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…. The Christian & Alcohol. Ephesians 5:18. A Needed Reality Check!. Over 10,000 deaths per year in the U.S. are related to drinking and driving. Alcohol is directly connected to violent crime. Alcohol has a negative effect on the home and personal life.
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The Christian & Alcohol Ephesians 5:18
A Needed Reality Check! • Over 10,000 deaths per year in the U.S. are related to drinking and driving. • Alcohol is directly connected to violent crime. • Alcohol has a negative effect on the home and personal life. • Alcohol has a net negative effect on health. • Don’t let your reality check bounce!
Wine and Strong Drink. • In the Bible, “wine" is used of the liquid product of the grape -- both fermented & unfermented. (Isaiah 16:10; 65:8; Mark 2:22) • Even when fermented, many wines contained low levels of alcohol. • The context helps us decide the meaning of “wine” in a given passage.
Wine and Strong Drink. • “Strong drink” is “an intoxicant, that is, intensely alcoholic liquor” (Strong’s Dictionary) • Its use is condemned or limited everywhere in the O.T. except as an offering or medicinally. (Lev. 10:9; Num 6:3; 28:7; Deut. 14:26; 29:6; Judges 13:4-14; 1 Samuel 1:15; Psa. 69:12; Pro. 20:1; 31:4-6; Isaiah 5:11, 22; 4:9; 28:7; 56:12; Micah 2:11) • Ancient wine or strong drink contained less than 10% alcohol.
Wine and Strong Drink. “Strong drink” compared to modern drink. • Ancient strong drink was no more than 10% alcohol. • “Strong drink denotes any inebriating drink with about 7–10 percent alcoholic content” (Waltke, NICOT, 2005) • Modern wine has an alcohol content of 8% - 15% • Some wines have as high as 22% (e.g. Zinfandels). • Popular beers are usually in the 4% to 6% range • A few are considerably higher. • Hard liquors have 40-50% alcohol • Bourbon can have nearly 80% alcohol! Virtually every sort of alcoholic beverage sold today would qualify as “strong drink” in Bible times.
Drinking Prohibited in 1 Peter 4:3 Three alcohol related sins: • Drunkenness (oinophlugia) • Revelries (komos). • Drinking parties (potos) • Also translated "banquetings," (KJV), or “carousing.” • Literally "a drinking" without reference to amount.(cf. Matt. 10:42 "give to drink…a cup of cold water"). • R. C. Trench says, "not necessarily excessive," (Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 211). Peter is urging us not to go back to a worldly lifestyle!(Hosea 4:11; 2 Peter 2:20)
Drinking Leads to Other Sins • Drunkenness & intoxication (Ephesians 5:15-18; Galatians 5:21) • Even righteous people can be ensnared (2 Peter 2:8; Genesis 19:30-36; 9:21) • Loss of self control (2 Peter 1:6; Titus 1:8; Proverbs 23:29-35; Hosea 3:11) • When does impairment in spiritual skills occur? Praying? Parenting? Decision making?
Defenders of Drinking say… • Jesus made wine (John 2:1-11) • Did it contain alcohol? If so, how much? • Timothy was told to take wine (1 Timothy 5:23) • How much? What was the purpose? • Only an excess is prohibited (Titus 2:3; 1:7) • Prohibiting a lot does not necessarily permit a little! (James 1:21; 1 Peter 4:4) • It’s ok as long as it doesn’t cause others to stumble (Romans 14:21) • It is good not to drink wine if it causes stumbling. • Wine is a food created by God for man to enjoy. (1 Timothy 4:1-5; Col. 2:16-23) • We should respect God’s limits.
The Christian & Alcohol Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (Luke 17:1-2)