FEBRUARY 10 - Is It Still Worth Believing That There Is Value in Abstinence?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

What does the Bible say about drinking and/or abstaining from drinking of alcohol?? (Note that in Bible times it is likely that alcoholic beverages had a much lower alcohol content than some of the distilled liquors known in our time. Likewise, some have suggested that wine was sometimes used to help purify water for safety purposes.)

Bible references to drinking or abstaining can be divided into the following categories:

• Wine as part of daily life

(EXAMPLES: Gen. 14:18-20 Gen. 27:25-29 Deut. 14:22-27 Prov. 31:6-7 Eccl. 9:7 Eccl. 10:19 Amos 9:13-15 Matt. 11:19 Luke 5:29-35 John 2:1-10 1 Tim. 5:23)

• Wine as a gift of God

(EXAMPLES: Num. 18:12-13 Deut. 7:12-13 Deut. 11:13-14 Ps. 104:14-15 Prov. 3:9-10
Joel 2:18-19)

• Wine as a way to trick others

(EXAMPLES: Gen. 19:30-38 2 Sam. 11:12-13 2 Sam. 13:28-29 Amos 2:12 Hab. 2:15-16)

• Wine as a temptation or danger
  

(EXAMPLES: Gen. 9:20-27 1 Kings 16:8-10 Prov. 20:1 Prov. 21:17 Prov. 23:29-35 Prov. 31:4-5 Eccl. 2:1-11 Isa. 5:11-12 Isa. 28:7-8 Joel 3:1-3 Amos 6:3-6 Matt. 24:45-51)

• Drunkenness to be avoided (note that the Bible includes varied points of view on drinking but is always negative in condemnation of drunkenness)
  

(EXAMPLES: Deut. 21:18-21 Prov. 23:20-21 Eccl. 10:17 Isa. 28:1-3 Nahum 1:9-10 Luke 21:34 Rom. 13:12-14 1 Cor. 5:11 1 Cor. 6:9-10 1 Cor. 11:20-22 Gal. 5:19-21 Eph. 5:18 1 Thess. 5:7-8 1 Pet. 4:3)

• Abstaining from drink as a vow (permanent or temporary)

(EXAMPLES: Lev. 10:8-11 Num. 6:1-21 Judg. 13:2-14 Ezek. 44:21 Dan. 1:1-21 Dan. 10:1-3 Luke 1:13-17 1 Tim. 3:1-3 1 Tim. 3:8 Titus 1:7 Titus 2:1-3)

• Abstaining from drink as a positive influence

(EXAMPLE: Rom. 14:15-21)


This last passage bears some reflection. Paul was dealing with the issue of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Though he did not seem to think that anything was wrong with eating that meat as such, he does suggest that you keep in mind how your behavior affects other people. This would seem to apply very well to the decision we make regarding the drinking of alcohol. Read this passage with this in mind:

ROMANS 14:13-23 (niv). Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Certainly this goes quite a bit against the grain of our culture. We don't always like thinking about how our behavior affects other people. We just want to do what we are free to do, regardless. This is a high standard of Christian maturity - to consider the impact on other people and their faith.



WHAT DOES THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SAY?

For over 200 years this statement has been part of our "General Rules":

It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation by doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced, such as...drunkenness: buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drinking them, unless in cases of extreme necessity.

Note that "spirituous liquors" may refer primarily to what we would call "hard liquor," and not necessarily to any alcoholic drink.

As time went by, Methodists became even stronger in opposition to drinking. Even as late as 1956, to serve on the Board of a church, it was expected that you abstain totally from alcoholic beverages.

At present, this is no longer a requirement, and it is the responsibility of the individual to make their own decision. The church, however, continues to affirm the value of total abstinence with this statement in the 2004 Book of Discipline:

We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God's liberating and redeeming love for persons....We support, with regard to those who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, judicious use with deliberate and intentional restraint, with Scripture as a guide....We support the strict administration of laws regulating the sale and distribution of alcohol and controlled substances....We commit ourselves to assisting those who suffer from abuse or dependence, and their families, in finding freedom through Jesus Christ and in finding good opportunities for treatment, for ongoing counseling, and for reintegration into society.

In other words, the church lifts up the value of total abstinence from alcohol, but individuals are free to make their own choice between "total abstinence" and "restrained consumption."


ROBERT'S REFLECTIONS...

A few things I would add from my personal point of view:

• If you are under the age of 21, drinking (except at the family table) is against the law. Christians are called to respect and obey the laws of our land.
  

• No one ever became an alcoholic by abstaining from alcohol. My body makeup may be such that I might be predisposed to become an alcoholic, but my goal is never to find out whether that is the case.

• I happen to believe you cannot simply divide folks into responsible drinkers and problem drinkers. My experience tells me that people can move from one group into the other. Someone may be a very moderate drinker with no social problems at all, but when life gets a little crazy, their consumption may easily move them into the problem category. An abstainer will not face this issue.

• Would you rather live in an Austin County where the level of drinking was double what it is now, or whether the level of drinking was half of what it is now?

ANOTHER METHODIST POINT OF VIEW (The following article was found online in a newsletter article titled "Methodism 101" on the web site of the Christ Community UMC of Clayton, N.C.)

Should a Christian drink alcoholic beverages? Put another way, is it a sin to drink?

In Biblical times, beer and wine were both produced and consumed. Distilled alcohol (liquor), however, is not mentioned in the Bible, so it was probably unknown in those days. The Biblical witness concerning drinking is complicated, but if one takes into account the entire witness, a coherent and nuanced stance towards alcoholic beverages emerges, leading to several conclusions:

• While drinking itself is not considered a sin and is not forbidden, drunkenness can weaken a person and make it easier for them to sin.

• Abstinence is neither commanded nor forbidden.

• Drinking can become a divisive issue in a church, so the decision to drink should be made based on how it will impact others.

This Biblical position was also held by Methodism’s founder John Wesley. Wesley, like other Englishmen of his day, drank alcoholic beverages. But Wesley drank in moderation, and like the Apostle Paul, prohibited drunkenness. He also prohibited members of Methodist Societies from drinking, producing or selling “spirituous liquors” or distilled alcoholic beverages, which are much more potent than beer or wine. The exception was “in cases of extreme necessity.” In those days, liquor was thought to have some medicinal value (as today, when some use it as part of a cough remedy).

Over the years, this “drinking in moderation” position has become a “voluntary abstinence” position.

In the 1840 Book of Discipline, ministers are warned that they will lose their standing if they drink, make, or sell liquor (not wine or beer). In 1849, church members were included in that prohibition. By the late 1800s, both America and England were in the grip of a public alcohol problem. The “Temperance Movement” began within the Methodist Church, and by 1884, the Church stated that "We, therefore, regard voluntary total abstinence from all intoxicants as the true ground of personal temperance, and complete legal prohibition of the traffic in alcoholic drinks as the duty of civil government." Ten years later, the Church went a step further, declaring that making, selling, or buying liquor was “immoral,” i.e., a sin. The Discipline in 1939 stated: "Methodism has insisted that intoxicating liquor cannot be legalized without sin. Wine through the centuries has not ceased to be a mocker, traitorously destroying individuals and blighting society. Adequate relief can come only through total abstinence for the individual and effective prohibition by the State.”

The most recent Book of Discipline states, “We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God's liberating and redeeming love for persons. We support abstinence from the use of any illegal drugs. Since the use of illegal drugs, as well as illegal and problematic use of alcohol, is a major factor in crime, disease, death, and family dysfunction, we support educational programs as well as other prevention strategies encouraging abstinence from illegal drug use and, with regard to those who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, judicious use with deliberate and intentional restraint, with Scripture as a guide.”

CONCLUSION: Given our culture’s longstanding problems with alcohol use and abuse, particularly the staggering statistics concerning underage drinking and the very real danger of drunk driving, any Methodist would do well to consider voluntary abstinence as the right decision concerning alcoholic beverages, even though scripture does not forbid drinking.


LINKS OF INTEREST:

This "wiki" article - Christianity and Alcohol - gives an interesting overview of various positions on drinking among Christians. Look especially toward the bottom of the article where it mentions moderationism, abstentionism and prohibitionism.

This article argues that there are seven biblical reasons that Christians should not drink.