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Before any logical debate can ensue, the definition of terms must be established. Is drinking a sin for Christians? What exactly is meant by the term "drinking"? Or what is meant by the term "sin"? For the sake of clarification, the term "drinking" will refer to the moderate consumption of any alcoholic beverage. The key word is moderate, as opposed to heavy or binge drinking, or even alcoholism. And the term "sin" will be defined as any act or attitude that fails to glorify God. So, to state the question more clearly: Is the act of drinking in moderation a failure to glorify God?

The Rules

The Christian Church has a long history of creating its own list of rules that members must follow in order to be accepted. People like rules. They are safe. They provide a definite and rigid boundary within which to determine who is "in" and who is "out" when it comes to being a Christian. They not only give us a tangible means by which to judge others, they also provide a sense of personal security, for if they are obeyed perfectly, then the person who obeys them can rest assured that he is going to Heaven. Religion's love of rules goes all the way back to Old Testament times. In fact, by the time that Jesus came onto the scene, Religion was so steeped in a mountain of man-made rules that Jesus had to break it all down to show them what serving God was really supposed to look like. God is glorified when we give our hearts to him. He is not glorified when we base our salvation on a system of rules. Check out the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus went line by line through the most important commands of the Mosaic Law. And then he proceeded to completely turn each one upside down according to the expectations of the teachers of the law. The teachers of the law thought that they were holy simply because they had kept the commands on the outside. They had never killed another human being, they had never cheated on their wives. They had never stolen their neighbor's donkey. They were just a bunch of good old boys. But not according to Jesus. Jesus could see their hearts. And what did he say to them? He told them that they were nothing but whitewashed tombs, full of dead men's bones. Jesus called them on the carpet for their inner lust, hatred, and envy. He pointed out their pride and deceit. You see, when rules are the cornerstone of a person's salvation, the matters of the heart are neglected every time.

Principles

Rather than pulling little snippets of scripture out of context and

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