We've Got Issues - Drinking

Last week rbcstudents discussed one of the most important and divisive issues in our culture and faith today: Is it okay for Christians to drink?

Remembering Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 6:12-13—everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial, we shared what is and isn’t beneficial in terms of drinking for us as believers.

First, there are certain truths we recognized are non-negotiable about drinking:

                  1) Drinking to the point of drunkenness is always sinful. When a mind is intoxicated, it cannot think clearly and it is then impossible to receive the quiet nudging of the Holy Spirit. A person is still responsible for actions committed and wrongs done to others while under the influence of alcohol.

                  2) Scripturally, we are under the authority of the government we live in (Romans 13:1-2). And our government deems that a person must be 21 before he or she can legally drink. So any consumption of alcohol before this point is a rejection of the authority God has placed in our lives.

Once we acknowledge these first points and abide by them, we can then take a more in-depth look at why we would still want to consume alcohol. Scripture is full of warnings against the free consumption of alcohol (Proverbs 20:1). Even starting out as innocently as a social drinker can lead to alcoholism because it is an addictive substance, so we must be careful when walking down this road.

Questions to ask ourselves if or when we end up drinking are:

                  -What is my desired result of drinking? Is it to escape? To have friends? To cover up pain? To de-stress?

                  -How can drinking glorify God in a given circumstance or situation, if at all?

Finally, recognize that substances should never get in the way of relationships. If you are in doubt about it, abstain. It is easier to avoid the issues that accompany alcohol in the first place, then to try to solve them after the damage is already done. Recognize that Jesus is your only true option to escape, or de-stress, or find rest. So any substance (alcohol included) or relationship will only be a dim shadow of the capability He possesses to make us complete.