Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a
mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not
wise.”
As a child of God, it is
my strong conviction that I must abhor the use of alcoholic beverages in any
form whether it be wine, beer, gin or whiskey. There is a lot of complacency
among many people concerning the use of alcohol. Tragically, this is true of
many members of the Lord’s church. The use of alcohol may begin because of those
pictures on television or in magazines that portray good times. Those pictures
do not tell the whole story because they present only the beginning, not the
end. They do portray the disturbing scenes of misery, suffering, self loathing
and even death that can and often does become the picture for the drinker of
alcoholic beverages.
Consider carefully the
following passages: Proverbs 4:17, Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:29-32, Ephesians
5:18, Isaiah 5:20-23, Habakkuk 2:15, Matthew 24:48-51 and Galatians
5:21.
Using alcoholic beverages
will destroy the influence of a child of God. We are to be examples in word,
conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12). I, personally, do not
believe that I can be that example if I drink alcoholic beverages nor do I
believe that anyone else can either. In passages from Matt. 7:16-20 and Matt.
12:33. Jesus tells us that a tree is known by its fruit. This writer knows that
in these passages, Jesus is telling us how to detect false teachers. However,
there is a principle here that extends far beyond that premise alone. You can
judge any activity or action on our part by the kind of fruit it bears and the
fruit borne of the alcoholic beverage is nothing short of horrendous. As witness
to this, turn to the hospitals, jails, courts, newspapers, streets and highways
and learn how it injures the body and mind. Use of alcohol affects judgment and
lowers inhibitions causing people to say and do things they ordinarily would not
say or do. It brings misery, pain, poverty, destroys peace of mind, ruins lives
and will become a bar to heaven’s door. It all begins with that first glass of
wine, that first beer or mixed drink.
Make no mistake about
this: the drinking of alcoholic beverages will, as the writer of Proverbs tells
us, one day bite and sting with terrible consequences (Prov. 23:29-32). Drinking
alcohol in any form is like holding a lit stick of dynamite in your hands and
not being able to toss it away. It is going to explode with dire consequences.
Social drinking is one of the great curses of our day. In this connection,
examine in depth Matt. 24:48-51. Again, this writer knows that the context of
this passage deals with watching and being ready for the Master’s return. But
notice closely, one of the reasons the servant is cut asunder because of his
drinking with the drunken—social drinking? The child of God should stay away
from the devil’s brew.
Charles Hicks
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