Today, the other Bible teacher here at GCA, Mr. Pointer, had the task of tackling the issue of Christian's and alcohol. This issue came in as the 3rd most popular issue among our students. Here are some of the highlights from his talk:
- We have a responsibility as Christians to live our lives with purpose.
- There are over 10 million alcoholics in America. 3.3 million of them are teens. That is %19 percent of all teenagers.
- We know that Scripture is clear that we should not become "drunk"...But how does one know at what point they become drunk?
- It is illegal for anyone under 21 to drink. (Remember, we are talking to HS students)
- Drinking wine today is not the same as drinking wine in the Scriptures.
- Entire philosophy for drinking today is different from Biblical time. We drink today for pleasure, popularity, etc. People used wine in the Bible for medicinal purposes...to help purify the drinking water.
- Wine in the Bible was 3 parts water and 1 part wine. The lowest alcohol content you can find today is %4 and that is in beer. Wine has bewteen %7-11.
- Christians have to consider what effect his drinking has on other Christians and non believers.
I thought he hit a home run. Was the wine actually "wine" in the Bible? Yes. It was not grape juice. The entire purpose for the use of wine was vastly different than the purpose we have today. Plus, we have so many more options for beverages (I'm talking non alcoholic) today than they had in Jesus' day. So why do we need to tempt ourselves with something that could potentially mess us up?
I know a lot of good people on both sides of the fence...some say social drinking is okay, some say it is not. We need to search the Scriptures for ourselves and draw our own conclusions. For me, it all comes down to his last point today, we have to consider what effect our drinking may have upon other people, Christians or not. I'll have water.
2 comments:
FYI, not pro or con, it should be noted in the first century that fermented beverages were also quite common becuase they were healthier than water, which even today is filled with disease and contamination.
And wine is used by some today for medical purposes as many heart specialist suggest that it decreases the risk for heart disease.
Both true. Tony mentioned yesterday that 1st century were poeople drinking fermented beverages because of the unclean water. I think the way Tony presented it was best for our student body here at GCA.
Again, I think we are given liberty on this subject, and can not afford to be too dogmatic one way or the other.
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