I don't really understand why its so bad to drink alcohol every now and again. I drink very seldom, maybe once a year at a birthday.

Recently I have been thinking though... Perhaps its a sin because like with anything else, whatever we spend out time doing is what we invest in. So drinking and partying now is like saying we are done and this world is what we are willing to settle down with. We should wait for the true reason to celebrate in heaven!

I still don't know what to do though when I am invited to a birthday or wedding where everyone is celebrating with sparkling champaign... Is it really that bad?

I guess I'm really answering my own question though, and it is this. There is a time and a place for everything under the sun... though some people say that Jesus drank a the wedding where he performed his first miracle by turning water into wine, the bible doesn't confirm it. All Jesus did was give the wedding guests a taste of what heaven awaits them.

If anyone would like to comment, please do!

I can see this is going to be a well replied thread.

Concerning drinking at parties, weddings etc, drinking alcohol is drinking.

I'm going to my sister's wedding in August, and I have told her I will not be going to the reception because there will be alcohol there.

She knows where she stands with me.

What if people get drunk at a supposedly Christian function? What is that going to look like? That's why I'm not going to the wedding.

Also, in Gal 5v21 it says, ' envy, murders, drunkeness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.'

That's it from me.

The Bible does not forbid the drinking of alcohol. It forbids drunkeness. However, the Bible is also full of warnings about alcohol.

There are those who claim that Jesus actually turned the water into grape juice, not wine. This is silly in the context of the story.

When we do communion in our fellowship we use red wine, and there is a great theological analogy involved with this that I dont have time for right now, but I think it would make a great discussion here sometime.

Some people can partake of a glass of wine with their dinner, or a cold beer on a hot day, and do it in complete freedom before God. Others can not. The fact that you are struggling with this seems to indicate to me that if you did partake you could not do so with a clear conscience. Therefore my advice to you is to abstain.

I personally think that most Christians are better off if they just abstain from alcohol. It's one of those things where Paul said all things are permissable, but not all things are profitable. I do have liberty in this area myself, but I will not exercise my liberty if it means I might cause a brother to stumble.

So... for you, since you're struggling with this, and you have no clear answer from God, then I say you're better off not partaking.

I dont know that not going to the reception is the answer tho, Enid. If you're not drinking why would you not go? Be a light to the world... be salt. Set an example for other believers who will be there. I dont see any examples of Jesus running away from those who were eating and drinking and making merry... instead I see Him being right in the middle of the party, and at times... the center of attention.

Christians today are too quick to turn their personal convictions into protests against the actions of others. We're not an activist group! How else can we be a witness for truth if we never rub elbows with the unsaved of this world?

Krispy

Krispy,
Not going to the reception might not be the answer, but the thing is, I have told her I am not going, and she knows me well enough to understand.

As it is, she and her husband-to-be are both Christians, so they will be the salt and light at the wedding. After all, it is their day and they will be the centre of attention in all they do.

The fact is, even before she became a Christian, she didn't really drink. Now however, she seems to be ok with drinking alcohol.

And my children will be going too. How will it look to them, what sort of example would we be giving our children if they see dad and mom drinking?

Whether we go or not, alcohol will be there, and I don't want to be there seeing people getting drunk. Even if they don't get drunk, the possibility of doing so exists.

We had no alcohol at our wedding when we got married nearly 21 years ago, and no one suffered from it. Well, if they did they never said.

Anyway, enough, this post is getting too long.

God bless.

I think if you don't go or you do go but keep your convictions, you are doing fine.

However there is one theme that is becoming surprisingly familiar...

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Mike Compton

Enid, recently my husband and I received an invitation to a 50th birthday party for our brother in law. I commented on my reluctance to go because it will (I assume) be just a typical superfical party (which I dislke intensely) My husband said, "I think we should go - at least to spend time with the children who typically get left out in such events." So I graciously accepted the invitation, believing that in this case it is where we are to be.

Just about any event "out there" seems to fall drastically short of Godly motives - even in church. In our call to be a light, we often find ourselves in the presence of darkness. At times our presence will in the long run mean much more than our absence. Without sensitivity to the Spirit, and to the various situations, we will have a tough time knowing what is best.

By the way, regarding your testimony to your children: It may be good for them to witness the example of adults who apply wise discretion and can maintain self control in those situations. (That's good advice for potlucks too)




Diane

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Diane

"Our 'liberties' have become our idols." Compton

Well put. Amen!

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TJ