1 Corinthians 6:12 – All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Hello readers, new blog time today. Forgive me if this isn’t as structured and organized as usual, but I’m just typing and going for it. Today I had an interesting conversation regarding alcohol. But it got me thinking. You know, people suddenly become experts in the Bible when it comes to justifying their sin. They think Jesus turning water into wine makes alcohol consumption alright. But anyway, it got me thinking about a very important principle in the Bible. You see, God’s word teaches us principles, principles which are for our good not for our destruction.

You see, I believe the Bible is clear as a bell on alcohol, but even if it wasn’t there is such a principle in the Bible that if you are genuinely seeking the light of God’s word on what you should and shouldn’t believe, how you should live and what you should and shouldn’t do… you will have absolute clarity as you seek a consecrated and sanctified life, a life that is clean, pure, holy, set apart, so that you are a vessel of honour, a vessel fit for the master’s use.

Consider this verse… 1 Corinthians 10:23 – All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

I have known this verse for a fair while, but today it took on a whole new light. You see, there are many issues in life where there is a “gray” area. Something like alcohol, even though I am no expert, may have some medicinal value for instance. We take various pharmaceuticals when we are sick, but then many drugs are bad. We need the Holy Spirit to discern what is right and wrong and how to live a life, and how to have balance living very real lives in a very real world.

I believe that God in accordance with his word puts a very clear divide between light and darkness, good and evil, right and wrong, clean and unclean, pure and impure. But if we cannot reach agreement with others on what is right and wrong, there tends to be savage disputes and splits between people who may even be Christian. Paul was dealing with many issues in the Corinthian church… and we get to chapter 10 and a wonderful principle in the Bible is outlaid, a principle that helps guide us in our lives practically.

You see something like TV isn’t wrong, or the internet, or facebook… or whatever… but things like this may not be expedient for us. It is lawful for us to do many things, we have great liberty as Christians, but there are many things which are not expedient for us. You see, in the issue of alcohol, ask yourself this, if you are unconvinced on the Bible’s stand on alcohol, will alcohol be expedient for your life?

What does expedient mean. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines expedient as useful, profitable, tending to promote the object proposed, proper under the circumstance. Something like alcohol is a conduit of spirits into your life, that’s why they call alcoholic drinks spirits. Someone who comes under alcohols influence… their behavior tends to be distinctly impure, unholy, unclean. Alcohol and sin always go together.

So when asking yourself what needs to be in your life, a life you say is seeking to glorify and honour the Lord Jesus Christ… ask yourself if alcohol is expedient, profitable, useful, if it will help your walk with God and witness toward others. See, if you are honest you know it doesn’t. Alcohol is a depressant, it becomes your comfort and security and happiness rather than the Lord Jesus Christ. It breaks down godly inhibitions, it alters your behavior, it makes people do what they would never do, alcohol is behind many ruined lives, wrecked testimonies, mental and health issues, and broken marriages.

So yes you can drink your alcohol, that’s between you and God, you can justify it all you want. But if you get honest with yourself, is it really about honoring and obeying God? Or is your life just about serving you? You say you want to know God’s council on the matter, but you’ve already decided what you believe.

Have a look at this verse, this is actually four chapters earlier. Why did Paul have to repeat himself? Think about what was going on in the rabble that was the Corinthian church. There was fornication, there was strife, there were disputes, debates, arguments, people were exalting themselves over other people, it was a mess.

I quoted this to begin, but I’ll quote it again… 1 Corinthians 6:12 – All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Do you know how many people have been brought under the power of alcohol? It always seems funny that we think we can take sin by the tail, when really it takes us by the tail. I’ve blogged about Samson several times and if there’s anything his life teaches it’s the folly of playing around with sin. Thinking you can control it, thinking you can manage your lust and catering to your fleshly desires and stay in charge and control the consequences. You think you can walk close to the edge, you can take a little fire in your bosom and not be burned.  Even if you do go through the Bible and come to your conclusion that alcohol is okay… well there’s a lot of alcoholics and ruined lives and testimonies and potential wasted all by people who thought they had sin by the tail, when sin had them by the tail.

If you are such an expert in the Bible, get this verse. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 – Abstain from all appearance of evil. Pretty simple hey. Do you think alcohol has any appearance of evil? Cmon. See, you don’t want a life run by do’s and don’ts, and when the Bible leaves it to your discretion knowing the principles of God’s word, you abuse that liberty and freedom because you fit into this verse… Titus 1:15 – Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. The real issue isn’t is alcohol ok or not, the issue is your heart, are you saved, are you right with God, are you pure, have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb? Issues of life fall in place after that fact.

Have a look at these verses

Proverbs 7:8 – Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

Proverbs 7:9 – In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

Proverbs 7:10 – And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

Proverbs 7:11 – (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

Proverbs 7:12 – Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

Why on earth do I quote these? Because there’s the principle that we have been talking about in play again. If this foolish young man wasn’t passing through the street near her corner he wouldn’t have met the woman who he was no match for. Apply this to alcohol. You can’t become a drunkard, you can’t be an alcoholic, you can’t get into all the alcohol related sin and issues if you never touch a drop. You can’t get hooked on drugs if you don’t take drugs, you can’t be an alcoholic if you never get a taste for it. The reason why drugs are so hard to get off is we have this easily addicted sin nature, and once we get a taste for sin, it’s very hard to forget what it felt like and the longing for it always returns. There are drugs out there it only takes one hit and you’re hooked, you’ll be holding a gun to your parent’s head in no time looking to pay the dealer so you can get your next fix. Sin will own you.

That young man had no capacity to resist that strange woman. He passed by her corner, and he got caught in her net. Her allurements, her look, her words… they FORCED him! What a choice of words it is in Proverbs… a man can literally get forced by the advances of the strange woman. You can’t expect to mess around as a Christian man or woman and not get bit. Alcohol is a bit like that strange woman. It allures you, it calls you, and it’ll grab you and when done with you, you’ll be owned by it, lock, stock and barrel. Sin calls unto us, I know it does because it calls me too. She called out to this foolish young man, this young man who thought he knew what he was doing and she led him as an ox to the slaughter, he followed her! He went like a puppy dog!

I recently did a blog about who is going with you to the promised land? See, when you’re justifying your sin, you’re harming not helping others. So many people excuse and justify alcohol. What’s there to defend? What good is there to it? Really? Apart from it owns you, apart from you can’t imagine life without it, apart from those feels it gives you, how it numbs the pain, how it takes away your inhibitions, how it’s your comfort and what you look forward to and your security… and it’s fun. God showed Abraham where he needed to be. There is a land you need to be. Where do you need to be in your thinking and speaking and doing? When God called Abram, he wasn’t where he needed to be, he needed to get out. Get out people. Get out of sin’s grip, get out of Satan’s devices, get out of a life where you can be snared, trapped, and ruined by the devil. He’s a roaring lion, he’ll get you reader, he will get you.

Galatians 5:13 – For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Most people claim grace and liberty, that’s their neat little excuse and justification, but they just use these words which they know nothing of in reality so they can please and serve and gratify their flesh. That’s what alcohol really is about, cmon, I’ve been around alcohol a bit, as have probably all the readers, dummy up, it’s a flesh pot, it’s not holiness, purity, cleanness, truth, light. The world knows this, why don’t the Christians? Why are Christians dumber than the world when they’ve got access to the infinite wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Anyway, it’s been a random sort of blog, but on all issues, don’t listen to me or my opinions or whatever, get in God’s word, that’s what this blog is about. Ask yourself, is this truly, honestly, sincerely about honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ? I’ve not seen someone with a gospel tract in one hand and a glass of red in the other. Cmon, this world is watching, they know you’re a joke already. Lot tried being “that cool Christian guy”, he was one of the Sodomites… you know how much respect they had for him? ZERO. The amount of people I’ve heard try and justify alcohol as being “all things to all people” and “I’m trying to reach people by being like them”… yeah ok. How’d that work out for Lot? Not so well. It’s time to wake up people. Wake up.

Ephesians 5:14 – Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Ephesians 5:15 – See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Ephesians 5:16 – Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:17 – Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

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