The Evils of Alcohol

Many people have questions about the use of alcohol. Is it permitted for Christians? Not everyone will agree on this answer, but we want to examine the Scriptures to answer the question. In this lesson, we are going to discuss the evils of alcohol, including its negative effects, its dangers, and the threat it poses to Christians.

Negative Effects of Alcohol

• Emotional – “Who has woe?” (Proverbs 23:29); lamentation, emotional distress; ironically, many turn to alcohol as a way to deal with emotional distress, but it does not help; rather than turning to alcohol, we should turn to God (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7)
• Financial – “Who has sorrow?” (Proverbs 23:29); from a word that suggests want; one comes to be in need; leads to poverty (Proverbs 23:20-21); the consumption of alcohol is not compatible with good stewardship (Proverbs 3:9)
• Social – “Who has contentions?” (Proverbs 23:29); strife, discord; “strong drink [is] a brawler” (Proverbs 20:1); it causes one to become argumentative and violent; God expects His people to be peaceful (Romans 12:18)
• Verbal – “Who has complaining [babbling, KJV]?” (Proverbs 23:29); inability to communicate effectively; “your mind will utter perverse things” (Proverbs 23:33); it removes the “filter” on our speech; we are to guard our speech (Titus 2:8)
• Mental – “Who has wounds without cause?” (Proverbs 23:29); yet there is a cause (Proverbs 23:35); alcohol affects our memory; we do not remember what happened; our minds are important (1 Corinthians 14:19); alcohol damages our ability to serve God fully
• Physical – “Who has redness of eyes?” (Proverbs 23:29); alcohol affects our physical state/condition; our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20); this does not glorify God

Dangers of Alcohol

• It endangers one’s life (Proverbs 23:34-35) – we must be ready for death at any time (Philippians 1:21), but that does not mean we can be reckless
• It is addictive (Proverbs 23:35) – despite the trouble caused by alcohol, many remain enslaved to it
• It causes one to forget the law (Proverbs 31:4-5) – in Lemuel’s case, this causes serious harm to others; whether we forget God’s law or man’s law, it is dangerous (Romans 13:3-4; Hosea 4:6)
• It mocks the user of alcohol (Proverbs 20:1) – many believe that when they drink, they are in control; this is often an illusion; it leads to embarrassing situations that should have been avoided (Genesis 9:20-22)

Alcohol and the Christian

• Many today wonder if Christians can consume alcohol – is it OK as long as we don’t get drunk?
• The casual use of alcohol is incompatible with the life of a Christian
  • We are to be sober-minded (1 Peter 1:13) – this prohibits alcohol and anything else that affects our thinking; this is not to be taken lightly because of the spiritual threat of the devil (1 Peter 5:8)
  • We are to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) – contrast with being drunk; we cannot be filled with the Spirit if we are partially filled with alcohol
  • We are to leave our old lives of sin (1 Peter 4:3) – more than avoiding drunkenness; the old life of sin also included carousing (wild parties) and drinking parties (“social drinking”)
  • We are not to be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12) – the addictive nature of alcohol should cause us to avoid it
• What about Paul’s instruction to Timothy about using “a little wine”? (1 Timothy 5:23)
  • This was for medicinal purposes – not the destructive or casual use of alcohol
  • He was told to use “little” – indication that he was to be very careful with it
  • He had to be told to use it – indication that it was not normal for Christians to be drinking alcohol

Conclusion

• Many today want to justify the casual use of alcohol, even some Christians – but the Bible does not support the casual use of alcohol
• Whether alcohol is legal or illegal does not change what the Bible says – even if the laws of men permit a practice, that does not mean that God permits it
• We must conform our lives to His word and teach others to do the same