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Under the Influence

One of the big problems on our national highways is drivers who get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. While the phrase 'under the influence' typically has alcohol in mind, there are any number of drugs whose influence upon a driver could impair their ability to drive. The current national DUI standard is a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08. Members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are lobbying many states to reduce that threshold to 0.05. In technical terms, intoxication and impairment begin with one drink. In legal terms, the number of drinks required to reach the drunk driving threshold varies according to body mass. For example, a 160-pound man is considered 'under the influence' with just one 12-ounce beer. The same 160-pound man, after consuming four beers, will reach the 0.08 BAC threshold, at which point the law considers him 'legally drunk'. 

The purpose for setting forth these statistics is to establish a secular baseline for a discussion about the consumption of alcohol and Christianity. In my early twenties, I developed an addiction to alcohol. I occasionally drank wine and hard liquor, but beer was my beverage of choice. It became a daily habit that I found myself unable to break. I don't know if I was alcoholic, but I sure felt like one. On January 5, 1971 the Lord delivered me from drink in response to my surrender to him. After God called me to the ministry, I preached 'Total  Abstinence' as my position on alcohol. Since then I've modified my stance a bit. Rather than advocating total abstinence, I believe the Bible teaches total temperance (self-control) as a fruit of the Spirit.  

The first mention of wine in scripture is not a pretty one. It involves Noah, who drank wine to a state of drunkenness and was naked (“uncovered”) in his tent (Genesis 9:21-24). It's safe to say that Noah was 'under the influence' to the point of impairment. The word “wine” is the Hebrew yayin, from a root meaning “to effervesce.” The picture is a 'bubbling up' or fermentation. The wine that Noah drank had a level of alcohol content. In the third mention of wine, the two virgin daughters of Lot gave him wine to drink for the express purpose of producing an intoxicated state so he could impregnate them by means of incestuous sex (Genesis 19:32-35). The scripture provides us with multiple examples of the dangers of wine consumed in excess. Proverbs 20:1 is classic: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Proverbs 31:4 says: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine , nor for princes strong drink.” Kings and princes, in their positions of authority with corresponding duties, need to maintain unimpaired judgment at all times. The biblical warnings against the influence of alcohol as it pertains to wine and strong drink are unmistakable and irrefutable. 

The second mention of wine adds another perspective. Melchizedek king of Salem “brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God” (Genesis 14:17-20). In context, Abram had just finished rescuing his nephew Lot. Melchizedek provided Abram and his men with food and something to drink. The beverage was wine. While on the surface this may appear to be a contradiction, it is clear that the wine served by Melchizedek was in no way intended to produce intoxication. Abram consumed wine in moderation with the bread. It never produced intoxication or impairment of judgment in Abram or his men. We must remind ourselves that the final arbiter as to the meaning of a text is the context in which a word is found. While the word yayin may suggest fermentation, its context with Melchizedek could very well mean the king of Salem served Abraham and his men freshly squeezed, unfermented wine to go with their bread. 

The matter of intoxication (impaired judgment) is a gravely serious business with God, who instructed Aaron and his priestly descendants: “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die” (Leviticus 10:9). God expected priests to have ALL their wits about them, unimpaired, in the business of Tabernacle service. A priest entering the tabernacle 'under the influence' of as much as a single cup of wine was struck dead by God. This OT prohibition has particular significance to Jesus as he hung on the cross. The scripture says: “And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not” (Mark 15:23). Some say Jesus refused the wine so as not to diminish his suffering. The primary reason he refused it is linked to what he was doing at the time. He was performing his duty as our High Priest. On his cross, Jesus literally became the mercy seat upon which divine blood was sprinkled. In refusing the wine, Jesus complied with Leviticus 10:9. 

The New Testament uses two different Greek words translated “wine.” The first is oinos. It appears to be the more general word for wine. The context in which it's used, as with yayin, determines whether it refers to new wine (unfermented) or to wine that has intoxicating qualities (fermented). It is used 33 times in the NT. The second is gleukos (Eng. “glucose”). It refers to sweet juice freshly pressed from grapes. Again, its context can demand “the more saccharine (and therefore highly inebriating) fermented win” (Strong's). It is used only 1 time in the NT. 

The single NT use of gleukos is in Acts 2:13. The context is Pentecost. The Holy Ghost had fallen upon the disciples (Galilaeans). They were speaking in foreign languages (tongues) unknown to them. Some observers of this phenomenon mocked, and said: “These men are full of new wine.” The mockers saw the disciples operating under a heavenly influence. But they could only assign an earthly cause, that of wine. The context here demands the meaning of gleukos to be fermented wine. Assigning a meaning of freshly squeezed grape juice would insult the intelligence. 

Now for a few usages of oinos. Of John the Baptist, the Bible says: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb” (Luke 1:15). The link with “strong drink” demands a fermented meaning of oinos. There would never be as much as a moment in John's life wherein he would experience impaired judgment or intoxication. He would have his wits about him at all times. 

John 2:1-10 records for us the first miracle performed by Jesus in his earthly ministry. At a wedding feast he turned six waterpots of 2-3 firkins apiece into wine. Let's round off these numbers. A firkin is about 9 gallons. If the average size of those waterpots was 20 gallons, Jesus miraculously created 120 gallons of wine (oinos). The context demands a meaning of new (fresh) wine that has not undergone fermentation. The 120 gallons of wine produced by Jesus had NO alcoholic content whatsoever. At no time were the wedding guests at risk for intoxication or judgment impairment. Arguing that Jesus made alcoholic or fermented wine in violation of OT precepts is an exercise in futility. 

A key scripture is found in Ephesians 5:18-21: “And be not drunk with wine [oinos], wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” In this passage, Paul juxtaposes wine and the Spirit. The admonition has to do with the influence or control to which a man yields himself. The word "drunk" is methusko (to intoxicate, to become intoxicated). No specific level or degree of intoxication is implied. But we are told that intoxication due to wine is a breeding ground for excess. 

The word "excess" is asotia (a = without + sotia = savability; lit., "without savability." Thayer's Lexicon adds a meaning of "incorrigibleness" (incapable of being corrected). The Bible does NOT teach here that a man intoxicated with wine (fermented drink) is unsaved or unsavable. What it DOES teach is that habitual intoxication lends itself to incorrigibility of spirit. That is, a regular coming 'under the influence' of wine (beer, strong drink) may be indicative of an underlying stubborness that makes one unsavable, incapable of bending or yielding to Christ's authority. An incorrigible spirit manifests itself when a professing Christian seeks to justify his drinking. Whereas a man 'under the influence' of wine is prone to incorrigibility, a man 'under the influence' of the Spirit is prone to engage in scripture, singing, melody making, thanksgiving and submission to the proper authorities in his life. The logical deduction is that one cannot be 'under the influence' of (intoxicated with) both wine and the Spirit at the same time. In Paul's juxtaposition, the two conditions are mutually exclusive. We know for a biblical fact that ANY behavior by a Christian, including intoxication, that grieves or quenches the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) is SIN! The lost man who refuses to let go of his wine may one day find himself unsavable, incapable of yielding to and being corrected by Christ. The saved man who gives himself to wine and intoxication is certain to endure the corrective discipline of his heavenly Father.

The proper biblical question then for a Christian who insists that it's no sin to drink should be: “How many drinks can I consume before I'm considered 'under the influence' of or 'intoxicated' with whatever it is I'm drinking?” According to NTSB standards, the answer is: “One beer!” For our aforementioned 160-pound man, he'd be 'legally drunk' after four beers. Do you think God's standards are stricter or more lenient than man's standards? Do you think God's OK with you being "buzzed" as long as you're not driving a motor vehicle? If you knew Jesus considered you to be 'intoxicated' after a single beer and 'legally drunk' after four, how would that knowledge affect your view of a six-pack? If an 'under the influence' or 'legally drunk' condition fails to meet YOUR 'sin' threshold, how drunk (intoxicated) would you have to be before it became sin for YOU? Remember, for the OT priest, entering the Tabernacle 'under the influence' of just one dose of wine was enough for God to strike him dead! 

One of the many qualifications for a bishop (pastor) is that he is “not given to wine” (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7). The phrase “given to wine” is the translation of paroinos (para = to the side of, oinos = wine). It literally means one who keeps wine alongside, one who lingers with his wine and is thus given to wine. The man 'given to wine' comes 'under the influence' of wine and thus suffers from impaired judgment. Such a man is disqualified from being a pastor. Questions arise: (1) “Does coming 'under the influence' of wine mean one is given to wine?” (2) Is it possible for a man to consume wine and still meet the biblical qualification for pastor?” Some might say the time taken to consume as much as one glass of wine constitutes lingering time. If it IS possible for a man to drink a little wine without coming 'under the influence' of wine and having one's judgment impaired, then yes, that man is still qualified to serve as pastor. After all, Paul instructed Timothy to “use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities" (1 Timothy 5:23). As it pertains to deacons, Paul specified they likewise should be men “not given to much wine” (3:8). 

The references here are clearly to fermented wine. No man, whether pastor or deacon, would be in any jeopardy of intoxication for consuming a gallon of fresh, unfermented grape juice. It's worth noting that the medicinal value of wine lies in the grape itself, not alcohol content. The oinos to which Paul refers in these contexts may very well refer to unfermented wine. But for the sake of argument, if Paul had fermented wine in mind, we can be certain Timothy would not have become intoxicated by using the 'little' amount Paul recommended. I know of pastors who have a glass of wine with their meals but never become intoxicated. There are churches around the world that use fermented wine in observence of the Lord's Supper where participants never become intoxicated. It is an exercise in futility to use these pastoral passages to justify general wine (alcohol) consumption. We're talking about fermented drink in the neighborhood of a few ounces, maybe a shot of NyQuil, not a six-pack of Miller Lite. 

The preponderence of biblical testimony warns against wine and strong drink. By extrapolation, we can include any fermented beverage. The Bible may not yield itself to a doctrine of total abstinence. But it DOES make an ironclad case for no 'intoxication' and no 'under the influence' drinking. A Christian, to whom God has given a NT priesthood, who seeks to justify his or her drinking, social or otherwise, is mired in deception. Fortunately, the God of all grace and longsuffering gives addicted saints the opportunity to be delivered from addiction to drink. God's OT priests, on the other hand, never got a second chance! 

Here's the bottom line: The man who regularly, habitually yields himself to the influence of alcoholic beverages CANNOT yield himself to the control of the Spirit. Any man who claims he can do both at the same time is deceived. Such a man is headed for 'excess', unsavability or incorrigibilrness, the mark of a lost man!

 
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