Return to Question and Answers Page

Hi:

Happy Lord's Day! Congratulations!

Anyway, I've been up for the last couple of hours (it's now 7:30 a.m.) looking again at what the Bible has to say about alcohol - with an open mind. I read every verse - 212 of them - that has the word "wine" in it. I've also been reading and evaluating several articles.

(All this "Christian" drinking at weddings just drove me back to Scripture to evaluate my position. If I'm wrong, I'm open to correction by Scripture and its wisdom.)

As I'm thinking out loud and putting down my thoughts for my own evaluation, I thought of you, since we dialogued in the past about this. So, I thought I'd let you in on my personal morning reflections:

I think the most compelling Scripture of the morning has been a study of Romans 14. A great quote that I read was, "Our greatest right as Christians is to give up our rights ... this is the mark of (true) love."

On freedom, a verse that has been striking me this week is Gal. 5:13: "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another."

That's it! We were redeemed by Christ to be free! Free to do what? Exercise our "Christian liberties"? Indulge in non-moral, possibly permissible pleasures of the flesh (say that 5 times fast)? No. I was not redeemed to turn my freedom into an opportunity for my flesh to participate in things now; I was redeemed so that I could LOVE and SERVE others, no longer a SLAVE to do what my flesh may desire.

I am free to love others! I am free to give my life to them. I am free to subdue my rights for them (a la Christ in Phil. 2). I am free to put others concerns before my own. I am free to choose what's best - not be forced to "go with the flow" because everyone else is doing what may be allowable, though not necessarily righteous. I am free to give liberally what I used to be tight-fisted about. I am free to give another the benefit of the doubt. I am free to no longer guard my ego but to look honestly at myself. I am free to actually devote my whole self to His best without fear of not "making it" in this world and with its people. I am free to ... well, I guess the list will continue as I journey on, won't it? Oh yeah, I'm also free to actually enjoy and delight in this freedom.

One thing I'm not free to do is serve my flesh and its appetites and desires. That's what I was freed from.

So, after all this, nearly three hours later I find myself back at the same conclusion: it is most wise and most loving, and therefore, it is best not to drink.

The trick is to not look down on people who do, as far as their worth in Christ goes, but to gently offer another way and a "possibly" better choice.

Back to you, I've attached an article by John Piper on abstinence from drinking.

Got to get ready to worship our Lord!

Blessings,

Arthur

Return to Question and Answers Page

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.