Many Christians today feel the need to advise against drinking alcohol, and many even insist that Christ didn't turn water into wine (they say He turned it into "juice"). I was raised in a Protestant Christian Church that taught these things. Many Protestants forbid it altogether if you want to serve the Lord with them. Many others, like well-known preacher Billy Graham, abstain themselves not as a fast from a blessing but rather they say to avoid it because alcohol is "dangerous." They "strongly advise" that others follow their example. Growing up, my pastors never said anything good about alcohol, Never. That mentality, that one-sided view against alcohol, runs contrary to what Christian scripture and Christian tradition, taken as a whole, teaches about wine and alcohol in general. In other words, it is a non-Christian way of looking at alcohol. Given the central role wine and alcoholic drink has played in the people of God throughout the Scriptures, one could even say that view is "anti-Christian."

Anything is dangerous in excess, and alcohol is no exception. However, Scripture actually says that alcohol was given to us by God to give us "joy", a fundamentally important part of life. While some holy men have chosen to abstain from it for various reasons, many have chosen to abstain from meat also.

Alcohol has been blessed by God as an important part of His community'ss life, the life of the people of God, from the time of the ancient Hebrews until the Anointed One and then modern Christians. No one needs to drink it, and Scripture warns us to not get drunk or drink "too much" of it. However, to say it is "unwise" to drink it in moderation or even to just recommend that everyone stay away from it is totally contrary to what God has been saying consistently for thousands of years. Any Christian who teaches such things has been deceived. In the proper dosages, alcohol is medicine for body, community, and even soul.

In order to show you where the Bible teaches these things, here is an example of a conversation I had with one such ultra-religious Christian. It is typical, and it will show you exactly how they run afoul of Scripture. The anti-alcohol Christian's words are in red, mine are in green. Click here to read the discussion.

For a simple page of biblical advice on wine, alcohol, and intoxicating substances in general, click on this link.

If you're interested in a more in depth discussion on this topic, here is a link to another discussion I had with J.D. Greear, another pastor who advises against drinking. That discussion went to very deep levels in analyzing Scripture, and even got into the topic of all intoxicating drugs (not just wine and caffeine).

If you've read all the discussions, or at least the first one, you should be able to see that these Christians have absolutely no biblical support (except for a passage or two that have been ripped entirely from the context of the rest of Scripture). Scripture gives us no reason to call alcohol unwise or to recommend that anyone totally abstain from it. Nonetheless, many Christians continue to try to separate God's family from alcohol, something He has given to them as a gift. Many of these people don't understand that they are playing with fire, hell fire. They are behaving like those who Scripture condemns for trying to pile rules onto God's commands and onto God's children.

To be sure, the anti-alcohol Christians have good intentions. I used to be one. Nonetheless, lies, even when they are told sincerely or with good intentions, will always cause destruction. Just to make sure we are on the same page as far as what "lies" actually are. Satan is the "father of lies" (John 8:44); all falsehood originates from his headship. "When he lies he speaks his native language", he is original liar, and he is the best liar. He also "masquerades as an angel of light," (2 Corinthians 11:14). Therefore, his lies often seem to us like they are very helpful, very good, very pure, and very godly, just like God's light. His lies "look" and even "feel" like spiritual light. So if we teach his lies to others, even if the lies seem to be helpful and even if we have the best intentions, we are still doing tremendous damage. Satan has put lies into Christian tradition, lies that seem "moral", in order to help him destroy the church and actually destroy lives and souls by turning them away from the Anointed One, our joyful Savior.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in him,

Jason

Go to the Acts420.com homepage