Today's Read the Word: 2 Kings 4
The Question of Liberty
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Sometimes I am asked what I think about Christians drinking alcohol. Do I think that is a good idea? I think it is a dangerous thing for a Christian to drink, because the thing with drinking is that if you drink, there is a possibility you can get drunk. But if you don't drink, you never will get drunk.I was raised in an alcoholic home where I witnessed the devastation that drinking can bring. And over the years of being a pastor, I have seen the destructive nature of alcohol in people's lives. I cannot think of a single good thing about it, but I certainly can think of a lot of bad things.
The Bible warns us many times of what alcohol can do in our lives. Proverbs 23 says of it, "At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things" (verses 32–33). That is an accurate assessment.
Here is something else to consider. If you are drinking because you supposedly have the liberty as a Christian, what if it causes someone else to stumble spiritually? Romans 14:15 says, "Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died."
It comes down to this: none of us live or die to ourselves. What we do and what we are have a direct effect on others, not only for our lives now, but for time and eternity. We need to be conscious of God's presence, and we need to live our lives with the consideration of others.
