Debauchery: Drug Addiction And Alcoholism. What Does The Bible Say?
In the last article about debauchery, we went through ‘pre-marital sex’. Now we will talk about drug and alcohol abuse. Drugs and alcohol are at the center of many Hollywood movies. People consuming the media are more and more exposed to this glamourized culture of drug-taking and alcoholism. Off and onscreen people are tempted to indulge in this new fancy lifestyle, which, according to theologists, will bring about their loss.
Youngsters are exposed to series such as Elite, or even Skins and are tempted to reproduce what they see on screen, inevitably leading down the path to a life full of debaucheries. Let see what the Bible has to say on drug-taking and alcoholism…
“We Have Evolved”
“So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.’
– Genesis 1:27
We are in a fast-living world and calling it evolution. Humans are so evolved right now. If you think that it is wrong to have sex before marriage, people will be looking at you as if you are an alien because humans have made it normal.
Now, keep in mind that God is not opposed to pleasure. He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest, but He also knows that the “pleasures of sin” will eventually lead us to places we don’t want to go and cost us more than we can afford. Furthermore, no matter how enjoyable the journey is, a manufactured high never truly satisfies. That’s how drugs and all other “enjoyable” things work: their emptiness draws us away from God.
God Wants To Be In Control.
“3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
–2 Corinthians 10:3-5
That does not mean that God wants to control your entire life, without giving you free will. You are more than free to make your own life decisions and it is these decisions that you make that will draw you either closer to God or farther from Him. Drugs and falling into alcoholism make us numb, and we are less likely to make decisions that please the Lord.
As disciples of Christ and children of the Lord, we must indulge ourselves in actions that will improve our lives. We should seek self-control and ask the Lord to guide us. When you are drunk, you are less able to control your thoughts and actions, thus going toward greater immoral actions.
Our Bodies Are Temple.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit
within you,
whom you have from God?
You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.”
– 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20
Drugs and alcohol destroy our bodies. In the long run, it will harm you physically. Long-term health consequences of drug use include harm to organs and systems in your body, such as your throat, stomach, lungs, liver, pancreas, heart, brain, and nervous system, cancer (such as lung cancer from inhaling drugs), infectious disease, and an increased incidence of risk-taking behaviors.
God does not forbid the consumption of alcohol, but He warns us about drunkenness. While the Bible does not explicitly talk about drugs, it has the same effect as alcohol and sometimes even worst, so it is to be avoided. Consuming a little amount of alcohol from time to time will not hurt you or make you a bad Christian but addiction will. Let us know in the comments what you think about the consumption of alcohol and drugs as a Christian…