THE DRINK

Is drinking wrong?

It's an hour before midnight and I find myself in front of my computer screen pondering on this question. Is drinking alcoholic beverages wrong?

When I was younger, I was accustomed to the sight of watching my dad and my relatives sitting around a table during annual family reunions with their bottles of booze from around 4:00 in the afternoon to about 10:00 in the evening. My mom made it pretty clear to me and my siblings that we weren't supposed to drink. I didn't mind. As far as I was concerned, I was only willing to drink water or drinks mixed with a lot of sugar.

I was pretty much sheltered my whole life from drinking, even if my dad did it. I wasn't tempted at all to sneak a taste from any of his bottles of brandy that were in the kitchen cupboard. In fact, I grew up believing that Christians don't drink.

Well, that concept changed pretty quick when I got involved in the ministry in church. I realized that they did drink. Well, so much for my "Christians don't drink" idea. Well, I thought, these people are committed Christians and they serve in the ministry. If they're drinking, then that means it's just okay to drink then, right? Yes, that must have been it. There's no other explanation for it.

"If you look at the Bible, you'd see that drinking was considered a social custom," I was once told. "It was a practice done during big gatherings, like a party or a wedding. Therefore, there's nothing wrong at all with drinking."

"It's not drinking that's a sin," another would say. "It's drunkenness! That's a sin."

"Oh. I see. I see," I say with a nod of the head.

End of discussion.

Or not.

My concern started to grow when I realized that more and more Christian young people were getting into the drinking bandwagon of society. I look at Facebook and Multiply photos and see friends or acquaintances my age or younger with bottles of beer on their left or right hands, their faces tainted with pride that they are drinking, partying, and having the time of their lives. Okay, okay, I tell myself. There's nothing wrong with drinking. It's perfectly fine. It's Biblical. Then, I ask myself, "But why do I feel so uncomfortable about the whole deal?"

Then I realized something. The issue is not about drinking per se. The issue is about the choice we make among all possible options and despite possible risks.

Yes, drinking may have been practiced in Bible times. Guess what? They didn't have cars in Bible times! So what if a person drank? There was no risk of vehicular accidents due to drinking and driving! A person in Bible times could drink and still be able to steer his camel without falling into a ravine.

Circumstances are so much more different now. Alcohol intake has produced devastating results, primarily on the road. I've read a number of stories written by people who lost their loved ones because of a decision to have just one drink before hitting the road. Take note. They weren't even drunk when they were driving. All they did was drink. Still, look where it got them.

"Well," one may argue. "That doesn't always happen! Look at me. I drink, but I still get home safe and sound." Well, good for you. God is still protecting you.

Again, I'm not saying that drinking is wrong. By all means, if that's your choice, then do it. What I'm merely saying is, for every choice there's a possible risk.

Now let's move on to the issue of drunkenness. Basically, the argument is: It's okay to drink just so long as you don't get drunk. Problem with this is that a lot of Christians who get into the habit of drinking dare themselves to see just how "far" they can go without getting drunk. That's pretty much the same thing as saying, "I wonder how long I can stay inside a burning house without getting burned." Well, that's easy to know. You'll be able to find out how long...after you get burned. That's pretty much the same thing with drunkenness. It's impossible NOT to get drunk if being drunk is part of the objective for why we drink. Right?

Don't get the wrong idea here, guys. I'm not passing judgment. I know that a lot of people who drink are actually good friends of mine. If you read this, please don't get the wrong idea that I'm condemning all drinkers out there. I'm not.

What I want to point out here through this blog entry is that anything that gives man pleasure, no matter how amoral it is, can be used to bring out an immoral lifestyle.

Okay. Just to avoid sounding self-righteous, let me just post this question to end my blog entry.

If you were partying and drinking the way you always do and Jesus suddenly passes by you on the table, would you call out to Him, "Master, please join us?"


What would your answer be?