Dr Paul Allen

“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 ) Whether or not the Bible clearly commands total abstinence from alcohol for Christians, it is increasingly being recognized that alcohol is the most widely abused and dangerous drug of all—causing more fatal accidents and injuries, more broken homes, more sexual promiscuity, more job absenteeism, and more disease than cocaine or any other drug. Yet it is widely promoted socially and increasingly is being accepted even among evangelical Christians. But the example of John the Baptist is worth considering. The angel Gabriel testified that he would be “great in the sight of the Lord” and then added that he would “drink neither wine nor strong drink,” implying a connection between the two. Indeed, Christ called John the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time ( Matthew 11:11 )—that is, greate...

Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin? Most recently, John Piper addressed this in another Ask Pastor John podcast , “ Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin? ” He takes the same basic approach, but he seems to have softened in his desire to persuade others to abstain. Was drinking deadly in Jesus' culture? For more from Piper on this subject, see these additional sources: “Don’t Turn to Alcohol, Turn to the Spirit ,” in “ Be Filled with the Spirit ,” a sermon on Ephesians 5:18 preached on March 8, 1981 “ The Issue Is Scripture! ” Taste and See article, October 20, 1981 “ Is It a Sin to Smoke or Eat Junk Food? ” Ask Pastor John podcast, February 1, 2008 Related articles Leaders and Alcohol (proverbialthought.com) Government bans supermarkets from offering cheap deals on alcohol (mirror.co.uk) Overcoming Alcohol Addiction (health-host.co.uk) Alcoholism (sharmamanisha.wordpress.com) Alcohol That Gives You The Worst Hangover (4umf.com) How Much Alcohol Causes a Hangover - and the B...

Image via Wikipedia "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ." ( 1 Peter 5:8 )   Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness.   One such word is the Greek word   agrupneo , translated "watch." In   Mark 13:33   we read, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning "to chase" and "sleep." It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.   More commonly used is   gregoreo . It is a stronger word, meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity as on the part of one who is fully awake. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith" ( 1 Corinthians 16:13 ), a...

Image via Wikipedia "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ." ( 1 Peter 5:8 )   Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness.   One such word is the Greek word   agrupneo , translated "watch." In   Mark 13:33   we read, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning "to chase" and "sleep." It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.   More commonly used is   gregoreo . It is a stronger word, meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity as on the part of one who is fully awake. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith" ( 1 Corinthians 16:13 ), a...