Those who believe it is
OK to drink booze are
using the Bible to
justify their behavior,
rather than to shape
their behavior. This is
typical of interpreting
the Bible to fit one's
desires. I do not drink
alcohol for the same
reason that I don't step
on the tracks in front
of a moving train.
Asking whether drinking
is a sin is like asking
whether it's a sin to
play Russian Roulette
with one empty chamber.
There is no reason to
spiritualize this issue.
If you think you can
drink and handle it, you
are either in denial or
you simply haven't
suffered the
consequences that
invariably accompany
alcohol.
Even if we believe the Bible permits consumption, what does wisdom tell us? Truthfully, drinking is stupid. Here in the United States, there is absolutely no reason to do it and, we're surrounded by reasons not to do it. Alcohol is a lot more potent today compared to Jesus' time. Wine in the Bible was naturally fermented; not fermented using a still as it is today (which produces a much higher concentration of alcohol). It doesn't take much to get drunk these days, depending on what you are drinking and your tolerance. Add to this our culture's use of drunkenness as a form of stress reliever and you have imminent disaster. Booze is glorified on TV, radio and is an official staple of college spring break.
I'm so sick and tired of hearing idiots defend their drunkenness by claiming that Jesus drank booze. No He didn't! Jesus did not make highly-concentrated intoxicating wine. The Old Testament clearly warns that God hates ...hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16,17). Look at all the innocent blood which has been shed by alcohol-impaired drivers. MILLIONS of deaths result each year around the world because of alcohol. And most traffic fatalities involve drivers who are not legally drunk.
Don't tell me that the holy Savior turned water into booze. The wine that Jesus made was able to be drank by children, who were also guests at the wedding feast. Jesus wouldn't make strong drink. John 2:10 tells us that the wedding guests had already drank some wine, and then ran out. Jesus made more wine, which they considered better than the first wine. If this were the beer produced today, they all would have been drunk. Jesus wouldn't help people become drunken fools, which is what a few beers does to a person today. Again, the wine spoken of in the Bible was naturally-fermented and you'd have to drink A LOT to even get buzzed. Whereas today . . .
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) position on the relationship between blood alcohol concentration and driving is that driving performance degrades after just one drink."
SOURCE: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/New-fact-sheet03/Point08BAC.pdf
So you see, it's important to understand that wine in the Bible was naturally fermented, and not still-fermented as it is today (which produces a much higher concentration of alcohol). In fact, children drank wine in the Roman empire. Obviously it was a very low concentration of alcohol. This is the same type of wine mentioned in the Bible. This is the wine which Jesus made, which you would have literally had to drank yourself nearly to death before getting drunk. This is why Proverb 23:30 says, They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. In order to get drunk in Bible times, you had to tarry LONG at the wine. But with today's wine, you can get drunk very quickly. It's a completely different animal.
Do you think Jesus was blind to the evil's of alcohol? Do you think Jesus didn't know about the drunkenness of Noah, or the drunkenness of Eli's sons, or the drunkard in Proverbs 23:29-35? Do you think Jesus didn't know about Proverb 20:1? Do you think the world had improved since Sodom and Gomorrah? And let me remind you, Sodom and Gomorrah existed AFTER the flood in Noah's day. It wasn't long after the flood, that men went right back to their vomit. Mankind is truly prone to wickedness and destruction. Don't you tell me that Jesus would risk being guilty of having "...hands that shed innocent blood" (Proverbs 7:16,17), by serving highly concentrated booze to others! No way!
The entire civil law in the Old Testament teaches RESPONSIBILITY for our actions. Jesus knew the Word of God better than anyone else. Don't you dare insult the Son of God by claiming that He would be an accomplice to drunkenness. Jesus turned the water into the fruit of the vine, natural wine. The beer sold in stores today is factory produced and makes a person drunk very quickly.
1st Corinthians 6:9-10 declares, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
The Word of God plainly teaches that drunkenness is a sin, argue as people may. So many people argue that Jesus turned water into wine in an attempt to justify drinking beer. Ask yourself honestly, do you ever get buzzed? At what point is a person who consumes beer considered drunk? Is it when you can still drive, but your senses are impaired? Is it when you drink a couple beers and start talking like a fool? Who decides when you're drunk? The government? Your family? Your employer? You? Most employers will fire you for having a Blood Alcohol Content of even .01, but the legal limit is .08 BAC.
Statistics clearly evidence that even the most responsible of alcohol drinkers do eventually get drunk. HUNDREDS of famous people have been arrested for DUI's in recent years, putting innocent citizens at risk. Clearly, there is no dependable way to know when a person has crossed the line with alcohol. Certainly, we know when some people are drunk, because they are totally incapacitated. However, what about the person with liquor on their breath, who seems coherent? Are they drunk? Some would say yes. Some would say no.
This is why the Bible calls beer drinkers, fools (Proverb 20:1). END
