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Galatians 5:16-21
· We have looked at groupings of the deeds of the flesh
· Gal. 5:16-21
· The last two 'deeds' Paul cites are drunkenness (methai) & carousing
(komoi)
· These are sins of physical excess
· The Christian cannot engage in this sort of activity
· Drunkenness & its consequences have been recognized since the flood
· Gen. 9:20-27; 19:30-38
· Prov. 20:1, 21:17, 23:29-35
· The allure of wine is great but its consequences are tragic & disgusting
· Isaiah 5:11, 28:7-8
· Hosea 4:11
· The New Testament also highlights the importance of avoiding intoxication
· 1 Peter 4:3
· Rom. 13:13
· (note also the use of komoi in these passages)
· As Christians, the Bible tells us of the importance of clear thinking-of
being 'sober', something alcohol impares
· 1 Thess. 5:4-8
· Luke 21:34-36-keep on the alert
· 1 Cor. 15:34
· 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13, 5:8-be sober
· leaders are forbidden from being drunkards-it impairs judgment
· Prov. 31:4-5; 1 Tim. 3:2-3, 8
· The Christian is always required to be 'sober' in his thinking and actions
· Being a Christian is serious business and we allow anything to affect us
in our service to God
· What about social drinking?
· The Bible clearly indicates that drinking was an accepted practice at the
time
· We are all familiar with the 1st miracle at Cana-water to wine
· Jesus was accused of being a drunkard & a glutton-a charge that would have
been impossible had he been abstinent as John had been (Luke 7:34)
· Wine at that time was the common table beverage
· Unlike American contemporary society where alcohol is a party and 'social'
beverage-their wine was what one drank with a meal
· And the wine itself was very different
· We all today drink water with no concern-turn the tap and out it comes,
purified and safe
· Such safe water is the exception
· In order to drink water safely in New Testament times, it often had to be
purified and mixing it with fermented beverages was the easiest way to do
that
· This is the sense which we ought to take in Paul's instruction to Timothy-
1 Timothy 5:23
· Wine mixed with water was the accepted way to drink it-to do otherwise was
considered intemperate
· Let me share some information compiled by brother Paul Earnhart:
· Homer mentions a ratio of 20 to 1 (Odyssey), Pliny to 8 to 1
· An AD 2nd C writer, Athenaeus writes of ratios of 3/1, 4/1, 2/1-he called
a 3/2 ratio 'strong'
· Plutarch: 'We call a mixture "wine", although the larger of the components
is water.'
· Maximum alcohol content was 14% & Palestinian wines was 8%
· No fortified drinks like we have today
· The drinking of such diluted beverages was a virtual necessity then, can
we say the same today?
· Rom. 14:20-21
· Modern drinking is much more akin to the drunkenness and carousing of Gal.
5:21
· This carousing (komoi) is the sort of partying that is the breeding ground
for drunkenness, gluttony and sexual sins- Rom. 13:12-13 (day vs. night); 1
Peter 4:13
· It recalls the sort of uninhibited parties, orgies, that were practiced by
the pagans, often in worship to such gods as Bacchus
· The Christian must always be sober and reflective-of a clear mind
· The Christians must always be a good and proper example
· The Christian must never intentionally place himself in the midst of
strong temptation
· Eph. 5:18-20-we need to be Spirit filled, not filled with spirits
- - Alan Cornett
