Alcoholicism On The Increase
A few days ago I received a letter from the New Mexico Commission On Alcoholism. Following is a quotation therefrom:
I sincerely wish that I could tell you that we have made great strides during the past year toward combating the illness (it should have read SIN instead of ILLNESS). However, such is not the case. In fact, there are about 200,000 more alcoholics in the nation today than last year at this time."
Think of it, 200,000 more alcoholics than there were one year ago! And yet some members of the Lord's church argue that there is nothing wrong with social drinking. But everyone of these 200,000 new alcoholics started as social drinkers. I dare say that not a single one of them started drinking with the intention of becoming an alcoholic! Some argue that they can control themselves, that there is no danger of their becoming alcoholics. About 200,000 new alcoholics could tell these people that they also thought they could control their drinking, but that it has developed to where drinking controls them. Suppose that one is able to control himself and never becomes an alcoholic, is his sin any less when he by his influence encourages another to drink socially and then the other cannot control his drinking and becomes an alcoholic? And friend, be assured that no one can be a social drinker without encouraging others to drink!
Why, some members of the Lord's church even argue that the Bible proves they are right in contending for the social drink. Jesus turning the water into wine (John 2:1-11) and Paul's instruction to Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach's sake (1 Timothy 5:23) are two of their favorite "proof" passages. But these passages do not prove their contention.
Those who so argue assume that the wine which Jesus made was all intoxicant. This no man can prove; but if he could, he would have proved more than he would like to admit. I suggest that if John 2:1-11 proves that our Lord approved of drinking intoxicating wine at all, it proves that he approved of drunkenness! Yet, all — even those members who argue for social drinking — agree that the Bible condemns drunkenness. John 2:10 reads, ....Every man at the beginning cloth set forth good wine; and when men have drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now." Thus, at the very time the Lord made the wine, those who consumed it were "well drunk." If the wine was an intoxicant, the Lord contributed, not just to social drinking, but to outright drunkenness. Now, who is the first to step up and proclaim that Jesus supplied the intoxicant with which to make men who were "well drunk" even drunker? Friend, until you are willing to so affirm, John 2:1-11 is not your proof passage for social drinking.
Likewise, those who use these passages to console their worldly desire to "have a drink" assume that the wine of 1 Timothy 5:3 was an intoxicant. Again, no man could prove this. And again, if he could he would not have proved his contention about social drinking. This wine was to be taken medicinally — "for thy stomach's sake and thine oft infirmities." The social drinker is not the kind of Christian that Timothy was, for it took the instructions of an inspired apostle to get him to even take the stuff as a medicine!
In conclusion, I think a couple of verses from the book of Proverbs are very apropos:
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. (Prov. 20:1) Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cease? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. (Proverbs 23:29-32)
— 1502 S. 3rd, Tucumcari, New Mexico