“I’d rather have a sparkling mineral water, please.”

Photo: freefoto.com

In the past week I have been asked to hit the bar after a less than wonderful exam, share a bottle of wine over dinner, go for a drink with a friend, and offered countless alcoholic combinations at a party. The issue of how a Christian should approach this cultural predilection for the consumption of alcohol is a difficult one, but one that I think needs to be tackled.

Firstly, I do not think it can be contested that God does not want us getting drunk. There are countless passages in the Bible where we are told that this is a sin. God even makes it clear for us by telling us why: it makes us poor economically and spiritually (Proverbs 23:21–21), causes disagreements (Proverbs 20:1), leads to debauchery and prevents us from being filled with the Spirit (Galatians 5:18, Isaiah 29:9) and will stop us from inheriting the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).

As if we needed any more instruction, we are also told to keep our bodies both physically and mentally pure. They are to be “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). I doubt that much pollutes the body and mind simultaneously as much as alcohol! This verse also makes it clear whom we are answering to: God. It is not enough to be pleased that you do not get drunk as much as your corridor mates, because He tells us not to get drunk. Ever. This verse acknowledges that it is a ‘sacrifice’, but when it is compared to Jesus’ sacrifice to us on the cross it does not seem much to ask.

I believe that the question is really not whether it is okay to get drunk, but whether it is okay to drink at all. The Oxford English Dictionary states that to be drunk is to have consumed “intoxicating liquor to an extent which affects steady self-control” and that the word “tipsy” is “euphemistic for intoxicated, inebriated, drunk”. So being tipsy and being drunk is the same thing. The Bible is undeniably full of people drinking wine, although at that time it was the safer alternative to water. John 2:1–2 tells us of Jesus turning water into wine, but he did this to show that the wine that he made was the best quality. And none of the people who drank it were believers. Proverbs 31:6–7 says, “Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more,” but I do not think we are really that impoverished at university; if we are then surely there are better things to spend our money on!

Once again I think it is imperative to think about whom we are answering to. Luke said of Jesus, “he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth (Luke 1:15). We are called to be like Jesus. We are always going to fall short, but every little bit helps, especially when God has made it so clear that this is for our own good.

At university we are placed very definitely as witnesses amongst non-Christians, whether this be in our halls, our homes or seminar groups. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20) and this unquestionably sets us apart. We are told not to associate with he who “calls himself a brother but is… a drunkard” (1 Corinthians 5:11) and the words “calls himself” make it clear that it is not God who would call such a person a Christian. A lot of Christians do drink, and a lot of Christians who do not are scared to suggest that it might be wrong, but I believe that it is equally wrong to ignore it: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently” (Galatians 6:1).

If we accept that this behaviour is not acceptable as a Christian because it is not good for us, I do not think that we should endorse it for non-Christians. Although we may not be able to convince them of our beliefs, we are told to set an example in life and purity (1 Timothy 4:12) and Habbakuk 2:15 says, “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbours, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk…”. Our role is to step back and sacrifice worldly pleasure, but still be in this world. If that means getting out of the habit of having a pint or glass of wine just to be ‘normal’ then so be it.

Lizzie Grant