The Great Debate: Is it OK for Christians to drink alcohol?

One of the great debate for Christians is. "Is it OK to drink alcohol?"  Many pastors and/or church denominations look for a loophole or two to justify the drinking of alcohol.  Now, before I get any further, and to avoid hypocrisy, I must first admit that I have drank alcohol.  On several occasions (probably a dozen or so in my lifetime), I would say that I was intoxicated.  However, over the last year and a half, I have not partaken of any alcohol.  Am I saying this because I'm better than you?  Absolutely not!  I'm a sinner who makes mistakes, and I do stuff I shouldn't.  All I'm saying is that I have participated in this sin, but now I don't.  End of story......

Why did I decide a year and a half ago to quit drinking?  Well, for the last five years or so, I was only having a beer or mixed drink about 2 or 3 times per year.  I didn't need it.  I wasn't an addict.  I just did it because I was hanging out with my peeps.  Anyways, I then thought about my Christian walk, and I was convicted that I was damaging my testimony by drinking.  I'm a Christian, right?  I need to act different than the world.  I don't need to have a baby Christian look at me, see that I am drinking, and turn around and indulge themselves.  I'm impeding the spiritual growth of that person.  Shame on me...

Today, I was presented with a message which further solidified my decision to not partake in drinking.  A message that focused on, "Why do people drink?"  I'll present to you three reasons (Biblically) why people drink.

1.  PAIN- If we look at Noah in Genesis 9:21 "(Noah) drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent."  Now we have to understand that Noah was probably suffering from a type of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  He had just seen the entire human race obliterated, yet he was spared.  Noah was experiencing guilt!  He was experiencing guilt caused by his survival and everyone else's unfortunate demise!  We often see this "Survival Syndrome" in our military when a large amount of men die a, yet some of the men were spared.  The survivors feel guilt.

2.  PAST-  If we look at Genesis 19:32-35, Lot's daughters are having a conversation with each other about giving their father wine to get him drunk.  They then sleep with him to become pregnant.  Lot drank to cover up the garbage from his past!  He made some very poor choices that did not turn out well.  Quite honestly, most of his choices make you sick, but his past was awful.  Lot drank to cope with the past!

3.  PLEASURE- Moving forward to Genesis 27:25, we get into an often confusing story.  The story of Isaac giving his blessing to Jacob, the younger son, instead of Esau, the rightful recipient of the blessing  The way the story goes is that Jacob dressed up like his brother and went in to his dying father to steal the blessing.  How does the father not know it was Isaac?  Well, the answer lies in verse 25. "So (Jacob) brought the venison near to (Isaac), and Isaac ate: and he brought him wine and he drank."  Isaac indulged in pleasurable behaviors.  He ate the venison for pleasure.  He drank the wine for pleasure.  Pleasure ruined his blessing!

I want to conclude with this...

• Alcohol does not take away PAIN!
• Alcohol does not change the PAST!
• Alcohol does not bring PLEASURE!

JESUS takes away the PAIN! JESUS forgives the PAST! And, only JESUS can bring true PLEASURE to our lives!

I know there are many of you that will share your loopholes with me, disagree with me, or whatever, and that's fine.  JESUS is the reason for sobriety!  Nothing compares:)