This past Sunday, we talked about Jesus turning water into wine. Below is just a review of our brief conversation about alcohol from Sunday.
In (John 2:1-12), we read about Jesus turning water into wine. While the main point of this account is to signal the inauguration of a new era of transformation in which Christ is king, the question of alcohol is something that usually comes up. Is Jesus here validating alcohol consumption in 2015?
This question is important for a number of reasons.
- Alcohol is everywhere- especially here at the lake. Sooner or later you’ll be put in a situation in which you have to decide whether you will consume it. It’s better to spend some time considering it before you’re put in that situation.
- Alcohol has significant effects on people. While this effects differ person to person, it does influence mood and can greatly impair.
- Alcohol kills a lot of people, every year. 88,000 per year, every year from 2006-2010 according to the CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/
fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
So, how should we view alcohol as believers? Three thoughts:
- If your under 21, alcohol is not an option for you. Regarding submitting to the governing authorities, see (1 Peter 2).
- We need to acknowledge the incredible DANGER the Scripture associates with alcohol. While I will not make the case for drinking alcohol to be sin, I will affirm what Scripture affirms- Drunkenness is a sin- for example, see (Galatians 5:21). I believe the Bible’s witness about drunkenness is any significant alteration to your personality, including mood alteration, volume of your voice and aggression.
- Given the dangers, we should use extreme wisdom and caution if we consume alcohol. I would encourage a wisdom that weighs the benefits with the risks of alcohol. I do not consume alcohol not because I’m a pastor, but because I see the dangers (physical harm, addictions, harm to my witness for Christ) far out weighing the benefits.
So, it’s my position that if you do consume alcohol, should do so carefully, appropriately weighing out the dangers that come with it.
Tune in next Sunday as we continue looking at the Gospel of John and talk about the most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16).