So, I was supposed to write this post some time ago. Like, back in 2019. It is a response to some pushback I received on my very first post, “Should Evangelicals Abandon Their Conviction About Alcohol?". I say "push back" but, it was a polite challenge from a person who disagreed with my conclusions. I told this individual (we will call him TJ) that I would look into his points and write a post in response…two years ago. Tj responded to my post with three points. We will go through each point starting with the easiest to address and ending with the most complicated.
Does the amount of alcohol matter?
Tj made a statement by asking a question. He asked me to imagine that he and I go to a bar. We sit down at the bar and each order two identical drinks. He consumes these drinks and becomes drunk. I consume the same two drinks in the same amount of time, yet I am not drunk. How are two drinks a sin for him but not a sin for me?
There is no command to not consume alcohol in the scriptures outside of Leviticus 10:9, Jeremiah 35:6, and Judges 13:14 which are instances of special cases. There is a command, however, not get drunk: “And do not get drunk[1] with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18, ESV). The simple act of consuming alcohol is not sinful according to the scriptures. There is also no specific measurement of alcohol that is laid out for us to adhere to. It’s not as if we are looking for an eleventh commandment, “thou shalt not drink more than 5ml of alcohol per day”. That would be absurd. So how do we determine how much is ok to drink?
It is a fact that a person’s sex and weight play a major role in how much alcohol a person can consume before becoming intoxicated.[2] If you can only have one beer with an alcohol content of 5% before you become intoxicated, then that is your limit. If you weigh 400lbs and can have 3-4 before you are intoxicated, then that is your limit. The reason two drinks would be a sin for you and not me (in the given scenario) would be because you got drunk and I did not.
The answer to the question "how do we determine how much is too much?" is not about whether or not we consume alcohol, but rather about knowing our limits and being disciplined enough to align ourselves with God's word. I have two rules that I follow that help me accomplish that. 1) I never have more than one and 2) I never drink before 5 pm. These may seem arbitrary on the surface, but they are rules that I have for myself to ensure that I never go too far.
Rule 1 is in place because I have no actual interest in finding out how many drinks I can have before I start to "feel it". I know that I can have one without feeling anything and that is a far as I am willing to go. Now, admittedly, Rule 2 seems silly, but it is in place because it forces me to remember my discipline. I know that if I break that rule then I may be more likely to break Rule 1. I’m sure there is some psychological jargon that would better articulate why I have the rules that I do, I am just not educated in that area.
I am not saying that everyone should adopt my rules, however, I do think it is wise to set boundaries for yourself and operate within those boundaries. Of course, those boundaries need to be aligned with God’s word. Each person comes to this issue with their perspective, thus their boundaries may be wider or more narrow depending on the individual's life experience.
I have never been drunk and I intend to keep it that way, so my boundaries are a bit narrow. I know people to do not get drunk whose boundaries are a bit wider and I also know people who came out of addiction to alcohol and their boundary is 0. They refuse to drink alcohol ever again…I think that is wisdom (1Cor. 6:12). However, if the scriptures do not lead us to abstain from alcohol, but rather from getting drunk, then we need to be careful not to condemn others on convictions that are our own.
Conclusion
I appreciate the question and the concerns that Tj shares concerning this topic. I'm sure he has his reason for his antipathy, however, we cannot allow our experiences to shape doctrine. We must derive our doctrine from the scriptures. The issue the Bible takes with alcohol is drunkenness and dependence. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and be dependent on Him. I hope that the argument for biblical permission of the consumption of alcohol by believers never overshadows the Gospel.
This should not be a pivotal issue in the Church nor should it draw a hard line in the sand causing division. With that being said, it is important to tease these issues out can prove fruitful. Using the scriptures, reason, and respect we may come to agree that alcohol is prohibited by the scriptures and we should live in obedience or that alcohol is permitted and we can choose to responsibly live in that freedom.[3]
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5–6)
Sources and Footnotes
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[1]. For the sake of clarity, we are going to look at the word “drunk”. According to Strong’s, this is the lemma “μεθύσκω“ (mĕthuskō, G3182) and it means “to intoxicate”. By looking through the related terms it is easy to get a full understanding of the word’s meaning. James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), G3182.
[2]. Elizabeth Hartney, “Average Blood Alcohol Content in Men by Weight,” Verywellmind, February 19, 2020, https://www.verywellmind.com/bac-and-drink-conversions-for-men-by-weight-22481
[3]. To be clear, living in obedience does lead to freedom. I am not implying that obedience is a chain and alcohol is freedom. If alcohol is a sin, then we are to live free from sin. My argument is that consuming alcohol is not a sin, and we are free to partake. However, drunkenness is a sin, and so it is slavery.
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