To Drink or Not To Drink?

I am a firm believer in the maxim that to get the right answer you need the right question. So what is the right question? Let’s think about that for a little bit, shall we? Are we compromising our faith or our witness by doing a particular act? To get to the heart of the matter I think it is necessary to discuss spiritual maturity.

If we are to call ourselves Christian men we must believe that the Bible is truly the divinely inspired work of God as written by his messengers. It is our duty to know the word, all of it, not just the parts that we are taught in Sunday school or what we hear the preacher say in his sermon. If we are to grow spiritually, we must grow in the word. How many people do you know that go around like parrots repeating what they have heard in snippets of disembodied wisdom that sound less like what God intended and more like the parochial sound bite of the week? They’ve gotten no deeper than the words themselves; out of context and probably out of sync with the situation into which they have just interjected them.

I’ve experienced this so many times that I was forced to become a more patient man, to grow in my own spiritual maturity. Well, it was that or start cracking them over the head with a Zondervan. I took the high road, although I eyeballed the low-road more than once, I’ll admit it. That said I think we need to observe spiritual maturity by going to the source, and what better place to go than, the gospel.

I don’t think you will get an argument from any Bible scholar if you say that of all the people in the New Testament, aside from Christ Himself, Paul is the most spiritually mature. When you read about what he goes through and then see that he praises God for his suffering and frailties it is evident that he has learned Christ’s lessons like no other. Paul, the most prolific writer of the New Testament, wasn’t just hand-picked by Jesus. He was literally taken by Jesus, snatched from his own existence and shown God’s majesty and then made to do Christ’s work. All of the other apostles were called to discipleship, but Paul was made a disciple â€" plain and simple.

First Side of the Coin
There are two sides to the coin in this matter and when I speak about drinking you may substitute any action that is contended by different denominations as to whether or not it’s acceptable. The New Testament addresses drinking directly but also speaks about something as powerful as eating meat that has previously been sacrificed to an idol. It does this through the letters that Paul wrote to the churches.

Paul himself goes into great detail when discussing matters of maturity and tells us exactly how to handle the issue of whether or not we should drink, eat or do anything that was previously prohibited by the law that Christ freed us from. Paul instructs us to not let anyone judge us by what we eat or drink, or by any observance that we hold in good faith for the glory of God. He goes on to illustrate that the eating of meat sacrificed to an idol and drinking of alcohol means nothing and will neither bring you closer to God nor will it take you farther away. For those of us who are mature enough spiritually, everything is permissible but not all things are beneficial.

These are powerful words and are not meant for the weak of faith. To them it may sound like a license to be a sinner. To those who would know God better, it is a testimony to their personal convictions and beliefs. Paul’s writings make it evident that we are not bound by the old laws anymore and the freedom that has replaced them carries a great responsibility.

Other Side of the Coin
That is the first side of the coin; we need to discuss the second. It is evident that if we are strong of faith, that is to say spiritually mature in this context, that we have great freedom in Christ. But what if we are in the company of another whose belief is that drinking is a sin. In this instance Paul makes no excuses. Our responsibility is stated plainly, if a weaker brother is made to stumble because of what we do then we sin against that brother. And in so doing, sin against God. Put differently, if a another, spiritually weaker individual’s convictions are compromised by what you do, even if it is not a sin for you to do whatever it is that you are doing, it becomes a sin by the transgression you are committing against the weaker person. By having the greater freedom â€" being free from the law - you must bear the responsibility of the conscience of those around you who are weaker. Most Christians are unaware of this implication, or they choose not to see it.

There are countless Christians out there who are stressed over the thought that they may be compromising their faith. Believing that they are losing their witness or even overtly sinning against God when they take a drink or eat with a friend from another culture who blesses the food before they eat in a way that they think is sacrilegious. They are more focused on the details and less on God. And the parrots aren’t helping matters any.

We all have problems and obstacles in our lives. We are all tested and tried every day. If you understand that what you eat or drink neither lifts you up to nor brings you down, then you are heading in the right direction and growing in Him. Watch out for your brother, do not cause him to stumble and if you are not in the position to compromise someone, know that you have been freed by Christ and live to your convictions, whatever they may be. He will know in the end what you held in your heart and believed to be His word and whether or not you violated it. Be concerned with that and you will have plenty to deal with.

When we approach the Bible with preconceived notions that is when scripture gets bent. I think that we have so much more ground to cover here on this earth than simply to be saved. We need to realize that what is going on inside of us is usually so much more important than what is happening on the outside. If we affect change from within it will become apparent on the exterior. And what’s more, it will be genuine, not contrived, and others will be able to tell. I think, then, that the question becomes amorphous and changes depending upon our current state of development. The earlier we are in our spiritual advancement the more the question centers around us. The farther along we are the more it concerns the well being of those around us and centers on our discernment of the particular situation we are in at the moment.

You Decide
I leave you with these words and the information you need to find out first-hand if you choose to. I challenge you to hear and see the words for yourself, always seek to understand with an open heart, mind and spirit and pray that God reveals the meaning to you. Listen for those speaking from the Bible and look for yourself to confirm what they say, then make your own decision.

If you have ears to hear, listen; if you have eyes to see, look. May God bless you.

Suggested reading:
Acts 9, Colossians 2, 1 Corinthians 8 and 10

Footnotes
Colossians 2:13-14
Colossians 2:16
1 Corinthians 8:8
1 Corinthians 10:23
1 Corinthians 8:12
1 Corinthians 8:7, 1 Corinthians 10:27-29

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