Alcohol and the Bible: New Expanded Version

Alcohol and the Bible: New Expanded Version "The saloon is a liar. It promises good cheer and sends sorrow. It promises prosperity and sends adversity. It promises happiness and sends misery.... It is God's worst enemy and the devil's best friend." -Billy Sunday ¹ When I was sixteen years old, I received the tragic news that a certain member of my family, to whom I was very close, was dying of alcohol-induced liver cancer. I vividly remember visiting him in the hospital, not prepared for what I would see when I walked into the room. What was once a big, robust man was now essentially a skeleton covered with ghostly, pale skin, barely able to speak. I had only been a Christian for a few months. Even before I came to Christ, I never was much of a drinker, mainly because I just didn't like the way it tasted. However, when I saw what years of drinking had done to my above mentioned relative, my decision never to touch alcohol was set in stone. As I studied the Scriptures over the years, I learned that I had made the right choice. The issue of alcohol has always been a controversial one within the Christian community. Did Jesus make, or advocate the use of, intoxicating wine? Is having an occasional drink really that big of a deal? These are certainly valid questions that committed Christians have asked over the years. In looking at the overall teaching of the Bible, as well as observations made in my own life over the years, I firmly believe that total abstinence is by far the best policy. I am not a prude, nor is this message intended to be legalistic or condemning. On the contrary, I want to share a truth with you that is very liberating. God's Word has been compared to a map showing us where the "land mines" in life are. Beverage alcohol is one of those land mines. BIBLICAL USE OF THE WORD "WINE"; It is important to remember that in Bible days, the word "juice" was not widely used. It only occurs once in the entire Bible (Song of Solomon 8:2.) Wine was a general term for any grape juice product-even when it was still in the grape clusters (Isaiah 65:8.) Even in pre-prohibition America, nonalcoholic grape juice was often referred to as "grape wine." Their are nine Hebrew, and four Greek words translated "wine" in the Bible (to study this further,see William Patton's classic book "Bible Wines or Laws of Fermentation and Wines of the Ancients.") Generally, it is easy to see from the context of individual Scriptures which form of wine is being referred to. For example, in the Book of Proverbs, alcoholic wine is referred to as a mocker and a deceiver that leads to violence (20:1-2), poverty (23:21), sorrow (23:29-30,) immorality(23:33,) insecurity (23:34,) insensibility (23:35,) and is even compared to a poisonous snake! (23:32) On the other hand, abstinence from wine and other intoxicants is presented as a great virtue. God honored Daniel for refusing the King's wine (Daniel 1:5, 8, 16; 10:3.) John the Baptist's greatness in the eyes of God was directly linked to the fact that he drank no wine or strong drink (Luke 1:15.) Even as He was dying, Jesus refused the wine that was offered Him to deaden His pain (Mark 15: 23.) In Ephesians 5:18, we are told to "be not drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Note the contrast: Being drunk with wine is in total opposition to being filled with the Spirit. If we look at the most strictly literal translation of this verse, it reads "Be not entering into the act of being drunk with wine, but be continually entering into the process of being filled with the Spirit."The context of the verse goes deeper than just "Don't get drunk." It is telling us not to even enter into the act of drinking intoxicants. JESUS AND WINE What then, about the wine that Jesus made at the marriage feast? Was it alcoholic?The Greek word used here is "oinos," a variation of the Hebrew word "yayin."This word can refer to grape juice in any stage, either fermented,or unfermented. Regardless of your opinion of casual drinking, I'm sure most of you will agree that drunkenness is definitely a sin. In light of this, would Jesus contribute to drunkenness? At the time Jesus had arrived at the feast, the guests had "well drunk"of whatever they were drinking (V.10.) Jesus knew well the solemn warnings of Habakkuk 2:15,"Woe to him who gives his neighbor intoxicating drink." (Note: If it is a sin to put alcohol to our neighbor's lips, would it not also be a sin to put it to our own?) With this in mind, we can be sure that the beverage Jesus made was a refreshing, nonalcoholic grape drink. To do otherwise would have been totally incompatible with His nature. ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION We often hear the term "alcohol and drugs." This is a false distinction, because alcohol IS a drug. It is one of the most abused narcotics in the world. I have personally witnessed, and many of you have as well, how strong the addictive bondage of alcohol can be. I have known a number of people whose lives were shattered by alcoholism. I have often wondered how much different their lives might have been if they had just said "no" to that first drink. No "social drinker" thinks that they can become an alcoholic, just like no one who casually experiments with cocaine, heroine, or other drugs thinks about the possibility of becoming an addict. The old adage about an ounce of prevention certainly holds true here. It is far better to stop a problem before it starts, wouldn't you say? God does not want us in bondage to ANYTHING, whether it be alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or any other vice (1 Corinthians 3 :17; 9: 27; 1 Thessalonians 4:4.) As a teenager, I heard a simple, but profound statement that has always stuck with me: No one ever became an alcoholic, who didn't take the first drink. THE IMPORTANCE OF EXAMPLE In my experience in doing personal evangelism, I have made the observation that the fact that there are Christians who drink is a major excuse many alcoholics hide behind. God calls us to be salt and light to the world that we live in (Matthew 5: 13-14) and to avoid conduct that could cause others to stumble (Romans 14:21.) I was once discussing this with an elderly Chritian gentleman who brought up a very good point. He said "One beer might not send me to hell, but it could lead ten people there who saw me, and followed my example." To quote Gleason Archer; "If we really care about the souls of men, and if we are really in business for Christ, rather than for ourselves, then there seems to be no alternative to total abstinence-not as a matter of legalism, but rather as a matter of love.²" Friend, this issue is a very serious one. In light of Jesus' soon return, we are called to live holy and sober lives (Luke 12:45-46; 1 Thessalonians 5: 7-8.) Those who indulge in drunkenness will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Corinthians 6: 10; Galatians 5: 21,) so in sharing the Gospel with others, it is vitally important to warn them against the dangers of alcohol. God doesn't call us to abstain from alcohol because He is trying to take away our enjoyment of life. Quite the opposite is true. God loves us, and knows what it takes to truly make us happy (see Jeremiah 29;11, John 10:10.) Alcohol is counterproductive to the abundant life that Jesus came to bring us. He knows the devastating impact alcohol has on countless people. He sees the jobs lost, the families shattered, and the lives destroyed by alcohol, and He wants to protect us from these things. He has a plan for your life that is far greater than any bottle of alcohol could ever possibly give. If you have never given your life to Jesus, why not do it now? © 1999 JHB WORKS CITED: ¹ John R. Rice, ed, "The Best of Billy Sunday" (Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Sword of the Lord Publishing, 1965, page 76. Quoted in Jack Van Impe's "Alcohol: The Beloved Enemy" 1980, Jack Van Impe Crusades, Royal Oak, Michigan, page 85 ² Gleason Archer "Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, 1982, the Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, page 149 ================================================== Visit us on the web: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Woods/8255 Join us in Renewal Chat: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Woods/8255/renewal.html

Addiction, Emotions and Our Health

As many of us know all too well, there are many deep-seated emotions that affect us daily – some of these emotions such as depression, anxiety, panic and fear can literally take over our whole existence and because of that we feel the need to subdue these negative feelings with the drug of choice so we don’t have to feel.

So then knowing this, is there a way to combat these emotions without the use of recreational drugs and alcohol? I think that once we get to the root of our emotions we can begin to heal ourselves and conquer what has taken hold of our life and become fruitful and happy people once again. Did you know that our emotions keep us in denial about our addiction? That’s why some of us deny we even have an addiction.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I am a recovered alcoholic (14 years) and when I was drinking I did not know how to have fun without drinking and getting drunk. I thought I functioned better when drunk. I even thought I looked and felt better. Every morning when I was sober, I could not deal with people and their attitude toward me because I was living within my negative feelings of resentment and anger towards them. I was anxious and fearful when I was sober and could not imagine one day without alcohol. This is how alcohol affected me. It may affect you somewhat differently.

My past haunted me, even though I had a pretty normal childhood when growing up, but I was often confused and depressed and I didn’t know why. It was not until I beat my fist against walls, until they bled, that I was told that I had hypoglycemia. That is why I could not focus. That’s why I had anger management issues. And that is why I had depression, emotional outbursts, and the inability to have a rational conversation. I not only had low blood sugar but I was an alcoholic too boot. I was just a young woman trying to figure her life out – no one should have to go through what I did.

Little did I know at the tender age of twenty-five that I was nutrient deficient as well as alcoholic. Every day I added more sugar to an already overloaded pancreas that couldn’t do its job of processing sugar normally. I needed healing and quick! Not only did I need addiction healing but also I needed emotional, spiritual, and physical healing.

Before we can heal though, we have to give up control… of "it"- whatever "it" is. You see, the drinking or the using is only a symptom of addiction. The real issue is within us, whether it is our past of growing up in a dysfunctional family, inheriting the genes of alcoholism, or if it’s sexual abuse as a child, or the inability to manage our emotions, etc. These things are "not who we are”. These are things that came into our life at that time, and we’re not sure how to combat them – it’s a constant struggle.

The great news is we can just as easily rid them from our bodies and mind and become truly whole people capable of loving and being loved. Now that I am sober, I have always thought of addiction as a hurdle – that’s all it is. You CAN conquer the hurdle of addiction!

“The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than a drunken man is happier than a sober one”. - George Bernard Shaw

What Happens If I Relapse?

You have not failed because you relapse. You are normal because you relapse. We all have relapsed when trying to find our way out of the alcohol and drug trap. Never allow a relapse to discourage you from coming to sobriety. As a matter of fact, when we succumb to our addictions we can actually learn from them. Most of us fall back on our addictions for many reasons and here are three of those reasons. See if they ring a chord with you as well.

Not Committed

The first reason is because we just weren’t ready in our heart to stop the addiction – we felt anxious and fearful being without our best friend, and so our uncommitted heart caved in under pressure. We have all done it. Think of addiction as a “hard to break bad habit.” But don’t fret too much over it. Just because you’re not ready to quit now, certainly does not mean that you won’t be committed later. Keep trying and don’t give up!

Have you ever listened to the little voice in your head telling you that your addiction is ok? You know the voice – the reliable little guy that keeps telling you reasons why it’s okay to keep feeding your addiction. It goes something like this. “I’m not really addicted, I can stop at anytime” or about this one. “If I was not married to so and so, I would not need to drink anymore.” We have all heard this one. “My life is just too stressful and I only need it to unwind.” We hear the voice and we listen because the voice is a symptom of addiction.

Same Friends – Same Places

Now I am sure you have all heard the old adage, “birds of a feather flock together”, right? Well, it is very true! We relapse because we have not changed our friendships and lifestyle. But a newly sober addict cannot be around the same people or places they were in before – it’s like driving with a blindfold on, hoping you can stay in your own lane. Whewy! Life comes at you fast when we aren’t taking the needed precautions that we ought to.

Lack of Supportive Friendships or Collaboration

It is difficult to be alone and remain sober. We all need friendships, especially encouraging ones that we can go to when we are feeling down. It is never a good idea to be in negative relationships when trying to overcome our addictions. We need to choose friends that are REAL friends – they hang in there with you when the going gets tough and they help you get tougher. These kinds of birds are harder to find, but if you hang out in the same places as these birds you’ll find some great friends.

“You'd be surprised how much fun you can have sober. When you get the hang of it”. - Joe (Jack Lemmon) in Days of Wine and Roses, 1962