Do not get drunk

Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My bible (NASB) reads that getting drunk with wine is dissipation.  Most of us don’t know what dissipation means so I used the NLT version above that declares that getting drunk will ruin your life. Other translations state that getting drunk with wine will cheapen your life (Message), lead to debauchery (NIV) or wild living (God’s Word Translation), lead to reckless actions (Holman), destroy you (CEV), and/or cause you to take a reckless path the leads to nowhere (The Voice).  

The Bible is very clear that it is wrong to get drunk (besides Eph 5:18 above, refer also to Prov 23:29-35, Gal 5:21, I Cor 6:10).  Why is it wrong to get drunk?  When you are drunk you are not in control of your thoughts, words, and actions; some other power has mastery over you.  That’s why Paul contrasts the power of being drunk in a negative way to the power of being filled with the Holy Spirit in a positive way.   A Spirit-controlled life offers countless numbers of blessings and benefits while a alcohol-controlled life results in countless problems that can hurt and destroy not only you, but others also. 

Biblically, getting drunk is wrong.  However, is it wrong to drink wine or any kind of alcoholic drink?  Scripture has both negative and positive words about wine and strong drink*.  Aaron is told by the Lord not to drink wine or strong drink, but the context was before he entered a tabernacle (tent of meeting) (Lev 10:9).  Zorah’s wife, the mother of Samson, was told by an angel of the Lord not to drink wine or strong drink, but this was for the safety of her unborn child (Judges 13:4,7,14).  Other Old Testament verses that condemn drinking wine or strong drink include Prov 20:1, Prov 31:4-5 (yet then read Prov 31:6-7) , Isa 5:11, 5:22, and 28:7. 

On the positive side, Eccles 9:7 instructs “drink your wine with a cheerful heart…..”.   Psalm 104:15 declares that God made “wine which makes man’s heart glad….”.  Amos 9:14 prophecies that God will enable His people to be rebuilt ruined cities and live in them and “they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine…..”.   We know that Jesus converted water into wine as His first miracle at the wedding feast (John 2:1-11).  Paul instructed Timothy to stop drinking water exclusively and instead drink “a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” perhaps because water back then was too contaminated chemically and microbiologically.  Titus 2:3 speaks of not being addicted to “much wine”.  The Bible does not teach to abstain, but to be temperate when it comes to drinking wine. 

The question each sincere Christian must answer personally is “do I drink alcoholic beverages or not?”  The Bible condemns drunkenness, but does not condemn drinking small quantities of alcohol.  Of course, what is the definition of ‘small quantities’?  You need to study the Scriptures related to wine and strong drink and decide what you conscience tells you.  You also know yourself physically and emotionally and how you will react drinking even one alcoholic beverage.  While you may feel free to drink, you must also be aware of your surroundings.  Paul wrote in Romans 14:21 that “it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble”.  If you are a Christian leader, it is probably wiser that when you eating in a public place that you refrain from drinking a glass of wine or beer or any kind of liquor.  Doing so might be offensive to others and cause them to stumble in their faith.  Again, read Romans 14 that offers guidance for what to do or not do when Scripture is not emphatic one way or the other.

The main teaching in Eph 5:18-20 is to pray for filling of the Holy Spirit in your life everyday so that your life will be filled with the love and joy and peace of Christ to whom you always give thanks.  Resolve in your heart do pray over these verses everyday!         

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* Numbers 6:3 differentiates between wine, strong drink, and grape juice.  So when the word “wine” is stated in the Bible, it is fermented (alcoholic) although perhaps not as much alcoholic content as in wine today.