Is the drinking of wine and other alcohol sinful pleasure, or a healthful life-improving habit? We saw that Christ approved of drinking wine. His actions and words set the example by which Christians are to live their lives.
Ecclesiastes 9:7 states “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104 states that God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” So what does God expect of us today? Just as Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, God expects us to consume wisely. Consuming alcoholic beverages is not wrong or sinful. The misuse of alcoholic beverages is wrong and sinful. It’s not the bottle that is the problem … it’s the person holding the bottle.
Personally, I made a choice to abstain from alcohol in 2007 because it was destroying my life and affecting loved ones around me. In other words, I used the bottle for all the wrong reasons. As with food, money, or anything that has the potential for misuse, each of us should evaluate our lives and make a conscious decision to move forward knowing that moderation is the Bible standard for all professing Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Everyone that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things” (I Cor. 9:25) and “Let your moderation be known unto all men” (Phil. 4:5). Thus, as a component of God’s creation, alcoholic beverages are something that may be enjoyed to the glory of God in moderation for both health and pleasure and, of course, with a thankful heart.
