Is it a sin to have one beer?

Ask Pastor Mark Driscoll this question and his answer will be, “No problem.” In fact, he may even buy the first round.

Obviously Christians disagree about social drinking. Many of my heroes of the faith would disagree with me, and in all honesty, I haven’t even convinced everyone in our own congregation! Even so, I must let the Bible answer that question, which I’ll do here.

It was a caller from North Carolina who put this in the form of asking about one beer. Why one? Why beer? He didn’t say, but he may have been asking the question many others would like to ask. Perhaps he was looking for a verse in the Bible that commands, “thou shalt not drink.”

Would it make a difference to you if I could show you one verse that requires total abstinence from alcohol? How about three?

Consider first the command given to priests in Leviticus 10:9. "Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.” (Leviticus 10:9) God’s rationale behind this command is, “that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken”

Then there is the command given to Nazarites in Numbers 6:2, 3. “When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink.” (Numbers 6:2, 3) God’s reasoning in this case is that, “All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.”

Thirdly, I’ll also mention the case of the royal family because the Bible teaches us that, “It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. (Proverbs 31:4, 5)

Our Southern caller, if he is reading today, might be thinking that this is all OLD Testament stuff. Ancient laws concerning Jewish priests, Jewish Nazirites or Jewish kings have absolutely nothing to do with New Testament Christians, right? Before he makes that argument, however, I’d encourage him to meditate on 1 Peter 2:9, where Christians are called “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.” It does seem that the Lord intends for there to be some correlation between those ancient laws and the Church.

But even beyond that, my friend, there is a principle that Scripture is teaching through this pattern. Why do you think that God would want to spoil the party for these fine people by giving them a commandment that did not apply to others? From the rationale given in the text we can conclude that these three groups of people were to represent God’s highest ideal, and alcohol in any amount would interfere with holiness, judgment, their ability to apply God’s will to daily life. These are things to which believers in any age should aspire.

Because of God’s requirement for priests, Nazirities and kings it is reasonable to conclude that He considers this a higher standard for His people and is one He would like to see in those who aspire to be close to Him. And because God doesn’t change, I would conclude that the same is true today. That’s why contemporary Christians today can apply these principles to our lives.

That brings us to the bottom line then in applying the Bible’s teaching concerning alcohol. Your own answer to the question will depend on your personal goals. If your goal is to find the lowest standard possible for a Christian, then I’d say drink up. If you are truly a child of God, Happy Hour is not going to keep you out of heaven. I would have to say, however, that if that’s all you desire from the Christian life, you have reason to be concerned.

If, however, your goal is to find God’s very best for your life. If your passion is holy living and a closer walk with the Lord, then I would strongly encourage you to follow the pattern given to us in the Bible and stay away from alcohol in any form and in any amount.

My great desire is for all of God’s people to experience the best that God has in store for them. So this morning, I’ll raise my Starbucks travel mug and propose a toast. “Here’s to God’s very best for you today.”