This is Part Two of a three-part series by John Gagliardi on alcohol and the Christian. While the Bible nowhere prohibits Christians from drinking alcohol in moderation, the writer—himself having battled a drinking problem as a young man—underlines the dangers of uncontrolled drinking and drunkenness.

It surely is no coincidence that John the Baptist, the first man in the New Testament to reveal the True Light, Jesus Christ the Son of God, was himself a lifetime abstainer. An angel of the Lord told John's father Zachariah "For he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord, And he must drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit even in and from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15).

John came before Jesus in the "spirit and power of Elijah ... to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children ..." (Luke 1:17). In this reference to the non-drinking John the Baptist's influence on the fathers and their children, it seems very significant that one of the top five reasons teenagers drink is because their parents drink (quoted by Pastor David L. Brown, "Seven Good Reasons Christians Should Not Drink," Feb. 2002).

In the article quoted above, Ps. Brown goes on to say: "Let me take this one step further. Parents, you must remember that whatever you do in moderation, your child will likely do in excess. The Bible clearly defines drinking as an activity that is to be foregone because it causes others to stumble and makes them weak (fall into sin)."

The Biblical Perspective

The example parents set for their children, and for that matter, leaders set for their followers, is powerful and permanent. We cannot take lightly the warning that we are to do nothing to make others (especially our own children) stumble.

Yes, Jesus undoubtedly drank wine—but it was a far cry from the sort of wine we drink today, and He drank it for different reasons. And He is very unlikely to have contravened the Scripture that says, "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also ..." (Hab. 2:15, 16).

In biblical times, wine was quite low in alcohol content—usually around two to three percent—and then always mixed with water to further dilute it, anywhere between three and 20 parts water to one part wine. Compared with today's "fire water," biblical wine was virtually sub-alcoholic.

Norman Geisler, former Dean of Liberty Center for Christian Scholarship, says: "Many wine-drinking Christians today mistakenly assume that what the New Testament meant by wine is identical to wine used today. This, however, is false. In fact, today's wine is by biblical definition strong drink, and hence forbidden by the Bible. What the Bible frequently meant by wine was basically purified water ... wine was also used as a medicine and disinfectant ... Therefore Christians ought not to drink wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages, for they are actually strong drink, forbidden in Scripture. Even ancient pagans did not drink what some Christians drink today!"

Also, alcoholic beverages in Bible times were not advertised and promoted like they are today, with the images of drinking being the "in thing" and "cool"—wine was drunk because the water was often not clean, milk soured quickly, while wine, even with its low alcohol content, would keep for a long time without spoiling. People did not drink wine to "wind down" after a tough day at the office, or because it was associated with some celebrity—it was simply a safe source of liquid refreshment.

When Paul "prescribed" wine to Timothy for his stomach's sake, it was most likely a special kind of thick, unfermented grape syrup which was called "stomach wine," widely used for people with upset and dyspeptic stomachs (see "Wine in the Bible" by Stan Schimacher).

I believe with all my heart, that while they are not committing any blatant sin, "sipping saints" are sitting atop a very slippery slope that could easily tip them over into a swift slide to destruction. No alcoholic in the gutter planned his fall—it always starts with that first, seemingly innocent drink.

Be Sober

Alcohol is a depressive drug affecting the central nervous system, and belongs in the same group as barbiturates, minor tranquilizers and general anesthetics. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that in low concentrations, alcohol causes "loss of socially expected restraints, loquaciousness, unexpected changes of mood and occasionally uncontrolled emotional displays ... Most people exhibit some degree of functional depression or incapacitation at blood alcohol concentrations of 0.10 percent. Inefficiency in performing some tasks may begin at much lower concentrations, even at 0.03 percent ... The most important immediate actions of alcohol are on the highest functions of the brain—those of thinking, learning, remembering and making judgments."

Our bodies, according to the Bible, are meant to be the temples of the Holy Spirit—are we treating our temples the right way when we introduce a depressive drug into them, reducing our ability to think, learn, remember and make judgments? The successful Christian life is all about making judgments or choices, and then living with the consequences of those choices.

Paul says: "You were bought with a price ... So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). In several places, Paul emphasizes how important it is for us to be "sober."

Biblically, the word "sober" has two main meanings—one, with the root Greek word "nepho," means literally "to abstain from wine." This is the usage in such Scriptures as 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and 8, 1 Timothy 3:11, Titus 2:2, 1 Peter 1:13 and 1 Peter 5:8. Otherwise, the main usage is in the sense of being prudent, temperate, watchful, sound-minded, and the Greek base word here is "sophron," used in Scriptures such as Mark 5:15, Luke 8:35, Acts 26:25, 2 Corinthians 5:13, 1 Timothy 2:9, 2:15, 3:2, Titus 1:8, 2:6, 12 and 1 Peter 4:7.

So when Paul says in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober ('nepho'), be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," he means quite literally you can't afford to let your mind be clouded by alcohol, because there really is an enemy out there. That is not ambiguous. What part of "don't drink" do you find hard to understand?

When "sophron" is used, it is always about caring for others, and taking responsibility for them (it is the direct antithesis of "hubristes," a word denoting contempt for others through wanton and selfish acts). In other words, it is being our "brother's keeper." In his lexical aid to the New Testament (1991 by AMG International, Inc), editor Spiros Zodhiates says "sophron" refers to "a person who limits his own freedom and ability with proper thinking, demonstrating self-control with the proper restraints on all passions and desires; one who voluntarily places limitations on his freedom."

So we are told many times in the Bible to "be sober," both in the sense of abstaining from alcohol, but also in the sense of voluntarily limiting our own freedom for the benefit of others. I would argue that that includes the freedom to drink alcohol.