Social drinking

1) Virtually every Bible believing person believes drunkenness is wrong (see 1 Cor. 6:10).

2) In the church we are given specific instructions about some sin (1 Cor. 5:11).

3) Six sins prohibit fellowship, and these sins will be the basis for this study.

a) Our starting point is found in the word “covetous.”

b) What will make a person covetous? _________________________________________.

c) Neither money or possessions are inherently sinful; they are neutral items.

d) Can we determine if a person is covetous (1 Cor. 5:9-10)? __________.

e) How do we determine the exact point of becoming covetous? ____________________________.

f) Is covetous a “matter of degree”? ___________________________________________________.

g) Rom. 7:7 – We may be guilty of coveting and not realize it. Our standard may not be God’s standard.

h) Jas. 4:2 – We may covet but “not attain” what we want so the sin may continue to grow.

i) Ex. 20:17 – What does this verse suggest? ___________________________________.

j) One Jew may have wanted just an animal; another may have wanted everything listed.

IF THE SIN OF COVETOUSNESS DID NOT REQUIRE “FULL FLEDGED” COVETING (EX. 20:17 AND JAS. 4:2—IT CAN COME IN “DEGREES”), IS THIS ALSO TRUE FOR THE OTHER SINS IN 1 COR. 5:11? MAY WE APPLY THESE SAME IDEAS TO THESE OTHER WRONGS?

a) Next on the list is “fornication” (unauthorized sexual activity).

b) Unlawful sexual intercourse certainly qualifies as fornication. Is the all fornication is? ________?

c) Jesus said to look lustfully is adultery in the heart (Mt. 5:28).

d) Since God says there can be adultery without full fledged intercourse, what about fornication?

e) Stated another way, can fornication occur without sexual intercourse?

f) What about two teens fondling each other in a car? Is this fornication?

g) Sin does not need to appear in its “purest” and “fullest” form to be charged as sin.

2) A third transgression in 1 Cor. 5:11 is being an “idolater.”

3) In our eyes, who is an idolater? ________________________________________________.

4) The word translated “idolater” in 1 Cor. 5:11 is also used in the book of Revelation (21:8).

a) Here is a thought question based on Rev. 21:8: who is a “liar”?

b) No person lies every single time they open their mouths. Truth is sometimes spoken by all people.

c) Thus, what is the standard to classify someone as a liar? _______________________________.

d) Is there a “degree” of lying where one person is a liar and another that “fudges the truth”?

e) Where is the line between being a liar and lying on occasion? ______________________.

f) If this is difficult, let’s approach the matter this way:

i) A man goes into a store and demands money; he gets $5.00. Is he a robber? __________.

ii) If he takes the $5.00 and never again robs, how do we classify him? ____________.

g) Is it okay to lie as long as we don’t “cross the line” to the liar’s category?

h) Returning to the subject of idolatry: We often associate idolatry with worshipping stone/wood.

i) Is it possible to be an idolater but not worship a wooden or stone statue?

j) See Eph. 5:5.

k) Just as lust is classified as adultery, so a desire for money and/or possessions is called idolatry.

l) People often expect that a certain threshold to be met before we call something sin.

m) This standard is not what we find in the Scriptures.

5) Next in 1 Cor. 5:11 is a “reviler.”

a) Aside from here, this word occurs only in 1 Cor. 6:10.

b) Basically this word described abusive speech.

c) What is “abusive speech”? ________________________________________________

d) Is it right to be “rough” in our speech as long as we do not get abusive?

e) How close to the edge do we want to get?

f) A similar question may be posed for the “extortioner” (someone who cheats another).

g) A clear-cut case of this sin would be lying about our dependents when we file our taxes.

h) What about a lesser matter – we cheat to get a work promotion?

i) In this case, no one loses their job, but we get a job someone else deserves.

j) As long as we do not engage in “big cheating,” are we okay?

k) Our thinking about alcohol can be a lot like the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees – Mt. 23:16.

IF THE PRINCIPLES SET FORTH ABOVE FOR THE SINS IN 1 COR. 5:11 ARE RIGHT, DO THEY NOT ALSO APPLY TO THE SIN OF DRUNKENNESS? THIS IS THE QUESTION BEING ASKED.

l) If it is wrong to be stumbling and reeling drunk, what about “just a little alcohol in the system”?

m) If is this a valid argument, why doesn’t it apply to the other matters in 1 Cor. 5:11?

n) Why isn’t a little lying, a little anger, a little malice, a little gossip, jealousy or pride acceptable?

o) If “moderate drinking” is acceptable, how do we define drunkenness? Is drunkenness the “legal limit?”

p) State laws vary; may Christians in one state drink more than brethren in another state?

q) Do we come up with our own definition for drunkenness?

r) If so, do we use this same standard for other sins?

6) Again and again the Bible describes actions in 3 ways: light and darkness; flesh and spirit; good and evil.

7) The third category is morally neutral items. Is the drinking of alcohol morally neutral?

8) Two passages specifically comment on this matter: Prov. 20:1 and Hab. 2:5.

9) If the consumption of alcohol is not a morally neutral item, it must be of the flesh or of the spirit.

10) Eph. 5:18 mentions alcohol/drunkenness and also uses the “but.” This is also a key verse.

11) Paul drew a distinction between drunkenness (the flesh) and the life of the spirit.

12) The contrast in the Bible is not what many claim: “drunkenness” and “social drinking.”

13) The real question is life after the flesh and life after the spirit.

14) Neutral items such as “meat” (food) are rarely if ever associated with negative consequences.

15) Prov. 20 and Hab. 2 specifically associate some type of wine as destructive.

16) Alcohol is associated with injury (temporary and permanent), death, job loss, family disruption, etc.

17) Jesus once asked for a drink (Jn. 4:7).

a) What if modern beer existed in Jesus day and time the Lord said, “Do you have a can of beer?”

b) What if beer existed in the first century and this was what the woman offered?

c) Could we imagine Jesus in our day and time sitting down with a can of beer and a pizza?

d) If Jesus were accustomed to social drinking, how do we know He “never crossed the line”?

e) He was accused of being a “winebibber” (Mt. 11:19). How do we know this charge isn’t true?

f) Whether “wine” or “much wine” in places like Tit. 2:3, the point is unchanged.

g) God’s people are to stand in contrast to the world.