"IS 'ONE DRINK' A SIN?"
By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
Often a person will
ask the question,
"Is it a sin for a
person to drink a
beer or a glass of
alcoholic wine in
private?". The
honest Bible student
responds to the
above question by
sharing some
Scripture and common
sense comments such
as:
1) I Thessalonians
5:22 "Avoid every
appearance (all
kind) of evil.".
Booze has always had
a connection with
evil (wrong doing).
A report from "USA
Today" (3-21-92)
reported that
alcohol contributed
to the following:
a) 83% of fire
deaths
b) 72% of aggravated
assaults
c) 70% of sexual
abuse, including
rape, and incest
d) 69% of drownings
e) 60% of deaths and
injuries from falls
f) 54% of violent
crimes
g) 50% of murders
h) 50% of fatal car
accidents
I) 50% of spousal
abuse
j) 40% of
child-abuse deaths
Besides the terrible
effects on the human
race as stated
above, alcohol abuse
in the USA cost the
U.S. economy $85.9
billion in 1988.
This includes
factors such as
business days lost,
premature deaths,
and health cost, not
to mention the
rivers of tears shed
by effected
individuals, of
America's 15.1
million alcohol
abusers.
2) Romans 14:13b
"...make up your
mind not to put any
stumbling block, or
obstacle in your
brother's way." (see
also I Corthinians
8:9; I John 2:10).
The conscientious
Christian will work
overtime in
attempting to not be
a stumbling block to
others, even if one
can stop at one
drink and not become
a part of the above
statistics. No one
who ever took the
first drink believed
that it would result
in him/her becoming
an alcoholic.
Besides booze
filling one's mind
with impure and
perverse thoughts
and making a fool
out of one's self -
when purchasing
booze even to drink
in privacy, someone
is going to see one
doing so and use
this as a stumbling
block to keep them
away from church and
the Lord. Even the
doctor who
prescribes a beer to
flush one's kidneys
or a glass of wine
periodically
seemingly is unaware
of alcohol's
addiction. There is
always another
medication other
than booze. It is
too dangerous to
take the chance even
with one drink.
Playing with fire
will sooner or later
burn one.
KYOWVA EVANGELISTIC
ASSOCIATION
IS WORTHY OF AND
NEEDS OUR SUPPORT
1541 S. 7TH STREET *
IRONTON, OH
45638-2175
Web Page:
www.kyowva.com