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Dear Arthur and Sandra:

I had some questions about drinking and God°s principles about it, because I know that your family abstains from it. The Bible does not say directly that drinking is a sin. People actually drank wine to celebrate and the Lord is more interested in our righteousness than what we drink or eat. (Rom 14:17) I know that we should not get drunk on wine (Eph 5:18)Þ but is there anything wrong with taking 1 sip or even social drinking? Is that sinning? I know that as Christians, we need to make the most of every opportunity as we live and be good examples to non-Christians in the way that we live. Hopefully, we can even be witnesses by our abstinence. But what about social drinking with other Christians? A lot of my Christian friends drink, my parents do, and I have learned that it is ok to sip or drink a little for social reasons, to celebrate, for the culture (to enhance meals) or just for the taste.

If the definition of sin is ¿missing the markî, then does that mean that any form of drinking is a sin Þ I was praying about it this morning and emailing you guys for your thoughts came up in my head. Thank you!

Thanks for your question! Unfortunately, my time right now is short but I want to reply promptly, so I'll be brief and choppy. I'd be happy to expand later.

First, I'd agree with you that your sips don't constitute sin in and of themselves. Unless, of course, they weren't sipped to the glory of God; or weren't sipped with love as the basis; or weren't sipped with the brethren of God's church, His bride, in mind. If any of those apply, then I'd have to say that it was sin. Of course, that would apply to anything è any activity, or action. Anything not done to the glory of God is sin, as harmless and "righteous" as an activity may be. Even reading your Bible or praying, if not done for His glory but for yours, is sin. (1Cor. 10:31 - WHATEVER you do, do all to the glory of God. Anything less is sin. Therefore, we are quite sinful, aren't we? That makes His grace all the more to be cherished and appreciated!)

That aside, let's talk about alcohol a little. You're right in saying that one of the main reasons I abstain is to be above reproach. I don't want any association whatsoever that comes with alcohol. I have yet to hear of any positive moral association with alcohol. Living the Christian life, bearing witness to Light in the midst of darkness, defending the faith, etc. are tough enough on their own merit, never mind having to defend my lifestyle. There are enough roadblocks to remove without having to add another unnecessary one. I don't need something as pointless as alcohol to potentially cloud my witness. It's not worth it to me.

As far as I can tell, the only argument that I can think of in defense of moderate drinking (we know that drunkenness is prohibited), is that the Bible doesn't explicitly say you can't do it. That's a ¿not-negativeî defense, arguing from a lack of Scripture rather than a positive admonition. But I can't think of any actual positive virtues about it, only that you may possibly have the freedom to do it if you desire (and that's debatable). Or you might be able to add, "I enjoy it". If those are the primary arguments in defense of it, I'd say those aren't very good reasons to do anything, let alone drink alcohol.

Keep in mind that we, as bearers of Christ's name, living His life and mission and not ours, are called to strive to grow in grace and do set our minds on that which is the best, the highest, that which is actually profitable (1Cor. 6:12) - excellent, lovely, noble, pure, right, etc. (Phil. 4:8) and not merely on that which is permissible.

As an aside, alcohol in cooking gets burned away leaving only the flavor, so I wouldn't really use that as an ally.

On the possible dangers of alcohol, there are so many:

1. It could let Satan's foot in the door to possible alcohol dependency - even if not as grave as alcoholism - and less reliance on the Spirit's control. I have seen this first hand. Statistics tell us that an alarming number of American households have been affected adversely by alcohol - mine growing up being one (my brother).

2. It could lead someone else down that path. That alone makes me shudder.

3. It affects your witness and could stumble and disappoint someone else - i.e. in the case of the person who wanted to know about you since he looks up to you. We are being watched all the time by the world and church alike. Contrary to what Charles Barkley says, we are role models.

4. It has negative associations and connotations, not only in the church but the world as well. It often is associated with certain "scenes". So many people have been negatively affected and hurt by alcohol that even many non-Christians swear not to touch it. See MADD, SADD, AA, etc.

5. It can be insensitive to those whose lives have been severely hurt by people under the influence of alcohol. It's a very sensitive issue to them. We must be aware that there are hurting people out there that we may not know about.

6. Even slight drinking "loosens" one's spirits and faculties, thus allowing people to see more of the real (and sinful) you. When you get loosened up, it is never more of Christ that gets revealed but rather more of the sinner. This is a big turn off.

7. If inebriation is epidemic and a real problem, and strictly prohibited by God, my feeling is that we ought to try to get as far away from it as possible rather than try to skate as close to the line without crossing it. That's not love. Love doesn't try to test the limits and extents of the Lover's boundaries without crossing over it. Now that's legalism! - trying to "stay inbounds" technically or legally without really having the heart of the Beloved in mind. Real love (and prudence) tries to flee as far as possible from that line out of respect and love for the Beloved. It's the same with anything else - sex, etc.

Obviously, there are more reasons but in my mind, why jeopardize my testimony, possibly Christ's name, and the witness of the Church just because I am supposedly "free" to do it? Especially since I know that there are many, many people "riding" on me. That is, what I do as a leader affects many.

It is for reasons such as these that leaders such as RC Sproul, Ravi Zacharias, John MacArthur, and John Piper abstain. Not because they don't acknowledge its possible permissiveness in Scripture but because they want what is BEST! RC believes that light drinking may be permissible and doesn't "condemn" those that do, but he doesn't.

All this said, I know that there are many fine Christians that do occasionally drink. I just don't think it's best. The payoff is too slim.

These are just some quick, scattered thoughts that may be useful.

As for you, you do what seems best in God's eyes to you. Just remember, "whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Anything less is sin.

It's not a burden to give up certain rights for others. It's a privilege. I think you concur.

Again, this isn't about legalism. It's about love.

Remember that sin is not so much what we do but rather who we are - sinners. God doesn't so much have a problem with our actions, but rather with our heart. It's who we are that's offensive to Him.

I gotta go now. Let me know what you think. I always appreciate your humbleness and openness.

Your bro',

Arthur

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Total Devotion is the High School Fellowship at Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles.

Total Devotion meets on every Friday night from 730 PM to 10 PM in Room 131 except for the last Friday of each month.