Drinking Isn't The Sin, Idolatry Is

Word of the Post
Today's word is: predicate
/pred"i*cate/ verb
1. The word in a preposition that is designed to affirm or deny a characteristic of a subject. i.e. Paper is white. The word "is" in the sentence is the predicate. (often pronounced: /pred"i*cut/)
2. To cry in public, to proclaim; to preach. (often pronounced: /pred"i*cate"/)
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Back to the subject of Alcohol.

I do not personally abuse alcohol. I do, on occasion, have a sip of a cordial or drink a wine cooler. I do not drive after consuming alcohol. I keep some alcohol in my home for cooking and yard work as well. (You may laugh, but the guy who invented the stuff said that his yard is always green, and weed-free. Now if I just had the patience to water the yard...) The possession of alcohol is only illegal if it is being transported within reach of a cabin occupant while in a moving car, or if being purchased or held by a person under the age of 21. Open containers, whether full or not, are also a crime in a car, unless the containers are part of a cleanup effort like collecting empty aluminum for recycling.

Many in the Church of Christ will tell you that I am sinning, by keeping alcohol in my home or letting it ever touch my lips; I do not believe so. I do not offer alcohol to guests, unless the group invited knows that there will be such adult beverages planned. I do not drink in front of guests that I know to have a former or current addiction issue, or those with an opposition to their own intake of alcohol. I have no children in my home to accidentally stumble across the alcohol. I have acted in a responsible way toward alcohol. I have never found anything that I liked enough to drink enough of it to become drunk. I have only once even tried to get drunk, and all I got was an angry headache. It was miserable, and I will never bother again.

Let's move to the Bible, since that is where the issue starts. Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," In this passage, Paul is instructing the readers about imitating God. He tells them to learn what will please God. (5:10) He tells them not to participate with darkness, not to be foolish, not to be drunkards. He also continues the thought with how to deal with each other and how to praise God. He goes on beyond here to talk about marriage, and family, and to arm ourselves with God's truth. Here we see direct instruction to pay attention to the Spirit of God, and not to allow alcohol to rule our thoughts.

Similar thoughts are expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:7 and following, where we are told to be sober in the light of day to encourage one another. In both these passages, the subject is started by the people having feasts in the worship time (which is good) and admonishments about being selfish, starting without the others, and getting drunk before the others can have a sip of the wine (this is bad). Drinking isn't the sin here, idolatry is. Anything that takes the place of God is an idol, and worshiping that instead of God is a sin.

1 Timothy 5:23 says, "No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments." By this, I gather that the Great Physician granted permission to use alcohol as medicine. The current medical convention is that one glass of red wine with dinner is good for one's heart health.

Christ's first miracle was changing water into wine, for a wedding at Cana. I have heard many (pointed out twice just with the previous post) who will tell you the lie that Jesus made juice, which made it OK to drink. The scripture plainly states otherwise. John 2:10 is a record of the host speaking about the quality of the wine. He says that the good, strong wine is used first, so that once people are sloshed, you can give them the cheap stuff, and they won't notice. He compliments the Groom at the wedding, on keeping the best stuff for last. Niki said it best: "I'm sure the God of the universe...the one who made EVERYTHING knew good wine when He tasted it." I don't think Jesus turned the water to grape juice, He turned it into the expensive bottled stuff that would be appropriate at a wedding.

The scripture section that was used as an excuse to attack an older, stronger Christian is one that is commonly taken out of context. It is often used as a weapon to get someone's attention, or to get one's own way in a questionable gray area. 1 Corinthians 8:9 has been used to describe much more than the original example of meat. The custom of the day, in Corinth, was that Jews who were converted to Christ were eating meals with Greeks converted to Christ. Jewish tradition had many laws that limited what a person could eat, and the Greeks had no such laws. The Christians there were told to go to the marketplace, and not ask if the meat they were buying was previously sacrificed to idols. The history of the meat was important to the Jewish converts only, and if it became an issue, was only then to be avoided.

This is mostly a question of freedom in Christ. How free are we? Grace has come to us where we are, but the Amazing part is that it picked us up, and moved us closer to God. We have awesome freedom in Christ. We can go to anyone and speak of the love of God. We can go to any home and eat a meal that was previously considered unclean. We can go to a friend's house or to Mexico, and drink wine (not simply because the water is dangerous). We are free to go to all mankind, where they are, and use what they know to teach them the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Reputation is what people think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.

With freedom comes responsibility. Every action, good or bad, has a corresponding consequence. We must pay attention to what we do, no matter who is watching. The scriptures are very clear that each individual must answer to God for their own actions, and any consequences. If you know your brother has an issue with alcohol, you must show care to not drink in front of him. We also have the obligation to teach. How can a brother learn what is sin and what is not, unless he be told? We must teach by our words, but we can also teach by our actions. Paul said that if he knew that it was such an issue for a brother to see him eat meat that was sacrificed to idols, he would choose to abandon meat for the rest of his life in order to save his weak brother. Jesus did the same for us. He is quoted in John 15:13 saying, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." We need to take Jesus and Paul seriously when they instruct us to do the best for our brothers, and think of ourselves after.

GRACE is simply defined: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Jesus died to bring us together, not to separate us from one another. We need to celebrate Jesus and live His words every day.

Lift your glasses, no matter the contents and say, "Cheers!"