Whether or not Christians can drink alcohol is not a new debate. It’s been one for the centuries, dating back, apparently, to the time of Paul since he found it important to remind Timothy that leaders in the church should not get drunk with wine. There must have been some within the church that did get drunk.
Because of this kind of evidence, because Scripture actually seems to suggest wine can be a godly form of celebration, the millennial generation is falling head over heels in getting on their social drinking skills. And to be honest, it makes me rather sick.
We stumble over ourselves in finding ways to do some ridiculous things. Drinking alcohol is one of them. It’s the latest craze, in my generation. And so, as a millennial who is tired of silly things in the church, can I throw a wrench into your excited scramble to have a beer?
You don’t have license to drink alcohol.
At least, not the way you think you do.
Just because the Bible doesn’t condemn drinking wine, doesn’t mean you can go out and begin socializing with your friends around the latest Champaign.
I give it to you. The Bible isn’t as clear as we think it is, on this topic. We are not to be “drunk with wine” (Eph. 5:18). We are not to have an “addiction” for wine or drink “a lot of” it (1Tim. 3:3, 8). Furthermore, the warnings in Proverbs to King Lemuel are not that people should never drink, but it is not for Kings to drink “strong drink” (Prov. 31:4).
Even Jesus, He created wine out of water. And no, it wasn’t diluted. It was stiff and strong. It was the real stuff. And if people drank a lot of it, they’d go away tipsy.
We look at that, and because we are all about getting rid of beliefs and rules that have no compelling Biblical backing, we jump all in and begin spreading the cheer to all near and far.
But when will we start demanding the same compelling Biblical backing for doing something as we do for not doing something?
You see, we’re good at picking apart the church’s weaknesses. And yes, there are plenty of ridiculous things to re-evaluate. But sometimes I look around and wonder what it is we’re really after?
We lift our hands, crying out in passionate worship, “Jesus be the center of my life.” But if you look close enough, it actually looks like getting free from Christian traditionalism is the center of our lives. And since, at this point, Jesus seems to give us that, we’re all into Him.
But where Jesus throws a caution, or where His design limits our freedoms, we choose to look the other way. And I’m beginning to wonder if He really is what we’re after?
Or are we simply after ourselves? Whatever gives us purpose and meaning and fulfillment.
The problem with pursuing purpose and meaning and fulfillment without seeking them through the heart of Christ is that we go for things that give us meaning and purpose right now. And needing things right now is the great bane of the millennial generation.
We risk life and limb in jumping ship of a good steady job so that we can get involved with something meaningful, something that gives us purpose. We can’t stand another day working nine to five if it doesn’t fulfill us, now.
In the same way, we’re carelessly careening down the street of Christian liberty completely unaware that it turned a corner and we’re now headed for the dumpsters. But, since it feels freeing, and since it seems more in-line with Scripture than what we thought before, we’re convinced its Christian liberty.
But Christian liberty isn’t about what we “get to do.” Just as following Christ isn’t about rules of dos and don’ts, Christian liberty isn’t about freedoms allowable in the Christian life.
Christian liberty is about what we are empowered for in Christ.
Because of Christ, I don’t need rules telling me I can’t do something. I’m free not to do it. In the same way, because of Christ, I don’t need to compulsively flock after everything I used to not be allowed to do. I am free from the bondage of indulging in anything.
Including alcohol.
Let me give you two compelling arguments for why you should not just assume that because the Bible permits drinking, you have license to do so yourself.
#1 – Because it is not profitable
The apostle Paul (many use him as their excuse since he told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach) says in 1 Corinthians 6 that, “’Everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is helpful. ‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but I will not be brought under the control of anything.”
In this passage, he just finished rebuking the Corinthians for bringing lawsuits against each other. Within that rebuke he rehearses that unrighteousness will not inherit God’s Kingdom. And he explains what “unrighteousness” is when he lists off “sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or (as he was dealing with) swindlers” (vs. 7-11).
He is explaining that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that as sons and daughters of God who have His Spirit within us, we are one with Christ. Whenever we partake in these activities, activities spurred by the broken nature and sinfulness of our flesh, we are essentially breaking our oneness with Christ and trying to join together with the very thing that opposes Him.
Remember Jesus’ parable that no man can serve two masters? He will despise the one and love the other? (Matt. 6:24)
Paul is explaining how this can happen as Christians, today. He recounts the arguments, “everything is permissible for me.” And he says, “Yeah. True. But not everything is helpful.”
If our goal in life is being one with Christ, then we ought to willingly lay down everything that distracts us from that oneness.
That’s what Jesus meant when He said if anyone wishes to come after me, he must “deny himself.” (Matt. 16:24)
If we’re going to create a theology of alcohol based on Jesus turning water into wine, then we better look at everything Jesus said about things we are “allowed to do.”
Drinking is allowable. I’m not arguing against that. But if it is distracting me from oneness with Christ, it is not profitable.
And if I am drinking just because I discovered it’s “not wrong,” than chances are my focus is no longer on Christ and it has become a distraction to me.
#2 – Because it does not build up
Later on, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul says, “’Everything is permissible,’ but not everything is helpful. ‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything builds up. No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person.” (1 Co. 10:23-24)
The other thing about us millennials is that we hate being tied to other people. We are independent, individualistic entrepreneurs. Innovation is our strength. Change is our mission. New and improved ways of doing things our goal.
But too often, we shrug off as “excess baggage” the people we are called to band together with.
Paul suggests there are “permissible” things that don’t build up. They are not just unprofitable for myself, they don’t benefit my brother. And my brother matters.
In Romans, he put it this way: “It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble.” (14:21)
Anything that makes your brother stumble. Anything.
Even I cringe at that word because I know how unwilling I often am to change for my brother. I’d rather him get his act together, or be allowed to pursue God (or whatever I am trying to get) on my own.
Furthermore, Romans 14 is not about coddling the “weaker brother.” It’s calling him to maturity. But in the process of maturity, we who are “stronger” are to be sensitive to those who are “weaker.”
I have friends, who have spent years wasted away in alcoholism. I have friends who are under eighteen years of age and whose parents often end their nights fighting in a drunken stupor. Seeing me indulge in a social drink could unravel their trust. It could cause them to stumble and at the very least not “put on” the faith I long for them to embrace.
Again, what is our goal?
I have heard some people say sitting down with a friend over a drink opens doors to share the Gospel with them. My question is, does it really?
Would they not sit with you if you didn’t take a drink?
I’m not asking this from a sheltered, Midwest Christian family setting. I’m saying this because I have experience in relationships with people who have no interest in Christ. And doing what they do, just so I can “influence” them, actually rarely gives me influence. It’s just we’re so excited to do what we’ve never been allowed to do we fail to see the other things we could do that wouldn’t trip up other people in our churches or in our sphere of influence.
If drinking alcohol is permissible to me, but would cause someone close to me to stumble or question the faith, then I have no license to drink. Not if I truly care about building up the body of Christ.
We can’t just claim Christian liberty when we’re tired of rules and want out. And please understand, I believe many Christian churches today are too focused on externals and creating lifestyle and miss the relationship we are given in Christ. I am not promoting making a rule about this; I am simply challenging our millennial conclusion.
A More Personal Reason
Let me add one more reason I hope can be equally compelling.
The bottom line is, at its face, Christians probably do have license to drink. But, true “license” or “Christian liberty” or “freedom” or whatever term you want to use, encompasses much more than what is “permissible”—even that which is permissible in Scripture. A deeper look would suggest we don’t have license even for things we can often easily excuse, such as, eating extra food, drinking alcohol, or giving “positive critique” (when it’s actually just a nice way to slander).
There’s one more reason I challenge our conclusion on this issue. It’s personal, so it may not be true for you. It’s broad, so it applies to many areas beyond drinking alcohol. And it goes back to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12.
I, personally, don’t have license to drink alcohol at this point in my life because I don’t believe I could do it without being mastered by it.
Let that sink in a bit.
I would love to be able to walk into a bar, ask for a Sam Adams and sip it slowly until it saturates into my body. Then, walk out an hour later, in full control of my balance and senses, and drive back to work, able to complete my duties for the day. But I don’t know that I could. And I’m not sure it’s worth testing to find out.
And I’m okay admitting that.
I am not less of a Christian because I acknowledge I can’t do things in moderation. In fact, I’d argue I am freer than those who are busy trying to prove they can.
I don’t have to prove that. Christ is enough for me. And I am far too well aware of my tendency to use things to stuff pain (sleep or entertainment), to ignore problems (sports or social life), and to distract myself from my own limitations (coffee or electronics).
What I’m saying is that when I get depressed, when I go through painful times, I almost always find myself wanting to sleep it all away. Or I get a new infatuation with movies and games. When I am facing difficult problems in relationships or life, I find it easy to indulge in sports and having lots of parties. And when I’m really tired, but don’t want to submit to God’s design for my body, I chug down coffee like it’s my lifeline.
If I can’t use in moderation things that are good for me (sleep, friendships, rest—and coffee cleans my system), what makes me think I can use in moderation something that has strong potential for destroying me?
And the question millennials must answer is can we acknowledge the things that master us, and can we limit ourselves accordingly?
Dr. Preston Sprinkle makes the most compelling case I’ve heard for the allowance of alcohol for Christians. But his point is that alcohol is permissible when we drink it in celebration of the Cross and Kingdom of God. He ends his article by saying few people today drink alcohol because they are celebrating the Gospel. Few of us don’t get mastered by it.
My goal in this article is not to convince you that you can’t drink alcohol. It’s to challenge your motive for doing so. And the reason I challenge you is because I want you “to love Jesus from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.”*
I love my generation. I believe we want more of Christ. But I also am aware that we easily get distracted from Him, and the subject of alcohol is one of those distractions.
Question: Have you ever drank alcohol? How was your experience? Share in the comments.
*Yes, this is a verse from 1 Timothy. But that’s beside the point. I didn’t say it because I was being a goody-two-shoes verse quoter. I said it because it is why I write anything at all.
