A Biblical perspective on the use of alcohol by a true Christian
The following Biblical principles give clear, although perhaps not acceptable to some professing Christians, insight into God’s will for every believer who desires to live this life, as His chosen one, in the diligent pursuit of righteousness. This is a life that, out of love for Christ and a sincere desire to bring honor and glory to Him that we might be pleasing to Him (John 8:29; II Corinthians 5:9), calls us to intentionally live in a way that avoids any and all appearances of evil.
In the Old Testament there are three individuals forbidden, by God, to participate in the drinking of any and all “strong drink”. The Levitical priests in Leviticus 10:9, the Nazarite in Numbers 6:3-8, and the King in Proverbs 31:4-5. In all three cases the basis of God’s command to totally abstain was the fact that each served in his respective role as a representative or servant of God to the people.
First, consider God’s command to Aaron in Leviticus 10. Here we find three clearly defined principles associated with this command. In v9 the first is God’s ever present command and call to a diligent pursuit of holiness in one’s individual life. In v10 the second is to establish a clear understanding of the difference between the “holy and the profane, and between the clean and the unclean”. Finally, in v11, the third principle is that of teaching the “statutes” of God for the people to the people. These are the same principles manifested in Ezra’s life as found in Ezra 7:10.
Second, consider God’s requirements for the Nazirite — that one who made “a special vow …….. to dedicate himself to the Lord”. I find it interesting that God’s first requirement (vv3-4) for the one dedicating himself “to the Lord” was to forbid the ingesting of that which had and has, to this day, the capacity to alter (always in a negative, sinful way) one’s ability to think clearly and rightly; to diminish God given behavioral inhibitions (in other words, to render ineffective the behavioral inhibitors that result from God’s moral law being stamped on the heart and in the conscience of every living man and woman — Romans 2:14-15); as well as impairing the ability to physically function in a proper and appropriate manner. This prohibition clearly has to do with the inner man — the right functioning of the mind and the will in accord with the requirements of God for one who has dedicated himself “to the Lord”. The remaining two prohibitions associated with the Nazirites’ vow of holiness to the Lord had to do with the external, visible to other men, evidence of his inner vow of commitment to the Lord. The first (v5) forbade the cutting of his hair and the second (v6) forbade his going near a dead person. These same prohibitions were required of the High Priest as noted above in Leviticus 10 and 21. It does not violate the context to suggest that these standards of holiness required of one dedicated to the Lord here, under the Old Covenant, are types of that which would be required of those recipients of the blessing of the future and greater New Covenant as priestly ambassadors of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Can any true Christian be sincerely dedicated to trusting, loving, and obediently serving God and honestly believe that God’s call to the diligent pursuit of holiness for him today would require anything less than that of the Old, temporary covenant of grace?
Thirdly, and last, consider God’s requirement for one who would be king as recorded in Proverbs 31:4-5. In v4 the mother of King Lemuel (Jewish tradition declared this to be a reference to King Solomon, although he is otherwise unidentified in the historical and Biblical record) first forbids the drinking of wine for the king. However, she didn’t stop there. She concludes her instruction by adding that the king shouldn’t even “…desire strong drink”. In v5 she clearly explains why he should avoid all association with it. It causes one to “…forget what is decreed” and to “…pervert the rights of all the afflicted”.
Proverbs 23:29-35 give further testimony to effects of alcohol. King Lemuel’s mother, no doubt, was knowledgeable of the fact that use of alcoholic beverages is nowhere specifically condemned in scripture, while intoxication/drunkenness is always condemned.
The point of this brief study of the use of alcohol by a true Christian is not about how to position oneself so as to be able to walk on the edge and gratify fleshly desires while professing to love and obey God, which He forbids (Proverbs 4:14-14,23-27; Romans 16:19; Ephesians 5:11-13). The point is, to offer a call to all true believers to faithfully, joyfully, diligently pursue a level of righteousness that is above reproach; that leaves no question in the mind of any observer of your life as to the inner dedication of your mind and your will to the Lordship of Christ. Again I pose the question, do you as a true Christian, committed to a sincere diligent pursuit of righteousness, really believe that God’s call to holiness concerning the issue of alcohol requires less of you than it did of the High Priest, the Nazirite, or the King under that Old Covenant?
I conclude with the admonition to study and think on God’s will for you on this matter as revealed by Paul’s instructional command in Romans 14:15-18,21. Be mindful of the fact that when Paul speaks in v16 of “…what is for you a good thing…” he is referring to the good act of love that refuses to exercise personal freedom at the expense of a fellow believer’s growth and sanctification. Ask yourself: Do I want to be an impediment to my fellow believers’ spiritual growth or an implement for God’s use for their spiritual growth?