A.L.C.O.H.O.L.

A. Authority: For the born-again Christian, discussions on what God desires for His children to do, and not to do, should be based upon what His Word says about the subject. As with all topics in question, one should consult the entire Bible to find what it says about a subject, rather than finding a single verse that supports Church traditions or one's own personal view (Isa. 28:10).

L. Liberty: Born-again Christians are not bound by the Law of Moses, but are to live in the liberty given to us by Christ (Gal. 5:1). However, we are still accountable to God for obedience to a higher law: the law of love (1 Cor. 8:9; 10:28-33).

C. Community: The word "community" implies there are members within and those outside of the group being discussed. In every community of which one is a member, there are specific behavioral standards of accepted conduct. Behavior which is accepted by the community is encouraged, while that which is considered wrong is an offense to one's brethren (1 Cor. 10:28-33).

O. Obvious problems arise when one consumes alcohol. It perverts one's judgment which is saying it makes a person vulnerable to poor behavioral choices (Prov. 20:1; 31:4).

H. Holiness is the standard for born-again believers (1 Pet. 1:16). Being under the influence of alcohol is incompatible with being filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:15).

O. Obedience to God's will concerning our behavior is how a born-again Christian shows his love and gratitude to the One Who loved him and sent His Son to die for him (Eph. 5:2). And because a man is less likely to be aware that he getting drunk with each drink, it is unwise to take the first one; God does not want His children drunk (Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11; 6:10; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:18).

L. Lord! Jesus is either our Lord or He is not. We either want to walk soberly in the Holy Spirit, or we want to "do our own thing" because "we can." It seems to me that since unbelievers think Christians are not supposed to drink, to do so would support what most unbelievers call Christians: hypocrites. If our calling is to be the "salt" that preserves truth, and "light" that points the lost to that truth, why on Earth would a Christian think it is okay to drink alcohol?

I am an alcoholic. I no longer drink any form of alcohol because I found that I was unable stop before I was drunk. I have family members (my gene pool) who believe a Christian can have one or two drinks. I agree with them, but like me, they do not seem to be able to stop with one or two. They have the concept of Christian liberty right, but fail to recognize the weakness of the flesh. And like all alcoholics I have known, their favorite line is "I can stop anytime I want to." My question is, why don't they want to? A.L.C.O.H.O.L. kills one's judgment, and one's witness for Christ!