Alcoholism: Disease or Sin?
The scripture answers this question for us and in doing so provides hope. The scripture does not give a confused picture of alcoholism. Alcoholism is actually misplaced worship. Any addiction is fundamentally a complete giving of ones life and body to self-gratification which by definition is self-worship. We are called to worship God rather than self. We worship God with our lives and our body through holy living; He says this is our reasonable service.
Rom 12:1-2(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Drunkenness never honors God, and if habitual, will lead to physical, emotional, and spiritual bondage.
Scriptural Views of Drunkenness
Drunkenness Leads to Poverty
Proverbs 21:17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
Drunkenness leads to Woe (a miserable state), Sorrow, and Strife
Proverbs 23:29-30 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Drunkenness Leads to Contempt (no respect) for God.
Isaiah 5:11-12 11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! 12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Drunkenness Overcharges (weighs down) the Heart and Causes One to be Unaware of the Realities of Life
Luke 21:34 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (weighed down) with surfeiting (giddiness), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Drunkenness Takes Away (captures) the Heart
Hosea 4:10-11 10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. 11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Drunkenness Will Mock You, It will Laugh at You, and It will Deceive the Foolish.
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Drunkenness is a Work of the Flesh
Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Be Not Drunk but Be Filled With The Spirit
Ephesians 5:18-19 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (a wasted life); but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Drunkenness Excludes from Heaven
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
God sees and understands alcoholism and gives us understanding so that we may be free of this life controlling condition.
Alcoholism is ultimately a moral issue; a heart problem. The good news is that God in His goodness has given us answers for moral issues. He sets us free from sinful lifestyles by putting His Spirit within us. We are a new creation of God's Spirit and the result is that we now have the power to defeat our old habits. Salvation is not only a justifying work but also a sanctifying work.
Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.
Isaiah Speaks to Alcoholics
Isaiah 28:7-8 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Isaiah says they erred through wine
Alcoholism has caused them to wander, to meander, to swerve or take the wrong road. They were wandering from the purpose and meaning of their life. You personally were created by God for a reason. Your existence has meaning. You have a purpose. But alcoholism controls and causes us to not see or comprehend the purpose of our existence.
Isaiah says their lives were swallowed up-swallowed up of wine
This is ironic, in alcoholism we are not swallowing wine, it is swallowing us. To be swallowed by wine is to be devoured, to be destroyed, to come to an end.
Isaiah says they are out of the way
Out of the way refers to being out of the way that God has purposed for us. God has purposed each of us to live in such a way that honors Him as God. This is what our life is about. Life is about reflecting God; His goodness, His character, His honesty, His wisdom, His mercy, His kindness, etc. Our lives are to reflect Him-In other words God is not an alcoholic, therefore we should not be alcoholics. Our purpose is to act like Him.
Isaiah says they err in vision
To err in vision is to not see the value or beauty of the life that God has called us to live. Alcoholism puts our eyes on ourselves. Alcoholism causes us to see only with our eyes; God has called us to see with His eyes. Alcohol causes a man to not see or have respect for God or His Word; alcoholism will cause us to have contempt for God, His ways, and His purposes for us.
Isaiah says wine causes them to stumble in judgment
To stumble in judgment means to reel or trip in the decision making process. A person that errs in vision does not have the ability to make wise decisions. Their choices are chronically poor or destructive. Their choices do not lead to them to honor God, but their chronic drinking reflects a lack understanding about the real consequences of their behavior.
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Alcoholism is Sin
Sin is missing the mark. We have been called to live for God. Alcoholism is living for oneself. It is wrong to be an alcoholic.
Real Change Begins With Repentance
The goodness of God leads us to repentance. Repentance is a change of heart and mind. It is coming to God and confessing that our way is a wrong way and His way is the right way; we then turning from our way to His way.
Salvation is the Only Answer for Alcoholism
Salvation includes real forgiveness and a release from the guilt of alcoholism. Salvation makes us completely new on the inside by giving us a new heart and a new Spirit. Salvation changes our behavior by changing the person at heart level. All other therapies/remedies do not change the person. Therapy may change the fruit, but God alone is able to change the root. Only God makes a new person.
I accept Jesus Christ as My Savior
Jesus Christ makes us acceptable to God. He makes our prayers, our repentance, and our confessions, acceptable to God. That’s what it means to have a Savior, He saves from God’s wrath and makes us acceptable to God. All our sins are placed upon Jesus Christ. He becomes our sin bearer, hence, the Lamb of God. This is why we cannot be saved or delivered from sin apart from Christ, only He can bear our sins, only the blood of Jesus Christ can atone for sins. Not our church, not a man, not an angel, not wisdom, not sincerity, none of these bled and died for you. The One that was crucified, buried, and then rose from the dead is the only One that can save you.
Come to Him, the Bread and Water of Life, that you might find rest for your souls. He will take your sins and in return give you His Spirit and reconcile you to God. Only forgiveness makes one right with God, and only Jesus can forgive.
God promises to give a new heart
It is only with a new heart that we can truly change. As long as we keep our old heart-there is no lasting change. A new heart is God’s gift in response to our accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. God says He will give us a new heart and a new Spirit.
The promises of God are to “Whosoever”
You can change, you have not gone to far. God does not hate you. Jesus came to save “sinners”.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.