Before we begin with such a touchy topic, let us first state
that this is simply the first of a number of posts that will deal with sins
which are so fitting to our lifestyles that we simply sweep them under the rug.
Thus, other touchy topics will have their day to shine; just not today. Further,
a group of Christians or one should not play collective conscience. That
imposes our beliefs on others which can cause us to seem potentially overly
self righteous. But we as believers and as human beings in general have every
right to allow wisdom and warning to hold hands.
Thinking on the sins we commit each day, wouldn’t you agree
that there are some things in your life or in the life of someone you know
which are viewed as “sins” in quotation marks? For instance, so many of us
would not call eating too much a “sin.” Gossip, too, isn’t a “sin.” Then
there’s sexual promiscuity, self-righteousness, lying, pride, and so on. The
fact is that there are some things we just don’t take very seriously in
comparison to others.
We oftentimes trick ourselves into believing that it’s the
“real bad” sins we have to avoid – like being Hitler – all while we totally
ignore the “small” sins in our lives and disregard that all sin actually is
real bad in God’s eyes. The reality is that all sin needs to be confessed and
eliminated, no matter what we may think of it. All sin separates us from
Christ, with some of these swept-under-the-rug “sins” having a heightened
ability to lead us farther and farther from Him.
Specifically today I want us to discuss something that
causes more misunderstood opinions than any in regards to sin. This topic has destroyed
people’s lives near and dear to me, with both their walks with God’s and their
even being on Earth anymore. That topic which is oftentimes swept right under
the rug: alcohol.
First of all, is alcohol a sin?
“Well, I only have a beer
every once in a while.”
No, I asked was it a sin.
“Well, it might add to the flavor of my food. So, I think
it’s ok to have a couple glasses.”
Still waiting.
“Well, the Bible says we shouldn’t get drunk.”
True, but that’s not far enough. Let me help out. If I said
“Well, I lie sometimes, but I’m no Hitler,” would those lies still be sins? If I
said “Well, but I didn’t want to lie because it would have made things
awkward,” would that lie still be a sin? Of course, to both.
So let’s get the
frequency of alcohol out of the way: a couple sips or a couple truckloads both could
very well be sins. So what exactly does the
Bible say about the matter?
Drunkenness
(Including Being “Buzzed” or “Tipsy”)
Exodus 32:4-7, 10 – ‘“Then Aaron took the gold,
melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it,
they exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the
land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And
Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
Early the next morning they brought some animals to burn as sacrifices and
others to eat as fellowship offerings. The people sat down to a feast, which
turned into an orgy of drinking and sex. And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down,
for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted
themselves. . . . Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against
them and I may consume them.”’
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither
the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice
homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you
were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not get drunk with wine, for
that is debauchery.”
Romans 13:13 – “Let us walk properly as in the
daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and
sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.”
Habakkuk 2:15 – “Woe to him who makes his neighbors
drink – you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their
nakedness!”
Proverbs 23:10, 21, 29-35 – “Don't associate with
those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. . . .
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe
them with rags. . . . Who has woe? Who
has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try
mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and
goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an
adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.”
Isaiah 28:7-8 – “Now, however, Israel is led by
drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets
stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see
visions and stagger as they render decisions. Their tables are covered with
vomit; filth is everywhere.”
Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are
evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness,
orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those
who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Luke 21:34 – “But watch yourselves lest your hearts
be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness.”
1 Peter 4:3 – “For there has already been enough time
spent in doing what the pagans choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained
behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry.”
(We will revisit this particular verse
later on).
And so on and so on.
Before alcohol affects your central nervous system and deteriorates
motor skills, it affects our inhibitions and silences the conscience. As our
moral restraints become blurred at the same rate as our neural reflexes
(reaction time and decision making), you set yourself up to become free to
multiple avenues of sins. Many, many examples in Scripture where it speaks of
drinking (and not even drunkenness in most instances), clothes came off, rape
happened, incest happened, affairs happened, murders happened, murders were
covered up, leaders had poor judgment skills and kingdoms were quickly overthrown,
etc. Alcohol changes your personality and makes you less morally strong.
Okay so that is an obvious, cut and dry topic. What, then,
does Scripture say about types of alcoholic drinks?
Strong Drink
Proverbs 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a
brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
Proverbs 31:4 – “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is
not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink.”
Isaiah 5:11, 22 – “Woe to those who rise early in the
morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening
as wine inflames them! . . . Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and
valiant men in mixing strong drink.”
Isaiah 28:7 – “These also reel with wine and stagger
with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are
swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they
stumble in giving judgment.”
Isaiah 56:9-12 – ‘“All you beasts of the field, come
to devour— all you beasts in the forest. Israel’s watchmen are blind; they are
all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming,
lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have
enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned
to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. “Come,” they say, “let me
get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like
this day, great beyond measure.”’
It’s obvious that having a strong drink is Scripturally bad.
But let’s dig into those two words as see what was meant by “strong drink.”
Looking at weed as a means to make a point, the level of THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active ingredient) is so much more potent (at
least 4 times as potent) in marijuana today than in the past. Further, cannabis
extracts can be over 20 times as potent. There are many people who are
perfectly fine with alcoholic consumption but will be against the use of weed
because it is many times more potent than in any time in history. The
interesting thing is that modern-day alcohol is also significantly stronger
than any time in history – especially its Biblical counterpart – and, thus,
even today’s wine would be considered “strong drink” using Biblical categories.
The average wine today is usually 12-16% (not fortified
wine, as that can range up to 34%), but labels can be misleading and percentages
can actually be nearly two percent higher than stated. Red wine has more
alcoholic content (usually an additional three percent) compared to white wine.
And liquor is usually between 35% and 60% but can be as high as 96%. What,
then, was wine like in ancient times?
The strength of this wine was not comparable to modern-day
wine. In regards to the alcoholic content, it was much lower. Because yeast was
not resilient, it would be killed and the fermentation process would cease when
the percentage reached 10%. So, because it was actually impossible to have a
wine stronger than this, it is undeniable that the percentage of alcohol in
wine was never exceeded 10%. Of course, wine was not always right under 10%, as
it was commonly much weaker than that even before being diluted with water.
Barley “beer” existed, but its content was no higher than 4% (craft beer today
is much higher). It also did not mean hard liquor, as it was an unknown in
antiquity. Wine at this percentage was easily the most intoxicating beverage in
antiquity. Thus, drinking this wine straight, which is quite weaker than
today’s common table wine, was referred to as “strong drink.”
If we fast-forward in time, distillation (a process that
results in higher alcohol concentrations) was not in use until roughly 1,200
years after Jesus lived on Earth (and even then distillation was a tool used
strictly for medicinal purposes). Further, we had not found a way to make the
content of wine higher than 13.5% until the 1950’s. Today, wine is more potent
because it is made with sulfur dioxide and much
more resistant, very genetically modified yeast.
There were a number of reasons that caused the water to be
infected with disease and to be barely drinkable. In order to combat the
water-borne pathogens, water was oftentimes purified by being mixed with
alcoholic wine. So, even with a much lower content of alcohol compared to
modern-day wine, wine was then diluted even
more with water. Thus, mixing wine with water not only significantly
diluted the alcohol content but it also purified the water. When we search the
historical record to see how much this already weaker wine was diluted, we see
that Homer’s Odyssey gives a ratio of twenty parts water to one part wine,
Pliny the Elder gives a ratio of eight parts water to one part wine, and
Athenaeus gives a ratio of three parts water to one part wine. Drinking
undiluted wine was considered “barbaric.” As Plutarch stated, ‘”We call a
mixture “wine” although the larger of the components is water.”’
With a 3-to-1 ratio, it’s been stated one would have to
drink over 11 glasses of wine in order to equal the amount of alcohol in one
martini today (the average martini has 3 ounces, or a quarter the amount of a
Coke). And that 3-to-1 ratio is the most potent mixture found in the historical
record (again, others being 8-to-1 and 20-to-1).
There wasn’t soda or coffee to quench thirst; and who wants
to drink goat’s milk on a hot day (sorry, I had to throw up, but I’m back now)?
Since water was largely undrinkable, wine being mixed with water was seen as a
perfectly common daily staple and was not viewed as something used to escape
reality. It also would have added a sweetened flavor to water. Further, this
mixing of wine and water was also a good way to make the wine go further, as there
were only so many grapes at harvest to last everyone all year!
Wine
Focusing on wine in particular, if it was barbaric to drink
straight wine, and is flat out sin to drink enough wine to get drunk, why does
the Bible constantly praise it? You will find many verses in Scripture that
clearly say wine is good, a blessing of God, brings peace, prosperity, is an
acceptable offering to God, and is a symbol of eternal salvation. And then you
will find many cases where Scripture clearly says wine is bad, brings a curse,
brings grief, woes, poverty, sexual immorality, violence, other sinful
behaviors, and is a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment. Is this a
contradiction? No. Is it because of how much of it someone drinks? No.
What if you were to overhear someone say, “That was a funny
story”? Would you rightly assume they were talking about, say, a book, or a
“story” in a building full of clowns? This is an example of a homograph (two or
more words with the same spelling and sound but with different meanings).
Whereas whine and wine could be homophones (same sound, different spelling,
different meaning), we only use this example of a story compared to wine
because wine in Scripture actually means two
different things. In Hebrew (in which the Old Testament was written),
“yayin” is a generic word that can mean either alcoholic wine, non-alcoholic
wine fresh from the vineyard, jam, and even grapes still hanging on the vine. In
the Greek language (in which the New Testament was written), there is only one
word, “oinos” used to describe alcoholic wine, non-alcoholic wine fresh from
the vineyard, jam, and grapes still hanging on the vine. So, the context is
very important in determining the real meaning of the usage.
Scripture speaks of one type of wine that is fermented
(alcoholic), which has many negative consequences. And then Scripture speaks of
a wine that is a non-fermented grape juice that is always associated with the
healthy blessing of harvest and prosperity from God.
If you look at a dictionary today, wine means an alcoholic
beverage and makes no mention otherwise. All the way up until 45 years ago, dictionaries
defined wine as simply being the juice from a grape whether fermented or not.
If you look at Scripture, wine is also defined as both fermented and
non-fermented. Let’s look at how the Old Testament and New Testament both speak
of wine.
Genesis 27:28 – “May God give you of the dew of
heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.”
Starting with this first instance we see the word wine,
would most people automatically assume that means alcohol? Yes they would. And
they would be doing that purely from conjecture. Clearly this is speaking of an
association with harvest. Let’s continue with the next instances we see the
word wine.
Numbers 18:12 – “All the best of the oil and all the
best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the
LORD, I give to you.”
This is speaking of giving the first fruits, etc., as an
offering. This can be seen again in Deuteronomy 14.
Deuteronomy 7:13 – “He will love you, bless you, and
multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your
ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and
the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give
you.”
Again, wine is spoken of in association to harvest.
Deuteronomy 11:14 – “He will give the rain for your
land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in
your grain and your wine and your oil.”
This goes even further in stating not only has wine been
associated with blessed harvests, but that wine is merely the gathering of
grapes just like the grain.
Deuteronomy 14:23 – “And before the LORD your God, in
the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the
tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your
herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”
This is again speaking of giving the first fruits, first of
the livestock, etc., as an offering.
2 Chronicles 31:5 – “As soon as the command was
spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain,
wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in
abundantly the tithe of everything.”
This speaks even more clearly that wine is not alcoholic.
Other verses include:
Jeremiah 31:12 – “They will come home and sing songs
of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the LORD's
good gifts--the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the
healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all
their sorrows will be gone.”
Jeremiah 40:10 – “I myself will stay at Mizpah to
represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the
wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live
in the towns you have taken over."
Joel 2:19 – “The LORD replied to them: "I am
sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never
again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.”
Haggai 1:11 – “And I called for a drought upon this
land and upon the mountains and upon the wheat and upon the wine and upon the
oil and upon that which the earth brings forth and upon the men, and upon the
beasts and upon every labour of hands.”
Now, let’s switch gears from harvests (both blessed harvests
and cursed harvests) to another avenue looking at the use of the word wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 – “Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled
with plenty, and your presses (vats) will be bursting with wine.”
Isaiah 16:10 –
“Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in
the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to
the shouting.”
Jeremiah 48:33 – “Joy and gladness are gone from the
orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not
shouts of joy.”
Amos 9:13 – “The days are coming," declares the
LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by
the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from
all the hills.
These verses speak of such an abundance of grapes that the
person picking the grapes and making juice (treading, to step on them) from the
grapes won’t be able to keep up. Obviously one can’t pick a big ol’ plump
grape, step on it, and get a sip of alcohol. Further, the fermentation process
when making alcohol took between two weeks and a month. Obviously this was not
alcoholic “wine.”
Now, let’s switch gears from both harvests and treading (again,
blessings and curses) and look at yet another avenue.
Isaiah 65:8 – “Thus says the LORD: “As the new wine
is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a
blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all.”
This is speaking of grapes still hanging on the vine, and
yet uses the word wine to describe its juice. Further, it refers to this “wine”
as a blessing.
Finally, we see in Mark 2:22 a quick example of how
grape juice is obviously referred to as wine by Jesus Himself. That is
perfectly clear as He is saying grape juice would become fermented from the
fermented wine that had previously (or some still being in there) been in
there, and that a second fermentation process would stretch the wineskins
enough to burst them.
So there’s the point in that, every time we see the word
“wine,” it does not mean alcoholic. Though, there are times where it does:
Genesis 9:20-22 – “Noah began to be a man of the
soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay
uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his
father and told his two brothers outside.”
Genesis 19:30-36 – '“Lot left Zoar because he was
afraid of the people there, and he went to live in a cave in the mountains with
his two daughters. And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old,
and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the
earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that
we may preserve offspring from our father.” So they made their father drink wine
that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know
when she lay down or when she arose. The next day, the firstborn said to the
younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine
tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring
from our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the
younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when
she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father."'
Proverbs 20:1 says “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is
raging: and whoever is deceived by them is not wise.”
Proverbs 23:20, 21, 29-35 – ‘“Don't associate with
those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. . . .
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe
them with rags. . . . Who has woe? Who
has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try
mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and
goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and poisons like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. You
will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you
will say, “They hit me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't even know it when they
beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”’
Joel 3:3 – “They threw dice to decide which of my
people would be their slaves. They traded boys to obtain prostitutes and sold
girls for enough wine to get drunk.”
Micah 2:11 – “If a man of wind were to come and say
falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the
preacher for this people!”
Habakkuk 2:5 – “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an
arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he
has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own
all peoples.”
Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not get drunk with wine, for
that is debauchery.”
Such verses are obviously talking about alcohol. Grape juice
is not going to make you hallucinate. Grape juice is not going to make you drunk
and lay naked inside a tent. Grape juice is not going to cause you to
impregnate your daughters. Grape juice is not a mocker. No one would ever say
their addiction causes them to “never have enough” grape juice. And so on.
To use wine for getting drunk (tipsy, buzzed) is viewed negatively
in Scripture, as is when it is used as a “strong drink” (which it automatically
would be if not mixed with water). It is viewed favorably when it is non-alcoholic,
or when it is alcoholic but not used in a manner other than mixing with water.
Further, as we will see, it is viewed favorably when used medicinally.
Medicinal Purposes
1 Timothy 5:23 – “No longer drink only water, but use
a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”
This verse is a favorite for people who do drink, to try and
convince those who do not drink that alcohol is Scripturally fine. To use this
verse for the purpose of saying the Apostle Paul – and the Bible as a whole – approves
of your drinking habit is quite the head scratcher for a number of reasons.
First of all, Wine does nothing to help your stomach, unless
you think ulcers, acid reflux, gastritis, cramping, and irritation of your
intestinal tract is good. Wine is said to be rich in antioxidants, including
resveratrol, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, which fight free radicals (our
bodies already have natural defensives to free radicals anyways, so this is a
nothing-burger). But non-alcoholic grape juice and whole grapes have the exact
same benefits, without the damaging effects of alcohol. There are also plenty
of other food and beverage items are rich in antioxidants. Even better, eating
whole grapes has the added benefit of dietary fiber. On top of this, study
after study proves that antioxidants are absorbed into your body much better,
and stay in your body much longer, when drinking grape juice or eating grapes
(preferably red or purple) compared to drinking wine. Further, as reported by
WebMD:
Even further, any health benefits from wine are completely
reversed if you have more than one standard drink a day. So, if your body does
not absorb the antioxidants from wine near as good as grape juice or whole
grapes, and any health benefits found in wine are reversed after even a small
amount (5 ounces), why wouldn’t you just have nonalcoholic wine or whole grapes
for health (something of which you can have all you want, and keep gaining
health benefits throughout the day)? They're packed full with antioxidants and
flavor, and you can drink all you want without having to worry about a
designated driver.
Secondly, Paul is telling Timothy to use a little wine. Obviously a little wine does not mean a moderate
amount or a lot (where many drinkers would say a little means a couple glasses
or so, if viewing this verse in Greek, the word word here literally means a
“puny” amount). This also tells the reader that Timothy had been abstinent from
alcoholic wine, or else Paul would not have had a reason to say “no longer drink
only water.” And by saying “no longer drink only water” implies that wine was
to be mixed with water to dilute the wine and to purify the water.
Third and most importantly in regards to the point being
made in this section, Paul is telling Timothy to use a little wine. Do we use
wine, or drink wine? Do we use medicine, or drink medicine? Obviously Paul is telling Timothy to use wine for
medicinal purposes, to use it as an antiseptic means to kill many of the germs
and bacterial organisms in the drinking water and, thus, reducing their harsh
effect on Timothy’s weak stomach (this verse viewed in Greek means “feebleness
and disease”). Even if we were to use a stretch of the imagination and think
Paul meant for Timothy to use a little wine, without being mixed with water,
how does that apply to any of us anyways? It would still be for medicinal
purposes only. How do we justify drinking socially, casually, and
recreationally by Paul clearly stating, “for the sake of your stomach and your
frequent ailments”? Do you tell people at a party, “Oh, yeah, this Crown and
Coke is for my stomach disease.”? Further, alcohol is notoriously not good for
your stomach, among other parts of your body. So does it make sense for a
person to dilute the alcohol and make cleaner drinking water? Yes, especially
because alcohol itself does nothing to help your stomach and actually has the
opposite effect.
Any More Verses?
The verse above is commonly used to somehow “prove” alcohol
is Scripturally acceptable to drink socially, casually, and recreationally. Now
that we’ve discussed that verse, are there any others that are also used in
this way?
Psalm 104:14-15 – “He makes grass grow for the
cattle, and plants for people to cultivate-- bringing forth food from the
earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and
bread that sustains their hearts."
There is never a mention this is alcoholic wine,
non-alcoholic wine, or even grapes still on the vine. Maybe the use of the word
“wine” just means refreshes thirst and provides nourishment. Maybe this is just
speaking of how God providing a blessed harvest of grapes makes someone happy.
Zechariah 9:17 says grain makes people cheerful. So, how is grain and wine
making someone happy different? Judges 9:27 says those who picked grapes were
merry and the grape treaders were merry. So, how is that any different? Just
like with the other instances where wine was referencing grapes at the harvest,
this is the likely conclusion again. To say that this usage of the word wine
means alcoholic wine would be mere conjecture.
John 2:1-11 – “On the third day there was a wedding
at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited
to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus
said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman,
what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother
said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone
water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or
thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with
water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So
they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine,
and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the
water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then
the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of
his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his
disciples believed in him.”
This is the biggie, say people who drink: “Well Jesus made wine! So it must be ok to drink!” There’s a whole
lot to unpack here. (*Takes deep breath*)
First of all, can we not see how insanely out of character
it would be for Jesus to make what was up to 180 gallons of alcohol? But it
gets even worse. Many of those who use these verses as a defense in their
drinking will say, “See, obviously it was alcoholic wine because guests were
already drunk!” So, Scripture tells us time and time again that wine (also
called “strong drink”) is a mocker, bites like a serpent, leads to poor
judgment and destruction, that drunkenness is a grave sin and, yet, people will
actually say Jesus would then give drunks even
more to drink, with no gluttonous restrictions (yet another sin), participated in a drinking party (another sin
according to 1 Peter 4:3), and aided in a likely trail of other sins? That’s
even more preposterous than a scenario such as Jesus saying prostitution is sin
and yet He brings in 180 prostitutes for the guests. After all, at least the
sober person can make a moral decision whereas a drunk or near drunk cannot!
So, the One Who holds the universe together, went back on His own Word rebuking
drunkenness, gave drunks more alcohol so they could get even drunker, and
somehow this opinion is ok to some of us? It’s frightening to think we’ve
watered-down our Savior to be our bar buddy.
It’s pretty difficult to see all of the verses that at least
say drinking is dangerous and unwise, and apostles like Peter pleading with
people to do away with such things – “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and
exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your
soul” – and Jesus coming to fill up 180 gallons of alcohol just setting up
people for failure!
Remember, to drink straight wine was seen as a barbaric act
at this time in history. So it’s not likely at all people would have drank it
straight. And if anyone did, then it was their own fault. If they were all
doing it and Jesus made plenty more for them, then Jesus was an enabler. Do any
of us truly, truly believe Jesus would be an enabler to a sin that can very
well spiral into a list of other sins?
Furthermore, about 1 Peter 4:3, this is the only
usage of the Greek word “oinophlugia,” which means “excess of wine.” On top of
that “drinking parties” is translated in the Greek (“potos”) having nothing to
do with excess or drunkenness but simply being at a party where there is
drinking that even gives an opportunity for excess. So Scripture condemns these
acts and, yet, we are to believe Jesus gave drunks an additional up to 180
gallons of alcohol to enjoy?
Was this alcoholic wine? It could have been. Were guests
drunk? The text does not tell us that information. How does someone get that
guests were drunk from the words “have drunk freely” or “have well drunk” or
“have had plenty” depending on the translation? Could “you have kept the good
wine until now” mean good tasting non-alcoholic wine? Since the text doesn’t
say, it’s just as likely that it was grape juice and not alcoholic wine. Don’t
you think the Creator of the universe could create something that tasted great,
whether it be non-alcoholic or alcoholic wine? It would have been a whole lot
better than what some guy in a back alley would make. The “master of the feast”
could very well be stating disbelief that someone would serve the best tasting
wine at the end of an event when people’s taste buds cannot tell the difference
anymore from good and bad tasting beverages.
Could it have been alcoholic wine, though at a much weaker
content than modern-day wine and then that wine was then to be diluted even
more by the water it was meant to purify? Absolutely. Would that make it much
harder to get drunk? Obviously that would affect your bladder long before it
would affect your mind. Common historical sense tells us that it would have
been highly embarrassing and a social disgrace for those hosting the wedding to
run out of anything for their guests; it was poor planning, or lack of funds on
their part. Jesus bailed them out! So, would this to-be-diluted wine have saved
the embarrassment of the bride and groom? Yes.
If we are going to go down the path of using conjecture only
to say people got drunk and even more drunk from this wine, then what about the
fact the text doesn’t say anybody but the “master of the feast” actually drank the beverage that Jesus
made? By using conjecture only, perhaps this one person tried the beverage,
complimented it, and then it either just sat there or was poured out! That’s
ridiculous, but it’s the even less conjecture than those who use these verses
to support their drinking habits.
Luke 7:34 – ‘“The Son of Man has come eating and
drinking, and you say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners!”’
It’s been said by those trying to defend their drinking
habits that Jesus got drunk and, thus, it’s ok for them to get drunk as well.
And those who will not go that far will at least say Jesus was called a
drunkard because He drank lots of wine. It makes far more sense those (those
who thought of Jesus as an enemy) calling Jesus a drunkard were mocking His
association with people who were drunks or at least drank a lot. He ministered
to many who weren’t viewed as outstanding citizens (a friend of tax collectors
and sinners, etc.), which angered many. He was not encouraging the lifestyle of
these people but was simply trying to lift them out of their messed up lives. Furthermore,
in the same verse, He was also accused of being a glutton. Would we accuse
Jesus, “He Who was without sin,” of being a glutton, and thus justifying our
gluttonous habits? That would not have been characteristic of Him and would
have contradicted a number of Scriptures. The Pharisees also accused Jesus of
being possessed by Satan and it was by drawing the power of Satan that allowed
Jesus to cast demons out of people (Matthew 9:34; 10:24-25; 12:22-24;
Mark 3:22). Does that mean Jesus really was possessed and used evil
powers? No. We also find in the historical record that the Jewish Talmud
accused Jesus of performing wonders (such as healings and exorcisms) by the use
of sorcery from Satan. Did Jesus use sorcery from Jesus just because He was
accused of it? No.
Matthew 26:17, 26-29 – “Now on the first day of
Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us
prepare for you to eat the Passover? . . . Now as they were eating, Jesus took
bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he
had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all
of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will
not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new
with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
This event (which can also be found in Mark
14 and Luke 12) is referred to as “The Lord’s Supper” and was the
institution of what Christians refer to as Communion. People will say that
alcoholic wine was used during this time. There are three main points to be
made. First, the Greek wording for wine is never even mentioned. This, like Genesis
40:10-11, for instance is clearly speaking of grape juice: “and on
the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot
forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and
I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in
Pharaoh’s hand.”
Secondly, yeast is required for alcoholic wine. Yet, yeast
(“leaven”) is exactly what was not allowed, as this was also the time of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on
the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen
with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory” (Exodus
13:6-7). So, what beverage “of the vine,” without yeast, would someone
drink during this time: fresh grape juice.
Third, to remember Jesus’ spilt, pure blood during Communion
time would not be to drink alcohol. By definition, alcohol is the decay and rot
of something fresh and pure. Yeast is added to grape juice to enhance this
rotting process. Thus, how could something rotten represent the pureness of
Christ’s blood?
With these verses in mind, and those having to do with
medicinal purposes, do you see how far people will go to try and justify
drinking alcohol themselves? That’s called either being too liberal with life,
an addict, a fool, or all of the above.
What Modern-Day
Science Says About the Dangers of Alcohol
- According to the conclusion in 2018 made by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, ‘“There is no safe level of drinking alcohol.” Says Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou of the IHME, “The health risks associated with alcohol are massive. Our findings are consistent with other recent research, which found clear and convincing correlations between drinking and premature death, cancer, and cardiovascular problems. Zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss. . . . The myth that one or two drinks a day are good for you is just that – a myth.”’
- Also in a 2018 conclusion, CNN Health reports plainly, ‘“No amount of alcohol is good for your overall health, global study says. . . . Alcohol also causes seven types of cancer, including mouth, breast and bowel cancers. . . . There's no amount of liquor, wine or beer that is safe for your overall health, according to a new analysis of 2016 global alcohol consumption and disease risk. Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, accounting for nearly one in 10 deaths. For all ages, alcohol was associated with 2.8 million deaths that year. Those deaths include alcohol-related cancer and cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases . . . intentional injury such as violence and self-harm, and traffic accidents and other unintentional injuries such as drowning and fires. . . . "The most surprising finding was that even small amounts of alcohol use contribute to health loss globally," said senior study author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We're used to hearing that a drink or two a day is fine. But the evidence is the evidence.” . . . “Even the lowest levels of alcohol intake increase our risks," Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK, said in a statement.” . . . For ages 50 and up, cancers were the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths; road injuries, self-harm and tuberculosis were the top causes of death around the world in the 15-to-49 age group. However, in terms of total numbers, Gakidou said, "most deaths from alcohol come from cardiovascular disease and cancers.” . . . University of Cambridge epidemiologist Steven Bell co-authored a separate study published in April in [the international medical journal] The Lancet that found drinking is beneficial in lowering the risk for heart attack. However, that study's big takeaway was that even one drink a day could shorten life expectancy; long-term reduction in alcohol use added one to two years to life expectancy at age 40. Based on these findings, at no point is there a level of consumption that appears to lower the overall risk of developing any of the wide array of diseases investigated in comparison to non-drinking. The take-home message being that people shouldn't drink under the belief that it will lower their risk of disease, and those of us who opt to drink should minimize our intake if we wish to prolong our life and well-being.”’
- According to reporting by The Guardian in 2018, ‘“The risks for a 40-year-old of drinking over the recommended daily limit were comparable to smoking, said one leading scientist. “Above two units a day, the death rates steadily climb,” said David Spiegelhalter, Winton professor for the public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge. . . . A 40-year-old drinking four units a day above the guidelines has roughly two years’ lower life expectancy, which is around a 20th of their remaining life. This works out at about an hour per day. . . . Says Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine, “This study makes clear that on balance there are no health benefits from drinking alcohol.”’
- Today reports in 2018, ‘“More than 5 drinks a week could shorten lives by years, study finds. If you already drink alcohol, drinking less may help you live longer, researchers say. . . . People who follow government guidelines to have a drink or so a day could be drinking themselves into an early grave, researchers said Thursday [April 12, 2018].”’
- Today reported in 2015, ‘“Those of us enjoying an alcoholic beverage a day for our health may want to reconsider pouring another drink. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal finds that one drink a day increases a woman’s cancer risk. “Just one drink a day can increase your risk for certain kinds of cancers,” says Dr. Natalie Azar, NBC medical contributor. “It showed the risk for women, and I think what’s even more interesting or concerning about the findings is that it showed this increased risk with what we consider light to moderate alcohol consumption within what is considered an acceptable daily amount.” Researchers looked at data from 136,000 men and women in studies that examined behaviors and overall outcome for 30 years. People who drank more experienced a higher risk of cancer. For women, quaffing just one alcoholic beverage daily caused increased risk of alcohol-related cancers, including cancers of the breast, liver, bowel, throat, mouth, esophagus and larynx. . . . “The idea that alcohol is related to cancer is obviously nothing new,” says Azar. “Alcohol, when you take it in, has to be metabolized — aka, broken down into different things. The first breakdown product is called acetaldehyde. It is known to be a carcinogen. The other idea is that certain cancers, which are estrogen-related, such as breast — alcohol can also raise estrogen levels.”’
- ‘“In terms of cancer risk, there is no safe level of drinking,” says Nicola Smith, health information officer for Cancer Research UK. “The cancers most closely linked to alcohol consumption are those of the mouth, esophagus, bowel, breast and throat,” she explains. The more you drink, the higher your risk because ethanol in alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde which damages DNA and directly impacts cells that cause cancer. Plus, “If you’re smoking and drinking at the same time, you’re increasing your risk of mouth and throat cancer because alcohol makes cells more responsive to the toxins in tobacco smoke.”’
- As Time reported in 2018, ‘“The safest level of drinking is none at all, citing heightened risks of health problems ranging from car crashes to cancer.” According to Dr. Sarah Hartz, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, “I can’t think of it as a healthy behavior. . . . Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is a healthy behavior.”’
- As reported by The Livestrong Foundation, ‘“Remember how moderate drinking was once believed to be a boon to our health, our hearts and our brains? Well, thanks to a recent study that bubble just burst. According to new research [performed by the University of Oxford and University College London and] published in the British Medical Journal, moderate drinking (the equivalent of one 5-ounce glass of wine per day) . . . can cause some concerning changes to the brain. These changes include three times the risk of right-sided hippocampal atrophy (a type of brain damage that can impact spatial navigation and potentially lead to Alzheimer’s and dementia) of non-drinkers. . . . The study, which tracked 550 participants for more than 30 years since 1985, also found that heavy drinkers (those who had two glasses of wine or beer each night) had the largest mental decline. . . . But what surprised researchers the most was how moderate drinkers were affected. . . . Among those who didn’t drink at all, 35 percent had a shrinkage on the right side of the hippocampus portion of the brain compared to 77 percent of heavy drinkers, who had a similar shrinkage. For moderate drinkers, the figure was 65 percent. . . . This isn’t the first study where the “one glass of wine a day” habit has come under scrutiny. A study published last month [March of 2018] concluded that a glass of wine a day could also increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. . . . If anything, these studies may be a good wake-up call to reassess our drinking habits, including whether we’ve been grossly underestimating what “moderate drinking” actually means. . . . Research shows that regaining brain function (along with a resurgence of new brain cells) is possible within a year of abstaining from alcohol. And a few other added benefits of kicking the alcohol habit include a lowered risk of certain cancers, pancreatitis, digestive problems, stroke, depression and anxiety.”’
- As reported by The Cut, ‘“Although many of us routinely indulge in a glass (or two or three) of wine at the end of the day, a new study suggests that our glass-a-day habit might not be healthy: Having a glass of wine (or another alcoholic drink) each day has been found to increase a person’s breast cancer risk. . . . As the Washington Post reports, a new review from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund analyzed 119 studies that used data from 12 million women worldwide. While a standard drink has 14 grams of alcohol, the study found that just 10 grams of alcohol per day – which is the equivalent of one small glass of wine, beer or other alcohol – is linked to a heightened breast cancer risk [and doubles for postmenopausal women]. . . . Per the Post: “This suggests there is no level of alcohol use that is completely safe in terms of breast cancer,” said Anne McTiernan, a cancer-prevention researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and one of the report’s lead authors. . . . Alcohol increases estrogen in the body, which is known to increase a woman’s breast cancer risk.”’
One final point is that wine (and beer) is contaminated with
hazardous levels of heavy metals, well above the allowable limits set by the
USFDA, which contribute significantly to
diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s. These include arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, iron, copper, vanadium and
manganese. To be fair, similar levels of arsenic and lead have been found in
nonalcoholic apple and grape juices in the past but have since been nearly
eliminated and are at least far below the FDA limits. Also, drinking water has
been found to have lead in it, though that is a local governmental problem.
Even before recent, significant studies were published, the
facts were already being uncovered about how dangerous alcoholic consumption
is. In 2010, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution urging countries to
“strengthen national responses to public health problems caused by the harmful
use of alcohol.” Further, the government
of the United Kingdom saw the need to make new limits on alcoholic consumption
in 2016: ‘“New guidelines for alcohol
consumption, produced by the UK Chief Medical Officers, warn that drinking any
level of alcohol increases the risk of a range of cancers. This is supported by
a new review from the Committee on Carcinogenicity on alcohol and cancer risk.
. . . It is now known that the risks
start from any level of regular drinking and increase with the amount being
drunk, and the new guidelines are aimed at keeping the risk of mortality from
cancers or other diseases low. The links between alcohol and cancer were not
fully understood in the original guidelines, which came out in 1995.”’ In
the U.S., even though we’ve yet to lower the limits, the Department of
Health and Human Services has since removed language from their alcohol
guidelines about drinking at any level lowering the risk of heart disease. According to the researchers who published
the groundbreaking findings in the British Medical Journal that we discussed
above, “Our findings support the recent reduction in U.K. safe limits and call
into question the current U.S. guidelines, which suggest that up to 24.5 units
a week is safe for men, as we found increased odds of hippocampal atrophy at
just 14.”
To put in perspective the U.S., limit, it is, 5 servings of
5 ounces of wine per week. As a reference for 5 ounces, a can of Coca-Cola has
12 ounces. You can imagine then that the weekly limit for what we would qualify
today as “strong drink” would be absolutely miniscule. These limits are nearly
double the limit found in the UK, and even at those lower limits scientists
have found alcohol to be dangerous. With this “safe” U.S. limit in mind, just
one half glass of wine above this limit lowers your life expectancy by “about
the same as a cigarette” says David Spiegelhalter, a risk expert at the
University of Cambridge. Further, states Victoria Taylor, a senior dietitian at
the British Heart Foundation, “We should always remember that alcohol
guidelines should act as a limit, not a target, and try to drink well below
this threshold.” Keywords well below.
With that said, in regards to a beverage similar to wine,
grape juice actually has plenty of
heart and overall health benefits. Thus, if people were actually looking out
for their health and not looking to have an escape from reality, then grape
juice is what they would drink. That is not to say all people who drink are
merely looking for a feeling; there are surely lots of people who truly think
it is at least healthy at the same time. But now the facts are displayed for
what is and is not healthy.
Strictly
Psychologically Speaking
As we stated earlier, “Before alcohol affects your central
nervous system and deteriorates motor skills, it affects our inhibitions and
silences the conscience. As our moral restraints become blurred at the same
rate as our neural reflexes . . . you set yourself up to become free to
multiple avenues of sins. . . . Alcohol changes your personality and makes you
less morally strong.” And directly above we stated that people use alcohol as
“an escape from reality” and because they are “looking for a feeling.”
Alcohol is a mind-altering drug. First and foremost, do you
know why exactly that alcohol affects the mind? Alcohol gives you that slight
feeling of euphoria and escape because that is literally the affect of your body being poisoned. And using
the word poison there is not be of exaggeration; that is literally what is
happening, as your brain is not functioning properly and those feelings arise
from that fact.
When alcohol reaches the brain it immediately affects the
brain's ability to control behavior and body functions. And the affects are
much quicker than you would imagine. According to a report, for instance, by
Texas A&M University's Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies, as
little as one beer can significantly affect judgment and driving decisions. You
may not think it has affected you, but it has. The BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
is the measure of a person’s level of intoxication or the amount of alcohol in
a person’s blood system. In the U.S., once someone reaches a .08 BAC they are
legally drunk. To reach that level, it takes on average three cans of beer, 15
ounces of wine, and 4.5 ounces of anything stronger than that (again, as a
reference point, a can of Coke has 12 ounces). The report continues: “We found
that persons who registered a .04 - one-half the amount it takes to be legally
intoxicated - had significant impairment in their driving abilities. In a
nutshell, what it means is you don't have to be staggering, fall-down drunk to
have driving problems if you've drinking. A very small amount can affect your
driving ability and especially the decisions you make while driving. A person
may think to himself or herself, “I've only had a couple of beers so I can
drive okay,” but their judgment can be severely affected and they don't even
know it. Our tests showed that at .04, again one-half the level of legal
intoxication, drivers had trouble with such skills as skid control, crash
simulation and other maneuvering tests through stationary cones.”’ That is .04.
But even at .02 is when moral judgment and inhibitions begin to be affected.
What happens at even this low level is that alcohol directly
affects brain chemistry by altering levels of neurotransmitters – the chemical
messengers that transmit the signals throughout the body that control thought
processes, behavior and emotion. Of the three – excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory
– alcohol affects both excitatory neurotransmitters and inhibitory neurotransmitters.
For examples of how alcohol affects excitatory neurotransmitters, alcohol increases
levels of dopamine and norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) in the
brain present in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for sending signals of
pleasure. Thus, when levels of dopamine are elevated, this creates the “high” (“buzz”)
you get. Norepinephrine increases arousal and excitement, lowering inhibitions
and making you not care about the consequences of your actions. An example of
an inhibitory neurotransmitter is Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA),
which reduces energy levels and calms everything down and results in sedation.
Alcohol increases the effects of GABA in the same way as Xanax and Valium,
resulting in sedation (one reason why you cannot take medicine with alcohol
being because your heart rate and respiratory system will slow down to the
point of passing out and even dying). A third excitatory neurotransmitter is
glutamate (the most common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system),
which is involved in virtually every major excitatory brain function. But, as
opposed to dopamine and norepinephrine, glutamate is suppressed. This causes a
significant slowdown in the “highways” of the brain.
This is quite the conundrum. On one hand, because the
“reward center” of our brains are fed dopamine and norepinephrine, we are
tricked into thinking we are going to have a good experience. But what is
actually happening is that, because you think
alcohol is making you feel good, you want to drink more in order to try and
have a higher release of dopamine and norepinephrine. Yet, as you continue to
drink, your body is suppressing more and more glutamate and you are actually
enhancing feelings of depression. Thus, while in the process of drinking
alcohol acts as a stimulant, but as drinking tapers off it is a strong sedative.
Imagine the analogy that you’re sad and you think picking
apples will help your mood. You’ve worked hard picking apples and you feel
happy about the full basket you’ve got. But when you go to carry it home you
realize the bottom of the basket has rotted out, the apples spill everywhere,
and now you’re even sadder than when you started. Or imagine a triangle: as
your blood alcohol content (BAC) level ascends on one side, you think you are
setting yourself up for success. But, because your body will only release so
many neurotransmitters, it’s at that point when, on the other side of the
triangle going down, your body experiences even more depression, anxiety, tension,
restlessness, fatigue, confusion, irritability, loneliness, loss of self esteem
and self worth, etc (which then spiral to become other issues such as having
financial problems). What happens then is that, because a person craves the
“high” (“buzz”) they originally get from alcohol, they use it to try and escape
reality. But the reality is that they are going to slide back into an even
heightened state of the very things they are trying to escape from! States Paul Wallace,
emeritus professor of public health at University College London:
“Alcohol gets through the blood-brain barrier where it works as a depressant.
We feel quite excited and stimulated when we drink because it’s having a
depressing effect on controlling behaviors such as judgment, self-monitoring,
planning and reasoning. Over time this gives you a higher propensity to mood
problems such as anxiety and depression.”
Furthermore, because your body will eventually become more
and more tolerant to alcohol, you must increase the levels you consume. Your
brain will need more and more, just like how your brain will need stronger
milligrams of prescription drugs or how your muscles need more weight and
different movements in order to grow. Then, with more drinking, the dopamine
effect diminishes until it's almost nonexistent. It’s at this point when
someone becomes “hooked” on the release of dopamine even though they are no longer receiving any! So, as you increase
the levels of alcohol you consume, your problems in life are only going to
continue to be heightened and you will be on the sure path to a dependence on
alcohol and then an addiction.
For anyone who thinks their occasional use will never become
anything more than having an occasional glass of wine at dinner, say needing to
have a bottle of something in the house in case a day goes awry or for self
medicating depression, needs to grasp how there is a very real habitual path to
dependence and then addiction. To see this firsthand, we all have those people
in our lives who are recovering alcoholics. They will always struggle with
that. And that should make us think, “Wow this substance took down someone very
near and dear to me. Perhaps you know it took them down so much that you
abstain from alcohol when in their company. That could be me next, or someone
in my family, or maybe they will get back into it and get sick or have an
accident due to it, etc. When we see something on the news, we universally
think, “I’m so glad that could never happen to me.” Yet, look at those close to
you. It happened to people you didn’t think it would. To say you can control
that, tell that to every alcoholic or every person who is at least dependant on
alcohol to escape reality; they will say the same thing that people who
struggle with other sins will say: “I never meant to go this far. Now, I don’t
know how to go back.” The fact is, once you’ve reached a point, psychologically
your body has adapted to the point that you will always struggle with a
particular sin (like a heavy person who loses a lot of weight; their fat cells
are always going to be bigger than those of a thin person).
An additional major reason we need to be careful with
alcohol use, especially when starting off as a light drinker, is the fact that
it’s a case-by-case basis as to how many “feel good” neurotransmitters our
brains will initially release as our BAC level grows. Let’s just pretend there
is a scale from 1-100. Your friend down the road may have a release measured at
25. You, on the other hand, would have a release measured at 97, but you just
don’t know it yet. Thus, if you began drinking at a light or moderate level,
you would be significantly more susceptible to enjoying the initial “buzz” you
get from alcohol and then becoming a more frequent drinker until, possibly, you
became an alcoholic. This fact is echoed, for instance, by researcher Jennifer
M. Mitchell, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, says.
“Greater endorphin release was associated with more hazardous drinking. We
believe this is an important step in understanding where and how alcohol acts
in the brain.” Family history also plays a critical role. The fact is, if
someone in your family had a strong struggle with alcohol, it is very likely to
be in your genes as well. So, one may not know if they’d be easy prey for sin
to have a foothold in their life. Why, then, play with fire by even tasting
things in case you like it and then start to really like it?
We Each
Have a Right to Warn Others About the Dangers of Alcohol
Modern-day science says of alcoholic consumption that the
health risks associated with alcohol are massive, there are clear and
convincing correlations between drinking and premature death, cancer, and
cardiovascular problems, one or two drinks a day being good for us is just a
myth, one drink a day (of wine or another alcoholic drink) increases a woman’s
cancer risk for multiple types of cancer (including breast, liver, bowel,
throat, mouth, esophagus and larynx), alcohol is the leading risk factor for
disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49, the
risks for a 40-year-old of drinking over the recommended daily limit were
comparable to smoking, there are no health benefits from drinking alcohol,
people who follow government guidelines to have a drink or so a day could be
drinking themselves into an early grave, it is a known carcinogen, it can raise
estrogen levels, it damages DNA and directly impacts cells that cause cancer,
we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking it is a healthy behavior, and one
5-ounce glass of wine per day can cause three times the risk of brain damage
that can impact spatial navigation and, as even one drink a day kills valuable
brain cells and causes damage to cognition and memory, will potentially lead to
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
And all of what we have discussed is simply the low end and
moderate level of the spectrum. When it comes to heavy drinkers, says Tim
Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine and head of the Department of
Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Sheffield,
smokers lose on average 10 years of life, compared to heavy drinkers who “are
likely to lose even more life expectancy.”
Alcohol
in any form does not contribute positively to the health of your body. But
let’s say it helped your heart, which the alcohol industry claims of red wine; even if staying under the governmental
“limit” of alcohol consumption were to slightly reduce your rate of non-fatal
heart attacks, says Dr. Angela Wood from the University of Cambridge, “this
must be balanced against the higher risk associated with other serious – and
potentially fatal – cardiovascular diseases”, such as death from stroke for
multiple reasons, coronary disease beyond heart attack, heart failure, fatal
hypertensive disease and fatal aortic aneurysm, on top of other health hazards
such as communicable diseases (i.e. cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol use,
diabetes, epilepsy, pancreatitis, infections, etc.), accidents, and multiple
forms of cancer.
For us in the world who have purified drinking water and
refrigeration, it is entirely unnecessary to drink a mixture of alcoholic wine
and water. With that fact in mind, on top of Scripture condemning the use of
alcohol much weaker than found today, on top of the significantly heightened
dangers now that the potency is much higher, why on Earth do we act so
liberally and carelessly? Study after study, as we have seen clearly states,
zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss, no amount
of alcohol is good for your overall health, there's no amount of liquor, wine
or beer that is safe for your overall health, there is no safe level of
drinking alcohol, at no point is there a level of consumption that appears to
lower the overall risk of developing any of the wide array of diseases
investigated in comparison to non-drinking, in terms of cancer risk there is no
safe level of drinking, and the safest level of drinking is none at all.
As reported by the Journal of the American Medical
Association, from 2001 to 2013 the number of alcoholics in the U.S. alone rose
by 49%, meaning 13% of Americans as a
whole meet the criteria of being alcoholics. Of course, there were people who
were not honest when being asked the necessary questions in the study. It was
also found that nearly one in four adults specifically under the age of 30 met
the criteria for being alcoholics. Further, as the study ended in 2013, that sharp
observed rate is inevitably higher today.
“I think the increases are due to stress and despair and the use of
alcohol as a coping mechanism,” said the study's lead author, Bridget Grant, a
researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Of course the rate has
increased. After all, what else would you expect in an ever-growing “all about
me” culture that leaves us searching for something to help us cope with reality?
With that in mind, and the fact that alcohol affects certain
people significantly higher than others, on top of the fact there is zero
benefit from alcohol, wouldn’t that make you look at that drink in your hand
and say it just isn’t worth it? Alcohol is so entirely engrained into our
cultural upbringing that many of us automatically compartmentalize it as
something either cool, sophisticated, harmless, or all the above. Perhaps now
with science showing alcohol’s true identity, people will take the initiative
to not only stop their own use but to also warn others.
Abstinence
Is Always Commended Scripturally but Not Socially
We see with the Nazirite vow, Timothy’s effort to not even
have enough wine to purify his drinking water, leaders in the church, even John
the Baptist, etc., abstaining from alcohol was always commendable. John
MacArthur said well: “It should not take a doctor of divinity to notice that
Scripture consistently celebrates virtues such as self-control,
sober-mindedness, purity of heart, the restraint of our fleshly lusts, and
similar fruits of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives. Surely these
are what we ought hold in highest esteem, model in our daily lives, and honor
on our websites, rather than trying so hard to impress the world with
unfettered indulgence in the very things that hold so many unbelievers in
bondage.”
Yet it is an oddity for someone to abstain today. To get
more personal and use the word “I” for once, I do not drink. I don’t try to be
the total conscience of everyone; if someone else has a drink around me, so be
it. But to my not drinking, it’s always met with the question, whether it’s
most likely a loaded one or genuinely not: “Why?” But I would ask, with all
that we’ve discussed and could discuss in this post, how come it isn’t the
other way around: abstainers asking those who drink the “why” question?
Besides the obvious health dangers, a further reason I do
not drink is because I find zero justification for introducing something into
my life that blurs moral restraints and can easily become habit forming. I will
not give alcohol even the chance to have a foothold in my life. As Paul states,
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to
gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14). And, again Paul: I, too, “will not
be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). I have no desire for the
taste or the idea of alcohol. But perhaps I would be one of those people who
would release a lot of “feel good” neurotransmitters and could become hooked
easily. I will heed to the warning by James: “But each person is tempted when
he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived
gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
Scripture is clear: “Do not be foolish, but understand what
the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:17). The mature Christian does not try to
balance the idea of how many “fun, enjoyable, exciting” things they can do and
still be in step with Christ. Rather, they ask if there is anything they can do
that will refine their ability to recognize the will of God. In general, then,
alcohol does nothing to increase one’s sensitivity to God’s will but, instead,
it weakens our desire to treat our bodies as the temples where God dwells: “Do
you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you
have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify
God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Further, all, it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit
in us (Ephesians 4:30). It contradicts and threatens what I value most:
my ever-growing personal relationship with my God.
Another reason is that an adult does not need something to help them escape
reality anymore than a kiddo does. This seems to be a cheap substitute for not
trying to get things in your life in order and also a cheap substitute for
prayer itself. God will use our sufferings to sharpen our character, so why
would we drink something that would inhibit that growth process? Only Christ
will heal us and satisfy us: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he
was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him
was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed”
(Isaiah 53:4-6).
And another reason is that alcohol is an industry fueled by
a particular mindset. Whether it is fair or not, the truth is that alcohol is
commonly perceived to be paired with poor motivations and immoral behavior. So
when unbelievers see Christians partaking in the same activity they do, they
have every right to at least think to themselves, “Then what's the big deal
with this whole “born again” stuff? They act just like us!”
In conclusion, when your kid starts drinking you’ll hate
alcohol more and more. When someone you love becomes an addict, you will hate
alcohol. When your spouse cheats on you and blames it on alcohol, you will hate
them both. When someone you know dies of throat, stomach, liver, or other
cancers from it, you’ll hate it. When your friend gets mangled from a wreck so
bad from a drunk driver that there is a closed casket funeral, you’ll hate
alcohol. When you see someone being beat, or personally feel the abuse, you
will hate alcohol. If you never experience any of that, lucky you I suppose?
For something that contributes to 205,000 deaths each year.
It can knock off more than a decade of your life expectancy. It causes multiple
forms of cancer. It’s not safe for babies in the womb. It will eventually only
hurt your kids and your family as a whole. Over one half of all traffic
fatalities, homicides, rapes, drownings, physical abuses, rapes, suicides,
assaults, and robberies are the direct result of alcohol. Millions and millions
of Americans alone are struggling with and ruining lives and businesses due to
alcohol. Culture says we cannot have fun, celebrate, or even be intimate
without drinking. It’s like culture saying “what’s love without a diamond, or
Easter without a chocolate rabbit?” I call BS to all of that. If we can boycott
something as stupid as a plastic straw then I will abstain from this
disease-causing, home-destroying substance at all cost.
A lot of this information (like the fact that wine was
diluted, and the fact that even table wine today was condemned in Scripture) is
information lots of drinkers or those sympathetic to drinking have never heard.
Shockingly, 64% of Protestants drink socially as do 81% of Catholics. Now that
you have the facts, you and your congregation as a whole can make a decision to
help lead loved ones away from alcohol. We are called to love one another, not
condemn one another. And out of love, this is a basic case against the use of
alcohol.
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