During the 1920’s era of the United States, the country went through what has now been known as the Prohibition Years. Upon the signing of the 18th Amendment, the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors was prohibited, with the aim to reduce drunkenness, disorder, and violence that it could result in. While the 18th Amendment was eventually repealed with the signing of the 21st Amendment, obviously not everyone was in favor or happy with this, sticking with the view that alcohol was evil, wrong, and sinful.
Before I go any further, I want to ask you this next question. What things are inherently evil? What things by themselves are sinful? I hear all the time raging debates that say that guns are evil, “just look at all of the mass murders and shootings that happen all too frequently every year.”
But you see, a gun isn’t evil or sinful in and of itself. I could go and purchase a gun to use to hunt an animal, or go and shoot some targets, and I am not hurting anyone. But someone else may buy that same weapon and use it to kill another human. My actions and the actions of another person are completely different, even though we may both use the same weapon. A gun by itself isn’t sinful, it is the misuse of it that causes sin.
The exact same applies to alcohol. Alcohol is not a sin. Beer, wine, liquor–they are a drink just the same as water or milk. The only difference is that one needs to regulate how much that they drink so that they do not end up falling into the sin of drunkenness. Drunkenness is a state of intoxication or stupification of the mind, where a person does not have control of their mental and physical actions or decisions. We often hear about people who drink under the influence of alcohol and end up getting into a car crash with another person, sometimes sadly resulting in death. As tragic and unfortunate that this is, alcohol is not a sin. The misuse and overuse of it is.
I am in no way saying that alcohol does not lead to sin, because we can definitely see the effects that it can have if it is not consumed wisely. Sin certainly can happen as the result of alcohol abuse and misuse, but to say that alcoholic beverages themselves are evil and sinful just isn’t right. Something that we all need to remember is that Jesus Himself created wine for people to drink. Read this passage from John.
John 2:1-11 “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
If alcohol was a sin, then Jesus would never have turned water into wine. God has given and created all things on this Earth, but it is man who decides to misuse what He has created, and sins.
Again, here are a handful of more verses talking about the drinking of wine.
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
Notice “excess” in this verse. Excess is “an undue indulgence of the appetite.” It is “the state of surpassing or going beyond limits; the being of a measure beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; that which exceeds what is usual or proper.” Simply put, excess is overdoing something, and in this case, drinking too much to the point that it leads to drunkenness, and sin.
1 Timothy 3:8 “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;”
Again, not given to much wine. Paul didn’t prohibit the consumption of wine, but he instructed the deacons to drink in moderation.
1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
Here it seems like Timothy occasionally had some kind of infirmity or illness, and Paul told him to have a little wine to help it. Red wine has long been believed to contain antioxidants that have many health benefits for the heart and brain.
Titus 2:3 “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;”
One more time, Paul didn’t forbid the consumption of wine, just to drink it wisely and not too much. To be filled with temperance.
I guess this study could be about several things, and not just alcohol, but the main lesson here today is that God has given us liberty to eat, to drink, to do all sorts of things, but they to be done in moderation, temperance, and without sinning. We need to be wise with our actions, in the things that we do, and keep ourselves from sin.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 