Welcome to the For the Gospel podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Costi Hinn, and in this episode on Christian Liberty, I want to talk to you about drinking alcohol. Now, last week we got into gambling, and I've still got two more to go for you after this, but drinking alcohol is an important subject we need to understand biblically. Now, Christians often fall into one of two ditches on this category, and pretty much everything in life, there's always extremes. When it comes to alcohol, one ditch says it's no big deal. Jesus drank wine. Who cares? Lighten up. The other ditch says if you drink at all, you're compromising, you're worldly, you're sinning. And what scripture does is it avoids both extremes and focuses on what it means to be wise and prudent with how you drink or with how you refuse or refrain from drinking alcohol. The Bible speaks primarily to our character and our love for others, our enjoyment of life as well, but also gives us clear boundaries that we should 100% obey. But there is a good bit of human opinion on this, and that human opinion may or may not apply to you. So we've got to think critically. I am not here to tell Christians what they must do, except you must obey the word of God, and you must think biblically about drinking alcohol before making decisions on how you're going to live. So, first, let's start with this: what the Bible does say about alcohol. What does the Bible actually say? The Bible does not call drinking alcohol a sin, but it repeatedly does call drunkenness a sin. And there's some places it's actually listed with the sins of the reprobate, the damned, if you want to call them that the pagan, those not in Christ. Now, if you have your Bible, turn over to Ephesians chapter 5. And if you're on the go, as usual, I will read you the text and walk you through it. But Ephesians 5, 18 to 21, the Bible says, Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. There's no arguing with that. Do not get drunk with wine. Clear command. We're not to be under the control of alcohol to the degree of drunkenness. We are to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who influences us. That's the way it's got to be for all Christians. Drunkenness in Galatians 5.21 is listed among the sins that characterize the flesh. The book of Proverbs actually repeatedly warns about alcohol and how it can deceive and enslave and destroy. And there's this passage in Proverbs 31, verse 4. I want to turn over there now and read this to you. Proverbs 31, often heralded as the text that speaks about the godly P31 woman. And yeah, it does. But even leading up to the words about the Proverbs 31 woman, oh, there's this other kind of wise woman, and it is the mother of King Lemuel. Now, in Proverbs 31, that first half, it says the words of King Lemuel, verse 1, the oracle which his mother taught him. So if you move down a few verses, you see these particular words, which are very strong and clear in verse 4. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink. For they will drink and forget what is decreed, and they'll pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who's perishing, wine to him whose life is bitter. And it goes on to speak about those who are just in destitute situations. Drinking, you know, let it be for those who want to drink away their troubles. They got problems and they're bitter, actually says. Now, that doesn't necessarily condone drinking at all. Like drink your cares away. The Bible says you should. No, it's describing the kind of person who ends up being a drunk, this person who's bitter and broke and their life is hard, and they go the way of alcohol to numb all the pain. But you, she's saying, be wise. King Lemuel, his words, again from the oracle, his mother, teaching him, taught him. You're a leader. Don't give your strength to women. Don't give yourself to strong drink. Be wise with your use of wine. In fact, refrain from it. Be sober-minded. And the reasoning that is given here is you make important decisions for people. So you got to use your mind and freedoms wisely. It's not about legalism and what you can and can't do because, you know, that's bad and you shouldn't, this or that. No, the leader is thinking, I need a clear mind. Alcohol's not really going to be helpful with that. It doesn't promote sober-mindedness. Even if I'm allowed to do it, I need to be thinking clearly. No substance should ever be allowed to numb the mind, so drunkenness is out of the question. No substance should ever be used to the degree that it takes over our thinking, like drunkenness does. Our mind is to be renewed, filled with the truth. And Christians are repeatedly called to be sober-minded. Again, especially leaders, you can't be sober-minded if you're not sober. Now, scripture also speaks about alcohol or the use of wine in positive ways, too. I would be lying to you if I sat here and said, oh, yeah, it's just all sin, it's all terrible. You know, the wine in the Bible was nothing really but some Welchess grape juice. You know, we got to be honest here. You do a historical study on what it was, it's good wine. And Jesus, when he turns the water into wine, he actually saves the best wine for later. There are three particular passages. You have Psalm 104, 15, wine will gladden the heart. You've got John 2, where Jesus turns the water into wine, the miracle at Cana. And then you also have 1 Timothy 5.23, where Paul actually tells Timothy, hey, take a little wine for your stomach. In other words, wine can be beneficial. So biblically speaking, drinking is permitted. For some, it is encouraged, like the ones I just gave you, the example, weddings, celebration, Timothy for his health, the book of Psalms for joy. Ecclesiastes even speaks to this, how wine can lift up the spirits. Now, for others, it is discouraged and drunkenness is always prohibited. So again, biblically speaking, even if you don't like this, you've got to be honest, intellectually honest, biblically honest, drinking wine is permitted. For some, there is an encouragement to do it. For others, there is discouragement to do it. There's no reason to, and it's unwise. And drinking, though permitted, drunkenness is always prohibited. Those distinctions matter because they're going to help us figure out which category we're in and how we make decisions about our own lifestyle. Now, we need to think through this too. What the Bible doesn't say. There's a lot of man-made positions on this, a lot of man-made opinions. Okay. And let me just play my cards right up front because maybe some of you get bothered with me right away and you're thinking, why is Costa even opening the door for this? And either, look, I'm not a drinker. I don't drink. It's not my thing. It used to be back in the day. That was part of the BC days, and then even the uh saved days, my before Christ days, and then even after conversion. But early on, I began to think about all these things. And for me, in my house and my conviction, it just became something I don't want to do. I read articles about it. I asked other people, and some people said, yeah, it's just totally a sin. And other people said, Yeah, it's just this and that. And I just said, Well, what does the Bible say? Well, we're going to get into Christian liberty here in this episode and what's lawful and profitable, but I want you to know where I'm coming from here. As a pastor, a leader, a man who does not drink alcohol, and that's my choice and my conviction. I still think and believe you and I need to be intellectually honest and biblically honest. We can't be those people who just fire off legalistic one-liners about what people can and can't do. And then we can't be honest about what scripture does and doesn't say. There are a number of things I don't have chapter and verses for that science and wisdom can speak to. People now are saying alcohol's poison. Gen Z is drinking less than any generation. Alcohol companies and their stocks and in the market are actually going down because Gen Z doesn't buy as much alcohol. You've got a lot of health experts saying it's poison, but in the end, the Bible doesn't give a specific blood alcohol percentage, a recommendation for specific amounts to consume, whether beer, wine, or whiskey are more or less sinful than the other, and or a command that all Christians should abstain, or a command that all Christians should enjoy it. And if you're not, you're just a big legalist. The Bible does give general commands that should govern how we drink if we choose to, and how we should abstain and why if we need to and want to. And the Bible's clear of when it's sin when it comes to drinking. But there are a lot of things people say that the Bible doesn't. That's where Christian liberty comes in. So, third, let's think about this. What is Christian liberty all about? The Apostle Paul and what he teaches on this subject becomes extremely important because he went head on into it with the Corinthians. They were wild, they were out of control, they were sinful, and they took their liberties much too far. You got to know this section of scripture if you're gonna have an informed conversation about alcohol and an informed conversation about Christian liberty. If you got your Bible, turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Let's just start there. And again, if you're on the go, I'll read this to you. I got you. If you're watching on YouTube, all these will be up on the screen. You'll love it. Take notes. And if you're listening and digging in, just hit pause and follow along the way. First Corinthians chapter six. Let's think about verse 12 here. And I've got these listed out for you. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. So right there, I got liberty, but it doesn't mean everything's always profitable. All things are lawful for me, Paul says again, but I will not be mastered by anything. That's important. You gotta get honest. If alcohol is mastery, you gotta be done with it. You shouldn't be drinking if you can't control yourself. You shouldn't be drinking if you just gotta have it. I need my wine. You know, mama needs her wine and all these shirts that I see people wearing, and these women, like, oh, I just need I just need a beer. I got home a long day of work. I just need a beer, leave me alone. You got a mastery problem. No, it's not a sin to drink. No, it's not, but it's a sin to be mastered by it. First Corinthians 6, 12 is important. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 9, another one. Paul talking about taking care with your liberty, says, but take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. Now we're thinking about other people. If you got kids in your home, if you got a spouse that's sensitive to it, if you've got a history of alcoholism, if you got friends or people you're walking with, if you're out at a restaurant and you the, you know, how do you know if it's number two or one or six or one or none? And you just, you know, well, it's not their place to judge, Costi. Okay, but a Christian is making sure, because the word of God says, under the superintending authority of the Holy Spirit, Paul says, take care that this liberty of yours, what you're allowed to do, does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. There are people who are weak in this area. And you as a Christian and me as a Christian do not need to be selfish in our thinking, saying, I'm just gonna do what I'm gonna do. No, we're people who think about others. We are a body of believers connected to one another. Another passage in this whole section, 1 Corinthians now chapter 9, verse 4, Paul says, Do we not have a right to eat and to drink? Do I not have a right to take a believing wife? You know, he goes on to explain, like, I got rights, okay? I can use my liberties. I'm an apostle. Am I not free? He starts with making that argument. I've seen the Lord Jesus. He literally says, Have I not seen the Lord Jesus? Look, I'm somebody here, and I'm a guy who's seen Jesus, and I am free to do these things. What is Paul saying? Well, he's setting up an argument saying, even with all my rights, you want to know how I think apostolically? Verse 22, he goes on to say, To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things, verse 23, for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. That's what you got to be thinking about, friend. You do all things for the sake of the gospel. So your first thought isn't, well, I'm I can do what I want. It's not sin. Your first thought is let me think about my fellow Christian. Let me think about my witness. Let me think about my decision and whether it's wise or not. He goes on to say, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Now he's talking about getting after it for the right things in life as a Christian. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. But they do it to receive a perishable wreath. We and imperishable. He's saying, look, even the Olympians, they know how to cut it out and use self-control to get the reward. How much more we as God's people can use self-control, limit our use of liberties, even though it's lawful? It doesn't mean it's profitable. I'm not going to be mastered by it. I'm living a life of discipline because I'm living for something way bigger and beyond me, the glory of God and his gospel. And so in verse 26, he says, Therefore, so based on that truth, I run in such a way as not without aim. I box in such a way as not beating the air. He's not just going through the motions and just swinging everywhere. No, he says, but I discipline my body, I make it my slave, meaning my body, my flesh, my desires, they will obey me. So that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. What a great reminder. That's for me. That hits home. And you say, well, Costi, I'm not a pastor, so I guess it doesn't apply to me. You know, Paul is teaching all Christians. We got to be thinking. Even though it's lawful, does not mean it's profitable. 1 Corinthians 10, 23, the next chapter. And if you're looking kind of for a simple roadmap, you start in chapter six and you get on to chapter eight and nine and then 10, and what you're going to find is beautiful clarity on Christian liberty. All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. I just took you on a flyover of some of what Paul teaches on Christian liberty. And the driving point is that he wants the church thinking less about its rights to do whatever they please, so long as it's not sin, and thinking more about love and loving others, their gospel witness, being disciplined, and the purpose they're living for. It's not a sin to drink, but you need to be wise with where, how, and when. We also need to know ourselves and be honest about our tendencies. Lawful doesn't mean wise. Permissible doesn't mean beneficial. Freedom doesn't mean thoughtless. Christian liberty is never about asking, can I get away with this? How far can I go to the line without crossing it? It's about asking, does this honor Christ? And even more so, how much can I lay down my rights? Or how far can I go in laying down my own allowances and even my desires for the sake of others and the sake of the gospel? You say, gosh, that seems like such a limited way to live, and it's so binding, and oh, it just feels like no, what it is is the life of a servant. That's what's bothering you. You're serving, you're giving up for the gain of something else. You're saying no to something you can do. And that bothers you because in your heart of hearts, you're saying, but I can't, you're, you're, you're limiting me, you're stifling me. No. You're being selfish when you're living for you. And your desires and your license to liberty begins to drive the way you live. You have forgotten that the Son of Man who saved you did not come to be served, but he came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. This is what we do. We carry a towel, we wash the feet of others, and we consider our ways and our conduct, knowing that that's what Christ has called us to. And so a big question you need to be asking is Am I a stumbling block? This is where alcohol becomes a corporate body of Christ issue, not just a personal one. Two more chapters I want you just to have in your mind: Romans chapter 14, Romans chapter 15, two whole chapters on matters of conscience and then self-denial on the behalf of others. Paul teaches that believers must be willing to limit their liberty for the sake of love. If my freedom encourages someone else to sin, if I would ever wound a weaker conscience, if I would undermine someone struggling with addiction, including our own addictive tendencies or patterns, if I would ever damage my witness, then love demands restraint. Even if you and I were technically free, because Christian liberty is, you know, it's there for me. Well, it's not about insisting on my rights or yours. It's about joyfully laying down those rights when love calls for it. Let me land the plane here with eight questions every Christian should ask before they drink. Slow down and think and use this as a grid for self-examination. It's from the book Ethics for a Brave New World by John Feinberg and Paul Feinberg, Feinberg and Feinberg is usually how we refer to it. And it gives practical legs to what I've just laid out about Christian liberty. Number one, am I fully persuaded this is right before God? If you feel internal tension or you need to silence your conscience to do something, don't do it. Number two, can I do this as under the Lord? Can you honestly thank God for this? And can you invite his blessing into it? If you can, great. If you can't, don't do it. Number three, could this cause someone else to stumble? Liberty that ignores others isn't liberty, it's selfishness. Number four, does it promote peace? If it creates conflict, confusion, or division, something is off. Number five, does it edify anyone? 1 Corinthians 8, 1, it love edifies. So is anyone being built up spiritually by what I'm doing? Number six, is it profitable? Does this move me towards Christlieness or further from it? Is it a benefit to my life or a detriment? Number seven, does it enslave me? If stopping the use of alcohol feels hard for you, or you're very reactive to an episode like this, that's a red flag for you. Your drinking should probably get out the window. Number eight, does it bring glory to God? 1 Corinthians 1031, this umbrella statement, whether you eat, whether you drink, do all for the glory of God. If the answer isn't clear to this question, does this activity glorify God? Then wisdom says, Pause. Some Christians should and will abstain completely. And that could be an act of wisdom and love. Some Christians will enjoy the use of alcohol in moderation, and that can be done with gratitude and with restraint. But no Christian should ever drink thoughtlessly or ever be drunk. That is sinful. In all of our liberties, we aim to glorify God. That is the goal of our lives as followers of Christ. I want to thank you for listening and digging in on this topic. I hope that it challenged you and encouraged you. Maybe it's got you thinking about this topic in ways you never have, or perhaps affirming or sharpening your own position and view on this particular Christian liberty. But as always, I appreciate you digging in. I'm so grateful as well for your support. If you're one of our regular givers, thank you especially to you for your faithfulness. I really hope the impact reports have been a special encouragement to you. The start of the year has been wonderful. Thank you for a strong close to 2025 as well. 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