Skip to main content

To Drink or Not To Drink, That is the Question

Published in Challenge Weekly in 2010

Alcohol is very much in the news at the moment. One example is the tragic death of James Webster due to binge drinking. Another is the University of Otago study which demonstrates that alcohol in NZ costs around the same price as bottle water! While it is arguable that bottled water is a waste of money and overpriced, this is a sad state of affairs. While our politicians toy with the alcohol laws refusing to make the substantive changes needed, the problem deepens. Alcohol abuse is also very personal to me as many years ago I lost a very close relative to vodka. So how can we Christian's respond to this ongoing problem?

Generally speaking, the Scriptures do not prohibit alcohol drinking. Jesus was criticised for drinking with sinners and also turned water into wine at a wedding (Luke 7:34; John 2:1-10). Paul forbade getting drunk rather than drinking itself (Eph 5:18; 1 Tim 2:8; Tit 2:3) and even once mentioned alcohol's medicinal benefit (1 Tim 5:23). There are individuals like John the Baptist who were directly instructed by God not to drink alcohol as part of their special calling (Luke 1:15). Paul also encouraged believers who were not prone to drunkenness to be prepared to give up drinking alcohol if it would cause their brother or sister to fall (Rom 14:21). What we need to realise too is that all this is written into a world where alcohol was a huge issue with the god of wine Dionysus (also Bacchus) very popular. Getting wasted was not uncommon for many.

Aside from those with a special calling like John, we Christians today are faced with an interesting choice. Do we choose not to drink at all or do we drink in moderation?

I have had an interesting personal journey in this regard. When came to Christ due to my boozing background, for several years I abstained completely. One day I went to visit a colleague who had been charged with a sexual offense. He was an unbeliever and had been completely ostracised. His first words to me were, 'Mark, great to see you, have a beer!' Despite my abstinence, I felt in the Lord I had to say yes or the moment would be lost. I did, and in the next few years was able to share Christ with him and I have great hope that he is now with the Lord. After this, I began to have a drink when among non-believers and found that witnessing opportunities began to open up. I even had the privilege of leading some to the Lord. When my relative died I reviewed this felt it was right to remain a moderate drinker as for me it removed a barrier in witness. I must say, in light of the increasing problems in society in this area, I am beginning to rethink this again. In a society which is increasingly alcohol dependent, should I continue in moderation or should I return to abstinence? Go deeper.

                  
 


 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I do not know if it's just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with your site. It seems like some of the text within your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too? This might be a issue with my browser because I've had this
happen previously. Appreciate it

Also visit my web site: registry cleaner review
Anonymous said…
Since the admin of this website is working, no hesitation very soon it will
be well-known, due to its quality contents.

My web site - help desk tracking
Anonymous said…
I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles
or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this site.

Reading this information So i'm satisfied to show that I've an incredibly excellent uncanny feeling I came
upon just what I needed. I so much definitely will make sure
to don?t fail to remember this site and provides it a
look regularly.

my page - free domain registration and web hosting
Anonymous said…
I have read several just right stuff here.
Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how a lot
effort you put to make such a great informative web site.


Stop by my blog post: เชียงราย
Anonymous said…
Wow, superb weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall glance of
your site is excellent, as smartly as the content material!


My webpage ... Bench Craft Company advertising ideas for daycares
Anonymous said…
always i used to read smaller articles that also
clear their motive, and that is also happening with this
paragraph which I am reading at this time.


Feel free to visit my homepage dishwasher repair Dunedin (www.youtube.com)

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Reasons Why A.J. Miller is NOT Jesus!

Note: Forgive me for the long blog, but this one really got me going! Last Sunday night on TV One's Sunday aired the report A.J. The Messiah. The program was the story of A.J. Miller in Queensland in Australia, who, unlike most of us, genuinely believes that he is Jesus. Miller appears at one level to be a normal Aussie bloke, in his early thirties, longish brown hair, unshaven, good looking, articulate and charismatic. Yet, unlike anyone I know but in the manner of other Messiah-claimants, he says without inhibition, "I am actually Jesus." He claims to remember vividly his former life and death including his experience of crucifixion. The memories supposedly began when he was 2 years old and realised later that he was Jesus around 33. In the program he writes on a white-board, "I am Jesus. Deal with it"—to applause from his congregation. He has disciples, some of whom claim to have been with him 2000 years ago including Mary Magdalene who is his "soul-ma

Tribute to Stuart Lange

For anyone who is interested, I have attached my tribute to Rev Stuart Lange here. He is a legend! It was fun to roast him.... A Tribute to Stuart Lange, No Longer Vice Principal Community of Laidlaw… But still church history lecturer… so not a good bye, but my way of Saying Thanks to you for your years as VP Community… Stuart Lange, not Langey; or Longey; or not langgggg.. but Lange! Or, as I like to put it, S.lang… Slang… for good reason. Stuart Lange, history prof, a man who truly embodies his subject; the quintessential historical prof… Slightly eccentric, crooked smile, hooked and bent nose… you know he has a crook elbow too, took the dog for a walk, hit the chain, smashed the elbow… Of course the dog was unharmed… No Surprise, a lover of animals, each year looking after the animals at the Massey Christmas drive through, donkeys, lamas… etc… Then there is his Einsteinlich hair… kind of a wild man of Southland look… in fact… Stuart Lange A face a cartoonist would die for! The ne

Evangelical Presbyterians’ Statement On Same Sex Marriage

I am involved in a group called Presbyterian Affirm. It is an evangelical group within the NZ Presbyterian Church which seeks to promote the gospel and the renewal of churches. A group of us under the leadership of Stuart Lange have worked to put together a statement on same-sex marriage. Our hope is that the government will not pass the legislation, believing that the legislation is not necessary and strays from God’s ideals for humanity. Here is the recently released statement. I would appreciate your thoughts on it. PRESBYTERIAN GROUP OPPOSES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL Presbyterian AFFIRM, a widely-supported conservative network within the Presbyterian denomination, is speaking out against the Bill which would allow same-sex couples to marry, declaring its views in a “Statement on Marriage” (see below). Presbyterian AFFIRM believes that “marriage is a unique human institution and treasure” which has “always been about the pairing of a man and a woman”, and that re-definin