Jesus Makes Great Booze

It seems like this has been coming up in my conversations a lot lately, so I figured I'd take some time to write out some thoughts on this subject.

The subject, you ask? Jesus, booze, and freedom.

This is a subject that's been debated for centuries and I'm certainly not going to it settle here. But I do think that this debate brings up a bigger topic which I find interesting.

A little background.

There are some Christians who believe that having any alcoholic beverages is wrong. I think the reason they believe this because drinking too much eventually leads to getting drunk, which is bad. And on that point, I agree with them. Getting drunk is not a good thing and the Bible clearly forbids it.

However, not all drinking leads to getting drunk. I know for me that I can have at least two beers and not feel anything. Some people can't do that, or maybe they can do more. It's different for everyone, which is the point I'm making here.

Being a Christian isn't about following a set of rules, it's about your relationship with God. Sure, there are definitely things we shouldn't do but one of Jesus' main points throughout his entire ministry was that it isn't about checking off a list of do's and don'ts, it's about the love you have for God and your fellow man.

To be clear, there is such a thing as sin and we should avoid doing them. But what Jesus made clear in the Sermon on the Mount is the heart of the rules, not the letter. These rules were put into place to help you please God and to help you live a happy and decent life. For example, if you're married, you might have never had sex with another woman, but at the same time, you could be looking at other women and wishing you could have sex with them. Well that, as Jesus said, is the same thing as having an affair! Just not doing it doesn't make you good, it's also defeating that desire to want to commit it.

Keeping and knowing the heart of all those rules it the hard part of being a Christian.

Back to drinking, it's definitely wrong to get drunk, but perfectly fine to have a few drinks within your limit. But it goes further than that. There are times when I should check my freedom at the door. What if I'm hanging out with a recovering alcoholic? Should I have a beer then? No way! Conversely, what if you have buddies that like to hang and have a few beers? Would it be good to meet up with them for a beer and have a meaningful conversation? I think it would be.

What about seeing naked girls? Is that a sin? Well, again, I think it has to do with how you see them, not if you see them.

There is an awesome organization called XXX Church. Their specific ministry is to witness to those who are involved in the pornography business: porn stars, strippers, and prostitutes. Not only do they go to these places, they even set up a booth at their annual porn conventions!

Just as in drinking, where it's necessary to know how many you can have without getting crocked, you'd want to know just how tempted you'd be around a bunch of naked people. Personally, I'd need to stay away. My mind would turn quickly from the reason I was there. However, the men and women at XXX Church have been called to do this and are much stronger in this area than I. I'm sure that after being at one porn convention, they've seen enough naked people for a life time!

Gambling? Same thing. Know your limits. Can you go in, lose twenty bucks, and then walk away. Or would you be hitting up the ATM to go and "win it back"?

As the bumper sticker says, "Freedom ain't free" and it is most definitely true in a Christians case. Our freedom was bought at a price by Jesus and his sacrifice. And at the same, we need to be responsible with our freedom. Most importantly, we need to ask are we using our freedom to please God?

The Rev.