by Jacob Lance

Created on: January 24, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Ohh, that's a controversial title, isn't it? I'll bet you are saying to yourself right now, "How the heck is this gonna get pulled off, and on what authority?"

Well, let me tell you how.

My authority is God's Word. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:18 - And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit...

The thing I want to point out here is that it says Do not get DRUNK on wine. It doesn't say "Don't drink it at all." The sin lies in being drunk. Anything, in moderation, can usually be healthy. Take medicine for example. If you have a cough... a little cough syrup will really help you. But if you don't, and you drink a whole bottle of it... you'll get high (and then get a nasty headache, I can speak from experience!). Too much chocolate, likewise, will make you sick... but a modest amount is very yummy! Iron, too, is needed in small amounts in your blood. But if you eat a teaspoon of iron flakes, you'll likely die from it.

The same is true of Alcohol. In moderation, it can help you relax.. even brighten your mood. But too much, of course, is unhealthy and usually lowers a lot of inhibitions. The Bible is clear about how alcohol, in moderation, is perfectly fine. See 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1:7 & 2:3. Hehe... in 1st Timothy 5:23 Timothy even tells his readers to use small amount of wine to help them!

Now to you all out there who say, "But what about Romans 14:21?" It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. STOP PULLING VERSES OUT OF CONTEXT! Take a look, it also says "do not eat meat..." How many of you outspoken anti-alcohol advocates eat meat? Obviously, there is more than meets the eye to this verse. Lets take a look at the context here. Paul is talking about being a stumbling block before other brothers. He goes on in verse 22-23 to say that if you have ANY doubt of whether or not it's okay to do something around someone... just DON'T DO IT! But if your conscience is clear, then do it and be happy! I would never eat pork around a practicing Jew, or drink beer around someone who just got over an alcohol addiction. But neither is a sin. Jesus drank wine with his disciples. If our Savior drank in moderation, so can we. I think if we all accepted it and didn't have restrictions and age limits on drinking; there would be less problems with alcohol altogether.

Oh yeah, smoking falls along similar lines. Yeah, I personally think it's a nasty and gross habit... and it's definitely a problem if you are addicted. But to those who smoke the occasional cigar or pipe, I take no issue against. (To my knowledge, no one "occasionally" smokes cigarettes... that's mainly an addictive form of smoking, but if someone did it only now and then, I'd be fine with it). I hear that pipes and cigars can be relaxing and taste good. Until someone shows me a Bible verse that says: "Thou shalt not smoke," I'll continue to argue my point.

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