Drinking alcohol

Some of us are not drinking for a month. It is simply to reevaluate why and how we enjoy alcohol.

Remember Luther, "Do you suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused? Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?"

1) On one hand there is apathy, abuse, addiction, drunkenness, and insecurity that comes from alcohol.

When you drink, do you enjoy alcohol in integrity with Eph 6:18?

"Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit"

Or do you turn a blind eye to that passage?

If this passage (and others...) are not authoritative in your life and are not evident in the way you use alcohol on the weekends, then you do not believe the Bible, and therefore you do not believe Christ, and will be judged when he returns.

Gal 5:21 says that those who do "such things" (drunkenness included) will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If you are a Christian, the Bible is the authority in your life (not your common sense). If the Bible is not your authority, then you are not a Christian. Maybe we need to repent and submit to the authority of the Word. Think this through...

If we refuse to believe/follow the parts of the Bible we don't like then we refuse to believe the message of Christ's forgiveness, and we will be judged. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Ask yourself: do you use alcohol in integrity with Scripture? Do you drink because you are insecure in your Father's love for you?

2) On the other hand we can submit to a moral code and not to Christ.

When we see alcohol abused among brothers and sisters (or non-believers), it is tempting to simply say, "What's the point? How is alcohol helpful even in moderation? Why don't we just totally get rid of it forever?"

This is poison to your brothers and sisters.

Understand, please, that as Christians we believe that if Hitler stopped his genocide and did not embrace Christ in love he would be just as wicked as before.

Again, sin is not breaking a moral code; it is not loving the Savior. That is precisely why getting drunk on the weekends is BAD, namely, because it is demonstrating a lack of trust in the Spirit who brings us into love for Christ and a denial of the things of the flesh.

Colossians 2:20If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22( referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

It is easy to think that the more conservative you are the more safe or righteous you are. But this is a lie. It is deceit.

Paul is specific to say that rules, regulations, asceticism have "an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion."

Truly, you will think you are being helpful by making a rule for your brothers and sisters. It will have "an appearance of wisdom."

Just being really conservative about drinking can appear to be safe and sound, but it is "of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh."

And you will destroy your brothers and sisters if you approach it this way.

The two extremes have the same root problem. Those in the first extreme may trust in their common sense (what's wrong with getting drunk?) over trusting in the Scriptures. This is taking things into your own hands and is the root of all sin.

The second extreme may trust in human ambition and pragmatism to change their brothers and sisters (let's just get rid of drinking altogether!). This is taking things into your own hands and is the root of all sin.

It is ironic because it is trying to stop indulgence of the flesh by fleshly means.

It is fighting fire with fire.

So... what do we do about it?

3) Submit to the Word in love for one another

First and foremost, we are identified as brothers and sisters in Christ because we are baptized and because we take communion together.These are a sign, a public declaration of who we are in Christ.

We cannot be looking around trying to figure out who is a Christian and who is not. Those who profess to be Christians in baptism and communion are Christians (from our perspective). This is what we hold each other accountable to.

In this community we ALL go through periods of hardness of heart when we refuse to repent of our sin. If we say our brother is not a Christian because he might be going through a period of hardness of heart we will condemn ourselves.

Instead, rest in God's grace. Submit to the Spirit in prayer. Don't take this situation into your own hands (no matter which side of the spectrum you are on!). God's grace in his Spirit is our only hope. Please be praying for each other. Please. Christ builds his church, not you.

Let's engage in conversation with one another in love and patience. Knowing that we all struggle with sin, that all our minds are tainted, let's be patient with one another even in hardness of heart so that we don't condemn ourselves.

Let's listen to and respond to those who rebuke us. Let's submit to the authority of Scripture. Let's make sure our lives have integrity with Scripture.

If we refuse to submit to Scripture we cannot call ourselves Christians.

I love you guys and I pray for everyone in group everyday. This universe is about Christ. There is only joy in him. Let's submit to him and love him. A slave of Christ is truly free. Freedom to abuse alcohol is no freedom at all; it is slavery. Submit to Christ.

Mark Driscoll has a well-written blog on the use of alcohol. Taking the time to read it would be helpful.

http://joshuathereformist.blogspot.com/2007/09/alcohol-mark-driscoll.html