7. It is human nature to abuse things.

Slide 7 of 8

Let’s rewind to New Year’s Eve. My dad sat us down, the wine bottle sitting before us as if it were on trial.

“I want you to understand something,” Dad said. “Alcohol itself is not the devil. But even though it has no power, it is human nature to abuse it… to go too far, and make it something it wasn’t meant to be. So you don’t have to be afraid of it – but you have to handle it with care.”

Ten years later I still handle alcohol with care: Care for my brothers, care for my identity, and care for Christ. I’ve had wine with dinner and I cook with it at home. But I never allow alcohol to define me. I limit how much I have. I always remain in control of my actions. I don’t advertise a misleading lifestyle on social media. Alcohol will not control my recreation, my words, or my actions, because each of those things belong in submission to Christ.

Drunkenness is not a joke. It is an affront to the identity we bear as Christians. And because of who we are, we have the responsibility to manage our Christian freedom in accordance with our gospel identity – not our right to a “good time”.

Is it a sacrifice for some? Yes. But in choosing Christ, we chose to make our lives altars to His goodness, and our bodies temples to His Spirit. It’s a small price to pay for the fullness of eternity. It’s a small price to pay in light of Gospel Grace.

Content taken from the article “Should Christians Drink Alcoholic Beverages?” written by Phylicia Masonheimer. Originally published on phyliciadelta.com; used with permission. To read the text version please click the link. 

Phylicia Masonheimer blogs at Phylicia Delta, where she teaches women how to preach the gospel with their lives: proclaiming Jesus in work, love and home. Her eBook Christian Cosmo launches March 1st, 2017. 

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