Moderate Drinking: Sinful or Unwise? (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series, I made the point that it is unwise to drink alcohol for social or recreational purposes. In other words, to go out drinking with your friends, to have a 24-pack of beer in your fridge that you gradually consume with your pizza or on other occasions, or to have that glass of wine with your spouse on special evenings - as common and as harmless as this all may appear to some people, for Christians, it is all unwise in the very least.

But as I emphasized at the conclusion of that first article, if moderate drinking is merely unwise, we cannot condemn or judge those brethren who drink moderately. We can tell them that it's unwise, but if they disagree and choose to load a 24-pack of Coors Light into their shopping cart at Wal-Mart, we really can't say or do anything about it. After all, while we can encourage wisdom, we cannot condemn an activity on the basis of principles alone because while the principles are specified in God's word, the application is not.

If this is as far as we can go - if we can only discourage moderate drinking on the basis that it's unwise - we need to know it and assign it to the realm of Christian liberty where it belongs. Of course, we also need to quit making this an issue of fellowship...if indeed it is a matter of personal judgment. 

At the same time, if it's not merely unwise - if it's actually sinful to drink in moderation - then we need to know that and take the proper stand against drinking in the church. Right? 

Now, I am convinced, based on my studies, that not only is drunkenness sinful (Gal. 5:21, et al), but that moderate drinking is wrong as well. In this second article, I'd like to defend this assertion. Before I do that, I want you to understand a couple of things:

1. While this may be the traditional stance of brethren, I do not hold this position because it is 'traditional,' but because I believe it to be the scriptural position. I have personally studied this and have come to this conclusion. So please do not assume that I am just parroting what I have heard from other gospel preachers.
2. If I am wrong, I want you to help me find the truth. If moderate drinking isn't sinful, please help me to see the error of my position so that I can immediately stop drawing lines where God has not. I take this very seriously and beg for your help and guidance if I am taking this too far.
3. As I have already indicated, my standard is the word of God. I hope it is your standard as well. Please do not respond by relating to me your personal experiences with alcohol and how Christians can "drink responsibly." If you disagree, please address the scriptures I cite, or cite additional scriptures which I have not considered.

Alright, so let's get to it.

There are three New Testament teachings that I believe condemn even moderate drinking. I ask that you keep an open mind as we study these passages together.

1 Timothy 5:23

I want to begin in an unlikely place – 1 Timothy 5:23 – where Paul writes, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” We often quote this verse to prove that alcohol may be used for medicinal purposes, but I’d like to focus instead on Paul’s subtle disapproval of drinking. 

Notice what this one verse implies. First of all, it’s implied that Timothy didn’t drink at all; he was a teetotaler who drank only water. But he had a problem with his stomach and was regularly sick. To remedy this ailment, Paul told Timothy that it was okay to “use a little wine.” Notice the care and precision with which Paul counseled Timothy. Not only did he approve Timothy’s decision to abstain from alcohol, he made it clear that even the medicinal use of alcohol was to be carefully regulated. None of this would make any sense if moderate drinking was/is perfectly acceptable. Rather, we learn that it was assumed that Christians didn’t drink in the first century.

NOTE: I’ve known many Christians who believe, based on this verse, that it’s perfectly okay to have a glass of wine every evening for “health reasons.” First of all, I question the science behind that belief. But still, this verse only allows for the use of wine to remedy a current ailment. Paul isn’t saying that it’s a good idea to drink wine on a regular basis because it might have some health benefits.

So again, Timothy was right to abstain completely from alcohol. He was only encouraged to “use a little wine” to remedy an unspecified ailment. 

The Command to be Sober

Drinking is also wrong because Christians are commanded to be “sober.” Notice with me the following verses from the New Testament that contain this command:

“For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober…” (1 Thessalonians 5:7-8). 

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

In all three of these verses, the word sober is from the Greek word nepho which literally means, “to abstain from wine (keep sober), that is, (figuratively) be discreet: - be sober, watch.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary says it means “to be free from the influence of intoxicants.” So the command to be sober doesn’t just mean that we’re to avoid the drunken state; the command is to “abstain from wine.” In each of these verses, we’re being instructed to be watchful and vigilant. Because alcohol has the ability to inhibit our judgment, we’re told to abstain from it. This very plainly condemns drinking.

Other resources point out that nepho is used in contrast with intoxication. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, "The concept which underlies the verb nepho, 'to be sober,' and the whole group is formally negative. It is the opposite of intoxication both in the literal sense of intoxication with wine and in the figurative sense of intoxication attributed to other causes." Likewise, the Jewish philosopher, Philo, wrote, "So too soberness [nephein] and drunkenness are opposites." Finally, Clement of Alexandria once said, "I therefore admire those who have adopted an austere [nephalion] life, and who are fond of water, the medicine of temperance, and flee as far as possible from wine, shunning it as they would the danger of fire."

NOTE: In the above paragraph, nepho is the verb form, and nephalios is the adjective form of the word. For more on this (and the subject as a whole), click here.

Someone might respond by saying that this is a general instruction to remain watchful, not a specific and sweeping condemnation of drinking. But please note that there is a completely different Greek word that has a more general definition. In 2 Corinthians 5:13 and Titus 2:6, the word sober is from the Greek word sophroneo which means, “to be of sound mind, that is, sane, (figuratively) moderate: - be in right mind, be sober (minded), soberly.” Of course, even then, drinking alcohol would seem to threaten our sober-mindedness. Either way, the fact that nepho is used in the above three verses indicates that we’re not just to remain sober-minded in some general sense; we’re to abstain from wine and other intoxicants.

The Command to Avoid Drunkenness

The final argument against drinking may surprise you, so bear with me, but the command to avoid drunkenness actually prohibits even moderate drinking.

In Ephesians 5:18, we’re told, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” The phrase “do not be drunk” is from the Greek word methusko which is defined as “to intoxicate – be drunken.” Likewise, the command to avoid “drunkenness” in Galatians 5:21 literally means to avoid “intoxication” (from the Greek word methe). 

Now, when we think of being drunk or intoxicated, we see images of the person who is falling over drunk, stumbling around and making a fool of himself. This is how we use the term today. But according to the strict definition of the biblical word, to be drunk is to be intoxicated, and to be intoxicated is to be impaired by the intoxicant. I think we all understand that the impairment process begins well before they’re falling-down drunk.

Consider this impairment chart from www.medicinenet.com :

Men of all sizes and weights reach .02% BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) after consuming one drink of alcohol. One drink is equated with 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of table wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. To put it simply, a person is impaired when they drink one regular can of beer or glass of wine. Notice the website’s warning (in red) above the chart: “Impairment begins with your first drink!” Over the years, I’ve seen many similar charts from various online sources – all of which condone the practice of “drinking responsibly” – and they present the same information and the same facts. Medically, it is well-established that even one drink results in impairment. A person may not feel impaired after one drink, but this only illuminates once again what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 20:1: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” And regardless of how a person may 'feel,' if they are impaired even in the slightest way, they are still impaired.

Consider the following physical and physiological effects of moderate drinking in light of the biblical definition of drunkenness. Ask yourself if even one drink can be justified in light of these facts, and especially in light of the biblical context.

• “One to two drinks of alcohol impair mental and physical abilities; mental processes such as restraint, awareness, concentration and judgment are affected, reaction time slowed, and an inability to perform complicated tasks.” (“The Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs,” Motorcycle Safety Foundation,1991) 
• “Any blood alcohol level, even a BAC of 0.02%, the result of just one drink, increases the risk of a crash. Alcohol impairs nearly every aspect of the brain’s ability to process information, as well as the eye’s ability to focus and react to light.” (University of California, Berkeley, Wellness Letter, January 1998) 
• “The blocking of inhibitions is caused by alcohol's action on the higher centers of the brain's cortex, particularly the part of the brain that controls reason and judgment. It then acts on the lower centers of the limbic system that rule mood and emotion, and even at low-to-medium doses can increase self-confidence, sociability, and sexual desire, but can also result in aggression, violence and sexual assault. This disinhibition is mostly due to the interference with GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter.” (Alcoholmd.com - October 2001)
• “Just a half-a-glass of wine almost doubles the level of estrogen in women on ERT.” ("Estrogen and Alcohol Don't Mix,” Optimum Wellness newsletter, Winter 1997)
• “Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your balance and reflexes.” (National Institute on Aging – 2003) 
• “Even one beer (or one drink) can slow your reactions and confuse your thinking. This means anything that requires concentration and coordination - like driving - is more dangerous when you’ve had a drink. Drinking is a problem if it interferes with how you think or feel." (familydoctor.org - May 2003) 

A person may argue that God never intended for us to apply such a strict definition of impairment to the word drunkenness in the Bible, and that God was really condemning the all-out state of drunkenness. Dear reader, if God doesn’t limit the definition of drunkenness to legal drunkenness (.08% BAC) or some other "severe" form of drunkenness, how can we limit it? If the word itself denotes intoxication and impairment, and if impairment begins with the first drink, that is where we must take our stand. Is it sinful to be falling down drunk? Yes. But according to the facts, to have one drink may put us into sin, because that puts us into the state of impairment. 

So not only is drinking unwise, the case can be made from the New Testament that even moderate drinking is sinful. We are to “abstain from wine.” For these three reasons, we must not permit or condone drinking among our brethren. We must take a firm stand against it.

Conclusion

Again, I could stop writing at this point because I’ve made my case. Not only is moderate drinking unwise, it is actually sinful. 

But I’ve always tried to be even-handed when I write articles such as these, and the fact is, there is another side to this debate. In fact, perhaps you’ve been thinking of passages in the Bible that actually seem to justify or condone drinking. What about the story in John 2 of Jesus turning water into wine? What about the way that Paul places drinking in the realm of liberty in Romans 14? What about the instruction to the deacons and the older women to “not [be] given to much wine” (1 Timothy 3:8; Titus 2:3)? What about Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 11:22 to drink at home? And what about the way that wine is positively portrayed in the Bible as a blessing from God and source of joy? 

Before I address these questions, I feel that it's necessary to first of all study the culture and meaning of wine in the Bible. In 'Part 3' of this series, I will do just that. It will be in the fourth article that I will specifically answer the above questions.

Click here to access the third article in this series.