. For many, it only takes one glass or two. Alcohol is extremely addictive and is used to alter the mental state and “loosen up”. The results are many times things being said that can ruin relationships, inflicting pain on other’s, and yourself, and living with the regret of it.
I’ve watched this in my family all my life. There are some who are still living in denial, and want nothing to do with me, because my presence brings conviction, even if I say nothing. I just keep praying that some day they wake up and become as ashamed of themselves and as tired of wasting their life as I did, and finally want to change.
Alcohol (also grain alcohol) is a toxin that severely affects the central nervous system when ingested. Most people know that even moderate “social drinking” destroys brain cells.
The strongest advocate of alcohol must honestly admit that its consumption does not glorify God in their body; instead, it slowly destroys body and mind, which is a clear violation of the Sixth Commandment.
Today, “moderation” is taught with alcohol, but history has shown that moderation with an addictive drug or alcoholism is impossible.
In the next 24 hours, alcohol will be responsible for almost half of all:
... the homicides.
…the people who will die on the highway.
…the people who will be admitted to the hospital.
…the people who will be incarcerated in jail or prison.
…the people who will be arrested for domestic violence.
…the people who will be born with birth defects.
It will also be responsible for a quarter of all suicides.
According to Zig Ziglar, authorities know that approximately one in sixteen people who ever take a social drink will become an alcoholic. Would you board a plane if you knew there was a one in 16 chance that it would crash and end your life? Yet, how many think nothing of getting into a car drunk, sometimes with children strapped to their car seats; and drive on the highways drunk. They are responsible at times for not only their own deaths, but the innocent victims that are in their way, as they careen down the highway, in a drunken stupor. We see the devastating results on the news all the time. Today it is not unusual to hear of car wrecks where the driver is high on both drugs and alcohol at the same time.
The great Canadian physician Sir William Osler was lecturing one day on alcohol. “Is it true,” asked a student, “that alcohol makes people do some things better?”
“No,” replied Sir William. “It just makes them less ashamed of doing them badly.”
Christians who drink alcohol have tarnished their testimonies to the outside world—as well as to those in the church. And the ones who are hurt the most by these compromised testimonies are the children. They see the hypocrisy, and it’s affect is unbelief.
A quote from Paul Harvey-Tests show that after drinking three bottles of beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent; hinders muscular reaction by 17 percent; increases errors due to lack of attention by 35 percent.
Charles Spurgeon had this to say about drinking-: "I wish the man who made the law to open them had to keep all the families that they have brought to ruin. Beer shops are the enemies of the home; therefore, the sooner their licenses are taken away, the better."
Billy Sunday-“After all is said that can be said on the liquor traffic, its influence is degrading on the individual, the family, politics and business and upon everything that you touch in this old world."
It is hypocrisy to children to see their mothers or fathers talking about their love for God, praying in church, and then watch them go home and drink. Jesus condemned this hypocrisy with the very strongest language: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” Matt 18:6).
A sad story:
An anxious father approached his pastor and said, “Please, talk to my boy about drinking. He came home last night and fell sprawling on the floor—too drunk to get up. His mother cried the rest of the night.”
“Why don't you talk to your own boy yourself?” the preacher questioned.
But the father said, “Pastor, I can't talk to my son about it, because I am to blame. I wanted him to be a man, so I gave him his first glass of liquor. I didn't dream that he'd ever become a drunkard. Please speak to my boy. I can't talk to him.”
I grew up in this kind of environment, so I know the reality of this kind of scenario. I was given my first taste of drink, a glass of wine, at a New Years Eve party at a relatives house. I was twelve years old. This started my road to devastation and many heartaches.
From personal experience I can tell you that if you allow people in your life to influence you to drink, take drugs, or smoke; if you become an addict, and can’t function in life anymore, they will be the first to leave you. You will not find them at your door to help you find recovery, they will leave you and continue down their own road to destruction, laughing at you as they go. Think about what I’m telling you, when you look behind you at the end of your life; what do you want to see. The choices we’ve made in life, and the people we allow in our life, are revealed by the pattern we’ve left behind us. When I first saved the verse below was one God put before me at the very beginning and taught me to evaluate people and weed out the troublemakers, for my own sake.
1Co 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
My father drank and I saw him drunken many times. I watched him abuse my mother, feeling helpless to do anything about it. I hated him for how he treated her. It was only after he was dying of lung cancer that he stopped drinking, and I got to know him. The last five years of his life God brought forgiveness between us, and he came to faith in Christ only six days before his death. God’s hand moves to redeem us, no matter how deep the pit we’ve dropped into.
I almost became one more statistic, but, thank God; He redeemed me and set me free one morning in 1978 in my living room, at the age of 25. Three month’s after my father’s death. I thank God for these many years I’ve enjoyed that drinking did not steal from me.
Lorna Couillard
Ephesians 5:18 tells us to avoid drunkenness
The bible condemns drunkenness and it’s affects Prov. 23:29-35, and we are not to allow our bodies to be mastered by anything 1Cor 6:12, 2Peter 2:19
We are to refrain from doing anything that makes our brother stumble in their faith, or our conscience 1Cor 8:9-21
What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness
But, let’s take a look at the realities of alcoholism:
As a former alcoholic, I have strong personal views, and looking at the condition of society today, I hold to the opinion; “why do it?”
As a recovered alcoholic I can’t understand why Christians would drink. I’ve only known alcohol as a way to escape reality. I don’t know why if you are drinking for the taste you wouldn’t just drink something else that tastes good.
Christian weddings who provide alcohol open the door for people being intoxicated. For many, it only takes one glass or two. Alcohol is extremely addictive and is used to alter the mental state and “loosen up”. The results are many times things being said that can ruin relationships, inflicting pain on other’s, and yourself, and living with the regret of it.
I’ve watched this in my family all my life. There are some who are still living in denial, and want nothing to do with me, because my presence brings conviction, even if I say nothing. I just keep praying that some day they wake up and become as ashamed of themselves and as tired of wasting their life as I did, and finally want to change.
Alcohol (also grain alcohol) is a toxin that severely affects the central nervous system when ingested. Most people know that even moderate “social drinking” destroys brain cells.
The strongest advocate of alcohol must honestly admit that its consumption does not glorify God in their body; instead, it slowly destroys body and mind, which is a clear violation of the Sixth Commandment.
Today, “moderation” is taught with alcohol, but history has shown that moderation with an addictive drug or alcoholism is impossible.
In the next 24 hours, alcohol will be responsible for almost half of all:
... the homicides.
…the people who will die on the highway.
…the people who will be admitted to the hospital.
…the people who will be incarcerated in jail or prison.
…the people who will be arrested for domestic violence.
…the people who will be born with birth defects.
It will also be responsible for a quarter of all suicides.
According to Zig Ziglar, authorities know that approximately one in sixteen people who ever take a social drink will become an alcoholic. Would you board a plane if you knew there was a one in 16 chance that it would crash and end your life? Yet, how many think nothing of getting into a car drunk, sometimes with children strapped to their car seats; and drive on the highways drunk. They are responsible at times for not only their own deaths, but the innocent victims that are in their way, as they careen down the highway, in a drunken stupor. We see the devastating results on the news all the time. Today it is not unusual to hear of car wrecks where the driver is high on both drugs and alcohol at the same time.
The great Canadian physician Sir William Osler was lecturing one day on alcohol. “Is it true,” asked a student, “that alcohol makes people do some things better?”
“No,” replied Sir William. “It just makes them less ashamed of doing them badly.”
Christians who drink alcohol have tarnished their testimonies to the outside world—as well as to those in the church. And the ones who are hurt the most by these compromised testimonies are the children. They see the hypocrisy, and it’s affect is unbelief.
A quote from Paul Harvey-Tests show that after drinking three bottles of beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent; hinders muscular reaction by 17 percent; increases errors due to lack of attention by 35 percent.
Charles Spurgeon had this to say about drinking-: "I wish the man who made the law to open them had to keep all the families that they have brought to ruin. Beer shops are the enemies of the home; therefore, the sooner their licenses are taken away, the better."
Billy Sunday-“After all is said that can be said on the liquor traffic, its influence is degrading on the individual, the family, politics and business and upon everything that you touch in this old world."
It is hypocrisy to children to see their mothers or fathers talking about their love for God, praying in church, and then watch them go home and drink. Jesus condemned this hypocrisy with the very strongest language: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” Matt 18:6).
A sad story:
An anxious father approached his pastor and said, “Please, talk to my boy about drinking. He came home last night and fell sprawling on the floor—too drunk to get up. His mother cried the rest of the night.”
“Why don't you talk to your own boy yourself?” the preacher questioned.
But the father said, “Pastor, I can't talk to my son about it, because I am to blame. I wanted him to be a man, so I gave him his first glass of liquor. I didn't dream that he'd ever become a drunkard. Please speak to my boy. I can't talk to him.”
I grew up in this kind of environment, so I know the reality of this kind of scenario. I was given my first taste of drink, a glass of wine, at a New Years Eve party at a relatives house. I was twelve years old. This started my road to devastation and many heartaches.
From personal experience I can tell you that if you allow people in your life to influence you to drink, take drugs, or smoke; if you become an addict, and can’t function in life anymore, they will be the first to leave you. You will not find them at your door to help you find recovery, they will leave you and continue down their own road to destruction, laughing at you as they go. Think about what I’m telling you, when you look behind you at the end of your life; what do you want to see. The choices we’ve made in life, and the people we allow in our life, are revealed by the pattern we’ve left behind us. When I first saved the verse below was one God put before me at the very beginning and taught me to evaluate people and weed out the troublemakers, for my own sake.
1Co 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
My father drank and I saw him drunken many times. I watched him abuse my mother, feeling helpless to do anything about it. I hated him for how he treated her. It was only after he was dying of lung cancer that he stopped drinking, and I got to know him. The last five years of his life God brought forgiveness between us, and he came to faith in Christ only six days before his death. God’s hand moves to redeem us, no matter how deep the pit we’ve dropped into.
I almost became one more statistic, but, thank God; He redeemed me and set me free one morning in 1978 in my living room, at the age of 25. Three month’s after my father’s death. I thank God for these many years I’ve enjoyed that drinking did not steal from me.
Lorna Couillard
