Liberty Bible Study Course - Alcoholic Beverages

Bible Study Course

Drinking Alcoholic Beverages

This Bible Course Booklet is lovingly dedicated to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and died for us that we might be saved from all of our sins; and also to the memory of His servant:

CARLTON RECTOR

(1911-1998)

a deacon of the Liberty Baptist Church for many years.He had been raised in the years when alcohol was outlawed in America. During that time, his step-father had made and sold an illegal, alcoholic brew. Brother Rector had seen first-hand the effect of alcohol upon the home: the fighting, the meanness, and the resulting poverty. He stood firmly against drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind at any time. Do you? This Bible Course may just change your life. At 86 years old, Brother Rector was still preaching the gospel in the open air at the park ministries, and pulling the gospel float in the parades. View his life story called, "Trouble Turned To Triumph!" (Tract #TR-E-150)

Welcome to Book 3 in the Practical Christian Living Series of the Liberty Bible Course. This booklet deals with Drinking Alcoholic Beverages. The Bible says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Does alcohol really give a person a more exciting life, or does it rob a person of real life? This study is written to be used with the KING JAMES BIBLE, otherwise your answers are going to be incorrect. Please get your Bible, and begin another exciting study that just may change your life!

Chapter 1

I. Did Jesus make and/or drink alcoholic wine?

John 2:1-11

A. Jesus could not have drunk alcoholic wine at the wedding feast, or He would have been disobeying the Bible commands concerning kings and princes.

Note: When people mention that they are against drinking alcoholic beverages, the question often comes up, “Well, if Jesus made wine, then why is it wrong to drink?” Many people assume that Jesus made alcoholic wine at the wedding feast in Cana, and so assume that it must be all right to drink it. But, as you will clearly see, Jesus could not have made or drank such a substance.

1. According to Proverbs 31:4, kings are not to drink ________, and princes are not to drink ____________ drink.

2. Revelation 19:16 says that Jesus is the “________ OF KINGS.”

3. Isaiah 9:6 prophesies of Jesus, and calls Him “The ____________ of Peace.”

Note: The Bible is clear that kings and princes are forbidden to drink any type of alcoholic beverages (whether wine, or stronger alcoholic-content drinks).

Jesus is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS, and

He is The Prince of Peace. If He drank wine or strong drink,

then He would have disobeyed the Bible command for

kings and princes — which would have made Him a sinner.

According to I John 3:4, “sin is the transgression of the _______.” If Jesus was a sinner, then He could not be our Savior. He would have had to die for His own sins, because the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is __________.”

If Jesus drank wine or strong drink, then all of mankind is hopelessly lost forever, and headed for hell. But that is not the case, for there would have been many witnesses against Jesus if He had drank any alcoholic wine at that wedding feast, and someone would have testified against Him at His trial before Pilate. But Pilate had to admit in Luke 23:4, “I find ____ fault in this man.” Jesus never drank any liquor.

B. Just because Jesus was said to turn the water into wine, does not mean that He made alcoholic wine. In the Bible, wine is a generic term, that is, a general term for a whole group or class of grape-related products.

1. In Isaiah 65:8, we see that grapes still hanging on the vine are called wine, because it says they are “found in the ______________.”

2. According to Proverbs 3:9,10, freshly squeezed grape juice is called wine, because it says “thy ______________ shall burst out with new wine.”

Note: Grapes hanging on the vine, or grapes being freshly squeezed in harvest time are not alcoholic. They are just fresh grapes and freshly squeezed grape juice.

3. Numbers 6:1-8 gives instructions to people who took upon themselves the vow of a Nazarite. They were told not to partake of any wine, and it was very specific in laying out what all that would include: “He shall separate himself from _________ and ____________ drink, and shall drink no ______________ of wine, or vinegar of ____________ drink, neither shall he drink any ____________ of grapes, nor eat __________ grapes, or __________. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the _______________ even to the ________.”

When you read the word wine in the Bible, you must carefully

consider the context of the passage to see if it is referring

to alcoholic wine — or if to grapes, grape juice, vinegar,

raisins (dried grapes), grape seeds, or grape skins.

Note: The Bible says in II Timothy 2:15 to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, ______________ dividing the word of truth.”

C. Jesus would have never attended a wedding feast where alcoholic wine was being drunk.

1. Proverbs 23:20 says that we are not to be “among ________-______________.

Note: A winebibber is someone who is imbibing or drinking — in this case, imbibing or drinking alcoholic wine.

Please notice that we are commanded not to be around people

who are drinking alcoholic drinks. If Jesus would have been at a wedding

reception where people were drinking alcohol, then He would have been

disobeying the Bible. That would make Him a sinner, and unable to be our Savior.

Note: The question is sometimes asked, “If you are not supposed to go eat where they serve liquor, then why is it okay to go to a grocery store that sells liquor to buy your groceries?” That is a good question, and we pray that God would raise up some Christian businessmen who would start grocery stores that do not sell liquor. It is a terrible thing to make money off from a product that ruins homes and destroys many lives.

This verse in question does not deal with a place where liquor is sold, but where it is consumed. Liquor is not imbibed, it is not drunk, in a grocery store. They sell bottles and cans of it there, but no one is allowed to drink it there. On the other hand, liquor is consumed in restaurants and bars that serve it. The above verse tells us not to be among people that are imbibing or drinking alcohol. What is the reasoning behind such a command?

2. Proverbs 13:20 says “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a __________________ of fools shall be destroyed.”

3. According to Proverbs 20:1, “________ is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not ________.”

Note: The Bible says that a companion of fools shall be destroyed. It also says that people who drink wine and strong drink are not wise. Now if someone is not wise, what is he? A fool. The Bible tells us that a companion of fools shall be destroyed, and that people who drink alcohol are fools. So that means if a person hangs around people who drink liquor, then he will become a fool himself.

D. Does “well drunk” in John 2:10 mean intoxicated with alcohol?

1. John 2:9,10 says that the ruler of the feast “____________ the water that was made wine,” and said, “thou hast kept the ________ wine until now.”

2. According to Proverbs 23:35, when a person is under the influence of alcohol, he can be sick, and beaten, but then say, “I ________ it not.”

Alcohol dulls the senses. It does not make them sharper.

If the ruler of the feast was sipping container after container of alcoholic wine,

then he would have become more and more drunk. His senses would have

thus become more and more dull. The whole point of his testimony was

to illustrate the quality of Jesus’ miracle. But if he was intoxicated,

then his compliment meant absolutely nothing.

Illustration: Picture a Christmas family gathering, and the table is filled with great desserts. Everyone at that point in time is usually very full, and some decline any desert at all. But you have saved a little room for dessert, and you ask for a big slice of that apple pie. You take a big bite of it, and then another, and you say, “Ma’am, this is the best tasting apple pie I have ever eaten!” Now that would be quite a compliment considering you were already quite full. Even good-tasting things at that point just do not seem so good, if you are too full. Everyone at the table would know that that was indeed a great pie, for you to make such a compliment.

But suppose that a member of the family came in late for the Christmas meal, and was drunk. As he stood there wobbling, he caught sight of his favorite pie — apple, so he asked for a slice of it. Now imagine him standing there trying not to fall over, and saying, “Wow, this is the best pie I have ever had! It is wonderful!” That would be no test of taste at all. He would just embarrass the family member who made it. No one would give his testimony an ounce worth of credit. Even so it would have been in the case of Jesus’ miracle, had the guests there been well drunk in the sense of being intoxicated.

What does it mean, then, when it says, “when men have well drunk”? It simply means that the guests had drunk a lot of grape juice from the punch bowl at that wedding. When guests first come, you would certainly not want to give them watered-down grape juice. But after they had drunk a lot of it, then the custom was to start watering it down a bit to make it stretch further. The ruler of the feast knew this was a common practice, and fully expected that the new batch brought out when the punch bowl ran out would be thinner, and less tasty. That is why he was so surprised when he tasted of it. In fact, he said in John 2:10, “thou hast kept the ________ wine until now.” He was saying that Jesus’ wine (grape juice made out of water) was better than the best juice they had started with that day! Now that really was a compliment.

E. If Jesus had made alcoholic wine for a bunch of people who had already been drinking so much of it that they were drunk, then He would have been helping a bunch of drunk people get more drunk.

1. According to I Corinthians 6:9,10, “the unrighteous shall not inherit the __________________________.”

2. List the things that are said to be unrighteous.

The Bible says that the drunkard shall not inherit the

kingdom of God. If Jesus helped a bunch of drunk people

get more drunk, then He would have been helping send

people to hell by His miracle. If Jesus was doing things to help

send people to hell, then He was clearly sinning. If Jesus

sinned, then He could not be the Savior of the world.

3. Luke 19:10 says that Jesus, the Son of man, came “to seek and to ________ that which was lost.”

Note: Jesus did not come to help send more people to hell — they do a good enough job of that themselves. He came to save people from their sins.

4. According to John 3:17, “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be __________.”

5. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17. Read the whole chapter, and notice His desire for us to be saved, and to enjoy eternity with Him — not eternity in hell. In verse 15 He prays for us, “that thou shouldest keep them from the ________.”

Note: It is very serious to say that Jesus made alcoholic wine for people that were already drunk. He did no such thing. He longs that every precious soul would turn from his/her sin to Him, and be saved. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look unto me, and be ye __________, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

How can a drunkard be held accountable for his

drinking, when we are told that alcoholism is a disease?

#1 — if alcoholism is a disease, then it is the only disease that the

government allows to be bottled and sold to the public.

#2 — if it is a disease, then it is the only disease for which the government

taxes you (medically-related matters are normally non-taxable;

like prescriptions, medical fees, etc.)

#3 — if it is a disease, then how do men/women who go to jail suddenly

recover from it? They do not get any alcohol there.

Note: Alcoholism is not a disease — it is sin. But what about the genetic link? What about the research that seems to say the child of a drunkard is more prone to be a drunkard? Yes, there is a genetic link involved, but we all have it — it is called a sin nature.

6. Please read Romans 7:14-8:18, and answer the following questions.

a. The law is spiritual, but we are “____________, sold under sin.” (vs. 14)

b. The apostle Paul, whom God used to write this Book of the Bible, said in verse 15 that sometimes “what I ______, that do I.”

c. The truth is taught in verse 21 that “when I would do good, ________ is present with me.”

d. He describes this in verse 23 as “another law in my members, ______________ against the law of my mind.”

e. According to 8:6, this is a battle of the flesh against the spirit, “For to be ________________ minded is death; but to be _____________________ minded is life and peace.”

f. The instructions for victory in this battle are given in 8:13, “For if ye live after the __________, ye shall die: but if ye through the ____________ do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Victory over alcohol is not through A.A. and its

unknown higher power, but through GOD ALMIGHTY,

who can be known personally.

Note: Not only the children of drunkards have trouble with alcohol. Every person has trouble being attracted to sin, because the genetic link goes back to the common parents of us all — Adam and Eve, and Noah.

7. Romans 5:12 tells us that Adam sinned, “and so death ____________ upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

8. Noah also sinned, and he even specifically had trouble with alcohol. Genesis 9:20-29 tells the story.

a. Verse 21 says that Noah drank wine “and was ______________; and he was uncovered within his tent.”

b. Because of his sin, his children, and especially his grandchildren were affected, because verse 25 says it caused Canaan to be ____________, and a servant to his brethren.

Note: Liquor is a curse to any home. It causes children to see nakedness that they ought not to see, and adults to be in a drunken stupor and asleep when they ought to be up tending to the children and family. If you have trouble with alcohol, what you need is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. After that, you need to then submit to the Holy Spirit, and deny the flesh its sinful desires. Only through the power of God can you be set free. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be ________ indeed.”

Jesus would never help a bunch of drunk people to get more drunk. He came to set men free from their sin. Alcohol steals many dollars out of the family needs, and many years off of the body’s health. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus came to do. John 10:10 says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have ________, and that they might have it more _______________________.”

9. The Bible says in James 4:17 that “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is ______.”

Note: If Jesus made alcoholic wine for those wedding guests, then He willingly did that which was not good, which means that He would have willingly sinned. If Jesus sinned, then you are lost without hope for ever and ever. But Jesus never once drank or made alcoholic drinks. The Bible says in I Peter 2:21,22 that “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no ______, neither was guile found in his mouth.”

F. Jesus would not have gotten more glory as the sinless Savior, by making a bunch of drunk people more drunk.

1. John 2:11 says that through this miracle (of turning the water into wine) He “manifested forth his __________.”

Have you ever seen a wedding reception where liquor was served,

that was spiritual and gave glory to God? Quite the opposite is true.

There is ungodly music played there. There is lustful dancing

performed there. People do not glorify God wherever

liquor flows, they blaspheme His name.

2. John 2:11 continues on to say, “and his disciples ________________ on him.”

Note: You will never see a multitude of people getting saved like that, if it is a gathering where the liquor flows. I Corinthians 6:9,10 says the opposite will be true. That alone tells you that Jesus did not make alcoholic wine.

REVIEW:

1. According to Proverbs 31:4, kings are not to drink ________, and princes are not to drink ____________ drink.

2. Revelation 19:16 says that Jesus is the “________ OF KINGS.”

3. Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus “The _____________ of Peace.”

4. If Jesus drank wine or strong drink, then He was disobeying the command for kings and princes — which would make Him a ____________.

5. If Jesus was a sinner, then He could not be our ____________.

6. In the Bible, wine is a generic term, that is, a _______________ term for a whole group or class of grape-related products.

7. In Isaiah 65:8, grapes still hanging on the vine are called wine, because it says they are found hanging in the ______________.

8. When you read the word wine in the Bible, you must carefully consider the context of the passage to see if it is referring to alcoholic wine, or to __________ juice (or one of the many other by-products of grapes like raisins, vinegar, etc.).

9. Jesus would have never attended a wedding feast where alcoholic wine was being drunk, or He would have been disobeying Proverbs 23:20, which says that we are not to be among ______________________.

10. A winebibber is someone who is imbibing or ________________ alcohol.

11. Alcohol ____________ the senses.

12. If the ruler of the feast was intoxicated, then his compliment of Jesus’ miracle would have meant absolutely ______________.

13. When the Bible says that the guests had well drunk, it means that they had drunk a lot of __________ juice from the punch bowl.

14. If Jesus made alcoholic wine for a bunch of people who had already been drinking so much of it that they had run out of it, then He would have been helping a bunch of drunk people get more __________.

15. The Bible says in I Corinthians 6:9,10 that the ________________ shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

16. If Jesus’ miracle was making more alcohol for people, then Jesus would have been helping to send people to ________.

17. Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to seek and to ________ that which was lost.

18. If alcoholism is a disease, then it is the only disease that the government allows to be bottled and ________ to the public.

19. If alcoholism is a disease, then it is the only disease for which the government ___________ people, (because prescriptions and medical fees are non-taxable.)

20. Alcoholism is not a disease — it is ______.

21. The only genetic link there is is called the “sin ____________.”

22. Romans 5:12 tells us that Adam sinned, and so death ____________ upon all men, for that all have sinned.

23. John 8:36 says “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be ________ indeed.”

24. If a person knows to do good, and does not do it, then to him it is ______.

25. John 2:11 says that through this miracle, Jesus manifested forth his __________, and that would not have been the case had He made alcoholic wine for a bunch of drunk people.

26. That same verse says that “his disciples ________________ on him.”

Chapter 1, 2, 3, Final Test Liberty Bible Course Directory