Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And all that is within me,   
bless His holy name.   
Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And forget none of His benefits.   
- Psalms 103:1-2   
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The Holidays And Alcohol

                                       The Holidays and Alcohol

 

     During these holidays we see those around us who celebrate in their own prescribed methods.  During Thanksgiving, the world refuses to acknowledge God and give him the deserved credit for his blessings. So, to whom do they give thanks, themselves?  Many times we are pressured to engage or attend their celebrations but we don’t or can’t because of their insistence of using alcohol. They justify the use of alcohol by telling themselves that there is no “Thou shalt not” for the use of this intoxicant or others. Below is an article from Searching the Scriptures that makes some good points:

     Question: In 1 Tim. 3:8 Paul said that deacons are not to be given to "much" wine. Does this imply that the consumption of alcoholic beverages in moderation is approved?

     Answer: Looking at the passage we raise the question: Is the apostle saying that the deacon is not to be drunk? We believe that he is.  That being so, we raise yet another question: Can you not urge a man to avoid drunkenness without approving moderate drinking? SURE YOU CAN! Telling a man -- "Don't get bombed out on whiskey!" -- does not intend approval that drinking whiskey in moderation is acceptable.  Or..."Don't be a drug addict!" (which is the same as saying -- "Don't be given to much drugs") is certainly not approval for the occasional use of cocaine. "Don't be a slave to sin" certainly does not approve of sin in "moderation."

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"Do not be given to wine" > "Do not use drugs" (1 Tim. 3:3)

IS THE SAME AS

"Do not be given to much wine" > "Do not be a drug addict" (1 Tim. 3:8)

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            And while we are on the subject...take a peek at Ecclesiastes 7:17 which says, "Do not be excessively wicked." Am I to believe that such lends approval to wickedness in "moderation?" Deacons (and I believe all Christians) are not to be given to "much" wine i.e., they are not to be drunkards. But such does not imply acceptability of moderate drinking anymore than Ecclesiastes 7:17 implies acceptability of moderate sinning!

---via Searching the Scriptures

     The article above makes some good points, and accompanied with the application of the Christians principles of behavior, one can only come to one conclusion. Applying the first principle of everything being done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) shows us that the moderate consumption (or moderate impairment) of alcohol is certainly not glorifying or bring glory to our God. Secondly, it is not an act that separates us (James 4:4; Luke 6:22; 2 Corinthians 6:17) from the world, but rather it conforms us to it (Romans 12:2). These are principles divinely put in place to protect us from all the worldly vices that devastate our society today.

                                                                                                                - Marc Hopkins



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