 The
Proclaimer
Is Social Drinking Sinful?
Paul warns that drunkards will not inherit the
kingdom of heaven (1 Cor. 6:10; cf. Gal. 5:19-21). But what about drinking
alcoholic beverages in moderation? Is social drinking sinful? It is
becoming more and more common to find Christians that will try to justify
such practices. I have spoken to brethren on occasion that claim that while
they don’t drink alcohol themselves, they do not consider “social drinking”
to be sinful as long as you don’t get drunk. Sometimes biblical (?)
arguments are made to prove their point. Let’s briefly consider three of
these arguments.
The first argument that is often made concerns
Christ’s first recorded miracle when He turned the water into wine (John
2:1ff). On this occasion Jesus and His mother had attended a wedding feast
in Cana. When the supply of “wine” ran out, Jesus had six 20-30 gallon
waterpots filled to the brim. He then miraculously turned the water into
“wine.” The argument is, of course, that since Jesus provided more “wine”
for consumption at this social occasion, the drinking of “wine” socially is
authorized.
There are several problems with this argument. Just because
the word “wine” is used in the text we should not immediately assume that
Jesus had turned the water into some intoxicant. In the Bible the word
“wine” (oinos) is a
generic term that can denote either fermented or unfermented juice; the
context being the determining factor. The idea that Jesus Christ would
provide 120 to 180 gallons of alcoholic beverage for people to become
intoxicated at a social occasion, and then condemn them for doing so, is
absurd. What Jesus provided was fresh unfermented juice, not an intoxicating
beverage.
The second argument often made is that Paul
wrote Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your
stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Tim. 5:23). But this
passage actually disproves that social drinking is acceptable in God’s
sight. Notice that Timothy was evidently accustomed to drinking “only
water.” The mere fact that Paul had to give specific instruction for him to
drink the wine clearly shows Timothy’s attitude towards drinking any alcohol
for any reason.
But more than this, if we assume that the word “wine” (oinos)
does refer to fermented drink, we must observe the two qualifications placed
upon its consumption. The reason for drinking the wine was not as a
beverage in some social setting, but obviously for medicinal purposes, that
is, “for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” But even then,
notice the amount to be consumed was to be “a little.” While this passage
does authorize the use of medications that may have some alcoholic content,
it in no way authorizes social drinking.
Last of all, it is argued that Paul says the man qualified to
be a deacon must be “not given to much wine” (1 Tim. 1:8). According to
Thayer the Greek expression means “drunken, or addicted to wine.” The
argument is that since the deacon is not to be given to
much wine, a moderate amount of
wine consumption is authorized. But stop and think about it for a moment.
What if Paul had said that the deacon was not to be addicted to
much marijuana? Would that
statement authorize the smoking of a little pot? Of course not! What if he
said the deacon was not to be addicted to much
cocaine? Would that authorize the moderate use of cocaine? Of course not!
Neither does the statement authorize the moderate drinking of alcoholic
beverages.
Time and time again the New Testament
emphasizes the necessity of sobriety for the child of God (1 Thess. 5:6, 8;
Titus 2:2, 4, 6; 1 Peter 1:13; 5:8; etc.). In spite of this, some insist on
trying to justify their desire to drink alcoholic beverages. There is no
justification for it. When I was a boy, my grandfather used to say that if
it takes five beers to get you drunk and you drink two beers, you’re
two-fifths drunk. Think about it.
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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