Greg Laurie: Is It Acceptable for Christians to Drink?

Evangelist pastor Greg Laurie tackled the question of whether it's acceptable for Christians to drink in a recent blog post by pointing out that John the Baptist is a good role model – he drank neither wine nor strong drink.

"John gives us a good model for life: he drank neither wine nor strong drink. Personally, I don't drink at all," Laurie states. "That is due, to some degree, to coming from an alcoholic home and seeing the devastation that drinking can bring."

In his blog post, "Some Thoughts on Drinking in This Holiday Season," Laurie describes how John was set apart by God from the time he was in his mother's womb.

"In Luke 1:15, the angel said of John, 'He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb' (NKJV)."

Among the sobering statistics about alcohol consumption in the U.S.: In 2010, 211 children were killed in drunk-driving crashes. Out of those 211 deaths, 131 (62 percent) were riding with the drunk driver. Also, adults who drank too much and got behind the wheel amounted to 112 million times, two years ago. That is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

Perhaps one of the most revealing statistics about the harm of alcohol abuse, three out of every four convicted jail inmates were involved in alcohol or drugs at the time of their current offense, according to statistics cited on the faith-based recovery website, MartyAngelo.com.

Read more: http://www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-is-it-acceptable-for-christians-to-drink-86161/

At the same, while not condoning the consumption of alcohol, there is no prohibition against it. While we are using John the Baptist as the example here against it... scripture also says In Luke 7:33-35:

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Obviously our Lord was not a drunkard. The Bible clearly states that drunkeness is a sin, and Jesus was sinless. But whatever it was He was drinking it was something that people associated with alcohol. That does not give everyone permission to go out and drink alcohol, but neither does it prohibit it. What I am saying is that there are two sides to this coin.

Like it or not... this is a grey area. Each believer must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit on such matters as these. To many the Spirit will say "No." To some He may say "Yes".

And we must not judge one another on such matters either. This issue more than any other causes judging. To be honest, the greater sin is the fact that we judge one another on this issue, not whether someone drinks a glass of wine or a beer.

Krispy

I have to beat my head against the tree out back to take the edge off. :)

Ahh... that explains a lot! :-)

Krispy

The fact that Jesus' first miracle was changing the water into wine... the fact that Paul recommended a little wine to Timothy for what ailed him...

Drunkeness is a sin. Plain and simple. But there is no prohibition against alcohol, albeit there are a LOT of warnings about the abuse of it. Which is why for most believers it is a great idea to just avoid it all together. But we can not, using scripture, condemn any and all use of alcohol. It simply isnt there.

If we are going to apply a prohibition to any use of alcohol then we need to also condemn cough medicine or any other medications that contain alcohol.

Mind altering drugs like morphine serve a purpose. We can not say someone dying of cancer who is being given morphine is practicing witch craft.

Common sense must be exercised when discussing grey areas like this. Unfortunately in the church... often times common sense is in short supply. (Not accusing you of that, jimur! Just speaking in general)

Krispy

I have always been of the understanding the word "witchcraft" in vs 20 above translates from the Greek word pharmacia, which refers to mind-altering drugs. Alcohol is a mind altering drug. Someone want to help me out here? What am I missing apart from possible word usage and differences in minority and majority text? Thanks. jimur

As you say brother the word translated in verse 20 is pharmakia (φαρμακεία). It comes from the root magia (μαγεία). So the word (φαρμακεία) is a conjunctive of φαρ and μακεία.

φαρ is used to denote isolation of individuality or separateness. This is the effect of using drugs such a morphine etc. To get high means what it ought to mean “to go into another realm of thought in which one feels isolated either fearfully (paranoia) or else euphorically (egotistical well being) ”. The same idea is carried with the word (φάραγξ) which is used for the word valley or ravine. It is implicit and figurative of danger and isolation. Again the same prefix is used in the word (Φαρισαι̂ος) which means Pharisee. The root of the aramaic word means to separate. Reflect on how separate were the pharisees both in real physical life and in the end being cut off from life itself.

When μακεία is prefixed with φαρ the result is a meaning which spiritually carries the value of the root semantic expression magia (μαγεία) and literally means to use drugs for the purposes of enhancing the natural desire to practise magic. The consequence of taking this course as opposed to simply behaving demonically is the true meaning of sorcery. It cannot be entered into by accident, it must be desired and wilfully sought. It is worth noting that sorcery is quiet natural to the flesh and not just a product or sense of desiring to take drugs for a reason of mental health issues. Be they self administered or else prescribed; the difference is semantic. The real deeper meaning lies in the very physiology of the body itself which being in a fallen state can achieve psychosomatic or sympathetic releases of endorphins which when attended to by a wilful rebellious heart produces a form of witchcraft which passes easily for spirituality. This kind of release fuels the mind and stimulates the body to produce more wilful and deliberate egotistical outbursts or else curses or even prayers. It is all witchcraft regardless.

Alcohol at a certain point of imbibing produces a similar effect because it provokes the mind to act foolishly or else violently and has the effect in such circumstances as does any drug which stimulates the natural mind. How often has it been said of a man "he is fine when sober but violent when drunk". Blessings.

In this current age of revelry, we should abstain from alcohol.

A few years ago I would have fought for the right to drink as a Christian because we have the freedom to do so. I still think we have that freedom, but I don't think it's proper now in our day and age. We have so many people going to AA, committing suicide, families are ruined, children separated, divorce, abortion to be frank this list can be long.

If we never had a bible to read to know if it's okay or not, our own eyes should tell us that this world is having tremendous problem with controlling it in their lives.

My sister drinks nothing but Vodka. She is or at least was a Christian. Many things had happened that lead up to her breakdown, the main one was divorce and the inability to be in control. Recently she lost custody of her children. What she misses the most is not being in control of their lives and this is basically why she drinks. Her house is in ruins, she sits in her own pee, can barely walk, heart trouble, eye trouble, organ failure, and it's hard to believe that she was once a successful business woman running her own business. Can't talk to her on the phone anymore, drunk and crying all the time, totally obnoxious. And yet when she wants a drink, she can get ready, and drive down to the liquour store and get her fix. When it comes to going to the doctor, going to get help forget it.

If we had a liquor problem before, it's wise that we do not tempt ourselves.

If we know of brethren that had this problem before, it's wise that we do not have it in the house.

If you want to drink wine, buy the 0.05%. One thing it won't do is cause you get tipsy, and won't offend your weak brother.

Care to confirm, rebut, expound on, or reject my statements of the word "wine"? jimur.

The Greek word used for wine in the wedding feast is the most common used word when it is translated wine. In John 2:9 this word is oinos (οἰ̂νος). The anglicised word is vino or wine from the Latin as you have shared. There is another use of the word used and this gives some light on what you have shared. It is the word gleukos (γλευ̂κος). This word is the root of the anglicised word glucose. As the translation suggest this is “sweet wine”. It is used in Acts 2:13 on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were accused of being drunk. It takes a long time to ferment wine into sweet wine and the longer the process the greater degree of alcohol is produced. However this must be qualified. Without adding the passage of time and a particularly sweet grape this process will eventually foul and produce vinegarish wine. This is the type of wine which the Lord was offered on the cross.

By implication the word οἰ̂νος in John 2:9 is accompanied both in time and in meaning with the word new or fresh. New wine has no alcohol and fresh wine means the same. Naturally the miracle was taking water and making fresh wine with it. Therefore I would deduce by reason that the wine at the feast could not have been alcoholic . It was a miracle in time and visibility. The time passage would have been just as long as it took the Lord to sanctify the water into wine by His authority. The reference to old in this same passage does not mean old in time “into alcohol with gleukos”, it means cheiron (χείρων), vexing or stale.

If you begin to look into the Hebrew:

“And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent.” Genesis 9:20-21

20 \tוַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃
21 \tוַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אָהֳלֹֽה׃

The word for vine yard or vine is yayin as you have shared.

The adjunction to Timothy to take little wine for his stomach is (1 Timothy 5:23) is oinos (οἰ̂νος) or fresh wine. Blessings.