The Letters

Someone recently said to me “You know, there is a lot of debate and confusion about alcohol use among Christians. Why don’t you do a teaching on that?” 

So it seemed good. 

When Paul was asked by the Corinthian church whether or not they could eat meat sacrificed to idols, he didn’t answer them in the way that many of us would answer a question like this. They wanted to know whether it was right or wrong. They wanted a yes or no, black or white answer. Was it a sin or was it not? They had, no doubt, heard about the judgment of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, along with the Holy Spirit, in regard to several things that would apply to Gentile believers, and so they wrote to Paul with questions. 

“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered unto idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” Acts 15:28-29

The Corinthians were in a difficult situation because a lot of the meat that was bought and sold in the markets came from idols’ temples. Idolatry was such a big part of Corinth that much of the meat was left over from the temple sacrifices, and so it would be difficult to keep track of its origins after it was dispersed to the markets. How would they know the difference? How would they know what to buy and what not to buy? So they wanted a definitive answer to this question. Paul, however, did not answer them in the way that they had expected. He didn’t give them a definitive, yes or no answer. 

He took them deeper. 

He talked to them about faith and conscience. He spoke to them in accordance with God’s intent, rather than the letter of what was written. In other words, why did God give them this command? What was the purpose? What was His intention? 

In the New Covenant, we become partakers of God’s heart and His mind. We don’t live under the law, but rather the law is written on our hearts. We are intimately connected to the Father. As sons and daughters, God desires us to have His perspective. To see things the way that He sees them. We are partakers of His Kingdom. 

There was a time when I was adamantly against alcohol use of any kind, and I taught this rather aggressively, in fact. However, in due process, I have changed my stance. God never changes, but our understanding of Him certainly does, and when we are wrong, we can, and should, make changes in what we believe and how we think. I grew to realize that what I was teaching was a personal conviction rather than doctrinal truth. It wasn’t scripture, it was an opinion. And while there is nothing wrong with having personal convictions or opinions, to teach them as doctrine is wrong. 

I abused alcohol in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, in my teens and early to mid 20s, along with drugs, and pretty much everything else. The big thing in the 80’s was country-club style rehabs which were a multibillion-dollar industry. They had to keep the people coming in, and so if you had any issues with alcohol or drugs, or God forbid, a DUI, then you were sent to these places, and labeled an “addict” and had to label yourself as such. You had to decree that over your life, which I refused to do because around 1989, I had recently come to the Lord and learned about the power of words. I told them that I was a “New creature in Christ,” and that “old things had passed away.” “All things were new,” and so I was not an “alcoholic,” an addict, or anything else that they were trying to label me with. I was what God said that I was. 

They expelled me from their communities, and it was terrible what they did to some of the others that were intrigued with the liberty and freedom that I had experienced with the Lord. I didn’t care because I knew that I was free, and for approximately 30 years I never drank or even thought about drinking. I never had any temptation or desire to do so, and so I developed strong convictions against it, and felt that it would be wrong for anyone. My wife and I raised our children, and as my youngest went off to college, the Lord began to speak to me about the issue. He was the one who brought it up, as I was not even thinking about it. 

He asked me a question:

“You have said all of these years that you are a new creature in Christ, and that you are neither an alcoholic nor an addict. Do you believe that?” 

I replied, “Yes, I do believe that, and have taught and preached that for years!”

He then asked me, “Then why do you believe that you cannot enjoy something that you did enjoy at one time but were not mature enough to handle properly?”

I had never really thought about it, but He said to me, “You’re not the same person today as you were decades ago.” 

I pondered all of this for several months, and realized that there was an element of fear rather than faith that had dictated my convictions and beliefs on this issue. 

Self-control is a fruit of the spirit, and that’s how God will do things at times. He will bring a blessing into your life and then teach you how to handle it as you walk it out, and in the process, it produces personal growth. 

Avoidance from something is not always the path to freedom. 

It has been about seven or eight years since my youngest daughter graduated from high school and left for college. I am glad that I raised my children without alcohol in the house. I think it was a really good thing. But the Lord opened the door now to be able to enjoy something with my wife, and with others. In the last seven or eight years, the sky has not fallen, nor did the ground fall out from underneath me. I have always liked beer, but I have developed new habits. I enjoy trying new craft beers (which weren’t around years ago). Have I pushed the envelope at times? Yes, more so in the beginning, like a kid with a new toy, but that is all part of the growth process. I began to learn some of the underlying attitudes and beliefs that were present in the moment. I learned what kind of self-sabotaging attitudes would trigger destructive behaviors, and they were major growth opportunities. 

Again, and I want to stress, I am not telling anybody what they can or cannot do. I don’t have the authority to dictate to your conscience, but I do believe that there are some people who shouldn’t drink at all. However, I believe that the percentage of people where alcohol is the primary issue is much lower than what has been labeled as such. Youthful immaturity can be very different from long-term, chronic conditions. It is also easier to avoid something than it is to accept personal responsibility and deal with the issues and root causes. What if the person is a compulsive eater? He or she cannot avoid food! They would have to deal with the internal issues causing the problem, and learn new habits. What if the problem has to do with money? You can cut up your credit cards, but you will never develop true discipline and self-control in your life in that area. 

Make the tree good and the fruit will be good. 

Paul said that all things are lawful, but that he would not be brought under the power or control of anything. We have all known people that lose control when they drink alcohol. They do crazy things, get themselves into trouble, and hurt other people. But every situation needs to be assessed. Is it the alcohol or rather deep-seated hurts, wounds, and other issues in that person’s life? You have to go to the root. You have to cut off the right branch. We shouldn’t make an excuse and blame a substance and avoid the true issues. And as previously stated, it is true there are some people who should completely abstain from alcohol. 

Everyone must discern in their own lives and be honest with themselves and God. But we have to be willing to open our hearts to the Lord in ways that might seem unorthodox or uncomfortable. 

Nowhere does scripture forbid the use of alcohol. Paul even encouraged it at one point.

“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” I Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬ ‭

The Bible does, however, address dependency. It addresses loss of control, anger, wrath, and fits of rage. It does address and condemn drunkenness. In order for some context on how far into religious tradition many of us have gotten in this area, we should look no further than the communion table. Jesus drank wine, and incorporated it into the remembrance of the New Covenant. But we have changed His command and replaced it with our own, as if the Lord did not know what He was doing! We serve bread and grape juice, and tell people that they should not, or cannot drink wine. Some will say that the wine in Jesus’ day was much weaker and basically “non-alcoholic.” Where do we come up with such things? We make up things in order to support our biases and traditions, departing from scripture, and yet priding ourselves on believing in its inerrancy. At the same time, I am not trying to put anyone in bondage. You can certainly use grape juice for communion. I do it myself most of the time. But it is evidence as to what lengths that we will go to in order to protect our traditions.  

Jesus turned water into wine, and He made the good stuff! He didn’t make cheap, adulterated wine. The general practice of the day (and probably still is) is that they would serve the quality wine first, and then after the guests had “well-drunk,” they would bring out the cheap stuff because nobody would know the difference (that wouldn’t work if the first batch was non-alcoholic grape juice). Noah obviously also made real wine! 

Isaiah equates a decadent, rebellious, and perverse society with the dilution of their wine. I would assume that would apply to beer also (Bud Light?). 

“Thy silver has become dross, thy wine mixed with water.” Isaiah 1:22

God doesn’t like anything that is not genuine and real! He doesn’t like fake!

There are some things in life that you cannot avoid, like food and money, and there are other things. In these areas we have to learn self control and moderation. But yet when it comes to alcohol, for instance it’s either black or white. Some have said that “will-power” profited them nothing. And this is true. We can do nothing of great and lasting value through the power of our own strength. But self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a supernatural empowerment. 

What about other substances?

Caffeine is a mind and mood altering drug. But many will say, “But that’s not a big deal.” It may not be a big deal for some, but it was one of the hardest things that I had ever had to quit, and also one of the things the Lord told me that He didn’t want me doing. So it is not true that it is not a big deal to some people. Caffeine is highly addictive, and the way that it affected me was detrimental. It caused me to be short-tempered, and very intolerant and impatient. It interfered with my sleep patterns and affected the sensitivity of my spirit. In fact, the Lord spoke to me and told me, after dealing with me on the issue for quite a while, “If you don’t stop, then that sin will begin to cause a separation in our relationship.”

He called it a sin.

I had only drank it (coffee) for a little over a year, and never drank it growing up. But I went through a grueling, months-long process of withdrawal. I could hardly function. It was worse than coming off narcotic painkillers decades before. 

No one will ever convince me that caffeine is not an incredibly powerful, mind-altering drug. 

But my wife has no issues with it and she drinks her coffee every morning and enjoys it, like many others do. God even blessed her with a brand new, state of the art, coffee pot, not long after I had quit. 

Someone gave it to her as a gift! They said the Lord had put it on their heart. It wasn’t a sin for her, and it isn’t for many people. 

I was thinking, “What?”

Then the Lord began speaking to me about some of the things that I am sharing with you. 

You cannot take one substance and excuse it while condemning other substances. It would also be wrong for me to tell others that drinking caffeine is a sin. These are conscience issues. I personally would not want anything to do with marijuana because of the way that it affected me in my younger days. I was 14-15 years old, and my brain wasn’t even fully developed. Smoking pot, especially at such a young age, is one of my biggest regrets. I feel as though it affected my mind at a time when it should have been developing. It made me lazy, spacey, and detached, and so I quit when I was 16. I didn’t want to continue with that. Cocaine? I tried that too, but it didn’t do much for me. I never understood what the big attraction to it was. I have always been naturally high-strung, maybe that’s why. I didn’t need it. I smoked cigarettes in my teens and twenties, and had no problem quitting. I just tossed them and walked away. It was the easiest thing in the world. 

The problem is not the substance, but what it does to you and why you are using it. Marijuana, or cannabis, has health benefits, even recreationally for some people. Narcotics also have legitimate medical uses. Sin is a violation of our relationship with God. It is a violation of light (God’s true law), and of faith. It is not determined by an act or a substance. 

“…but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7

Whatever is not of faith is sin. 

The principles of self control, moderation, and being able to hear God for yourself is what is important. 

True freedom comes in dealing with the root issues and motives for why we do certain things. These are the things that we need to help people understand, not blanket prohibitions that have their root in legalism. 

Jesus revealed the ministry of the Holy Spirit: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭

The grace of God. God’s power. His ability. His favor. His might. 

The anointing. 

It is not to put men and women into bondage. It is not to tighten the yoke around our necks with more man-made rules and traditions. 

Freedom looks different for different people. For some it can be total abstinence, and for others, the ability to successfully navigate something. God can also turn something that was once a curse into a blessing. 

Have you ever had God remove something from your life? Bless it, and then return it to you? 

Maybe it’s time.

In some area of your life. It could be a new relationship, where you’ve sworn that dating and marriage is not for you. It could be a lot of things. 

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich…” See Revelation 3:18

This is impossible with men, but with God all things are possible! 

When God restores, He does it from the inside out. When man attempts to fix himself, he fixes the outside while the inside crumbles. 

You have to hear God for yourself! You have to draw the boundaries in your own life. No one else can do it for you, and no one else should.

God gives us richly all things to enjoy, but not all things to depend on. He won’t withhold anything good from us. He is very generous. He just doesn’t want us dependent on anything or anyone but Him! 

What honors God are pure motives and a clean conscience. If abstinence is your thing, and you do it to honor God, then all is well! On the other hand, if you are free to enjoy a good beer or some wine, and give God thanks in the process, then you are doing well also!