© 05 Colin Melbourne
Readers Questions and Answers
Q: Is drinking alcohol against the word of God?
A: There are many legalistic fellowships, especially amongst the cults, who completely prohibit Christians from drinking alcohol.
They have great difficulty supplying a sound Scriptural foundation for this, and base their arguments on contortions of God’s word (particularly the Old Covenant Nazirite vows of Nu.6) and upon human traditions.
Drinking alcohol for pleasure is a dangerous pursuit.
Even the tiniest amount has a measurable effect upon a person.
Ethyl alcohol dulls the senses, slows motor-function, and causes profound mood change.
Satan loves it because it allows him to nudge drinkers into doing things they would not normally do. Many of you know what I’m talking about.
It matters not whether it comes in the form of; shandy, beer, wine, or spirits; people drink alcohol for the effect it has on them, and the result is always sin.
Even the aroma of alcohol provokes sinful thoughts, and facilitates sin, and not just in recovering alcoholics.
Many mild medicants and foodstuffs contain alcohol, such as; mouthwash, cough-mixture, and of course we all know to beware of Christmas Trifle laced with Brandy.
So commonsense alone warns Christians to be wary of these things, and exercise sensible self-control.
God’s word repeatedly exhorts us to beware of self-indulgence Mtt. 23:25, Jas. 5:5, to exercise self-discipline 2 Tim. 1:7, and be self-controlled in all things. 1 Th. 5:6, 1 Tim. 2:3, Tit. Ch.2, First Peter.
That should be sufficient for sincere Christians.
If you need to be told more firmly by the Lord, something is wrong in your walk with Him.
Drinking alcohol soon leads to drunkenness, about which God’s word is crystal clear:
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Eph. 5:18 KJV
Paul warned Timothy not to appoint as leaders anyone prone to drunkenness or indulging in wine. 1 Tim. Ch.3.
The reason should be obvious to all.
You ask, ‘Is drinking alcohol against the word of God?’
And I answer, ‘No, but the effect of drinking alcohol is certainly against God’s word. So what are you going to do with alcohol?’
Christians are under grace, not Law. Ro. 6:14. But we are not to allow ourselves to be seduced by evil spirits into indulging our flesh, which results in trampling on God’s grace towards us.
Are you struggling with an alcohol problem?
Then turn to the Lord wholeheartedly and He will give you all the power you need to overcome it. Christ will set you free today if you want to break any evil habit.
As a missionary, I live where drinking alcohol is forbidden to my Muslim neighbours.
How can I witness effectively to a Muslim if he sees me drinking alcohol?
How can I tell a drunken sinner that Christ will set him free from his addiction if he can smell beer on my breath?
For these reasons, I have not drunk alcohol since I was saved in 1988.
It is my choice, so that God’s word will be heard upon my lips, in the midst of drunks and religious cults.
God doesn’t forbid me from drinking alcohol; I refuse it so that His Message will be honoured.
What about you?
Colin Melbourne
Jesus will set you free from your drink problem today: Turn to Him now.
Tract image © Chick Publns. Used by permission
© 05 Colin Melbourne
