Choosing to Abstain

A week or so ago, I wrote a couple of pieces on the Christian and moderate drinking. To recap, I do not believe that the Bible addresses the question of drinking “in moderation” as the question is normally framed today. I have not addressed all the issues involved with alcohol nor written a full discussion of this subject for several reasons. First, I am not sure what is to be gained. Those who choose not to drink do not need such a discussion, and many will not likely like my argumentation. Those who choose to drink will likely not give me much of a hearing. The brief comments I have already written accomplish much the same thing as a detailed treatment. I think there are good reasons not to drink and I have chosen a life of abstinence. If you read my second piece you will have some understanding of why. I have seen the devastation that alcohol often leaves in its wake. To be clear, abuse is not the necessary consequence of all who drink alcohol. I am not arguing or even implying that. But it often happens—too often for my liking. So what then are my reasons for total abstinence (which I think I would choose even if a doctor prescribed some limited use of beverage alcohol for health reasons)? Why do I not drink alcohol as a beverage?

First, I believe that my testimony is better served in our world by choosing to abstain. My extended family drinks and often to excess, and while some would encourage my liberty to consume the occasional drink, I have found that abstinence gives me a better witness to my unbelieving family. We all knew the role that alcohol in its various forms played in our home, and as I was trying to make my Christianity clear, I simply abstained. By the way, my family has never challenged my decision or encouraged me to use my liberty otherwise. They seem to have respect for my decision. Moreover, I have had a long standing policy—drink alcohol in my presence if you like, just don’t ask me to pay for it. I never pay for someone else to drink . . . including my mother when she was alive and I took her out to eat. She drank, but she paid for it and never complained. Hence my point: being a Christian and subsequently choosing not to drink has earned the respect of my lost family members.

Second, I believe there is a good principle for abstaining based on 1 Corinthians 8. If I understand Paul’s argument, he might have had liberty to eat meat, but chose rather to avoid certain meat for the sake of his larger testimony. In the churches I have pastored—all three of them—I have had members who have had major issues with alcohol, some before conversion and others after. As a pastor, I tried to create a place for them where they were free from the pernicious influences of alcohol. I have moreover always been troubled by believers who seem to think their right to drink supersedes consideration of any other person. “It’s my right, and no one can tell me otherwise!” This seems very self-centered and downright sinful. Many Christians who drink do so in a way to flaunt their liberty. I think this is very sad. My liberty should never be the cause for another to stumble nor should it be an opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

Third, I have never read a convincing argument that drinking will add anything positive or virtuous to my life. Texts like 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Philippians 4:8-9 indicate that God should be glorified by what I do, and I have never been convinced that alcohol has any such positive effects, despite appeals to certain OT texts that are often used out of context (especially their cultural context) and sometimes abused. I also think that 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 speak to this issue—things may be “lawful” but still wrong for the believer to practice. So I choose to abstain.

For the record, my abstinence is not a point of fellowship or controversy. I don’t make alcohol an issue in the presence of other Christians, including some who choose to drink. I simply avoid alcohol. I also encouraged my church to abstain for these kinds of reasons, though I seldom discussed the issue in sermons. As I mentioned before, we used the standard church covenant that pledged abstinence. I never felt the need to change it because it was a voluntary document to which all members subscribed. There were other churches with no such document, and believers were free to join those churches. Our church practiced abstinence as a matter of corporate testimony, and, in this, I think we had liberty.

In short, alcohol consumption is a wisdom issue. The issue for me has never been “can I drink?” but rather “should I drink?” These are two very different questions. I have chosen to avoid the former question while building my practice on the latter. And I have taught others to do the same. Some no doubt will charge me with legalism for saying too much while others will charge me as a libertine for not speaking out strongly enough. All that really matters is the favor of the Lord. I have chosen my practice out of allegiance to Him who died for me. If it is a liberty to drink, it is one I gladly yield. If I err, I hope to err on the side of safety. The potential danger for consuming alcohol is to consume too much. With abstinence, there is no such danger. I know of no command in the Bible to consume alcohol. But there are several commands that suggest caution. And there are commands that suggest looking out for others. “Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. “ (1Cor 8:13 NASB 95)