Blog
“The Deceit Of Alcohol”
Categories: Alcohol, Daily Living, Lies/LyingConsuming Alcohol Deceives The Drinker
Jarrod Jacobs
The consumption of alcohol is a rampant problem in our world. In fact, drinking alcoholic drinks has become a “way of life” for many cultures where some of the youngest among us are brought up drinking alcohol. In our society, teenagers are encouraged by their peers to drink alcohol, as well as consume other drugs. In connection with the dangers associated with alcohol, including addiction, there are any other dangers. The dangers include destroying the body, the failure of marriages, losing a job, loss of money, and the break-down of the family environment. Underneath all of this is the very real danger of self-deceit. When drinking alcohol, people deceive themselves into thinking that the alcohol is harmless to themselves and others, and any harm they are feeling is the result of other things.
The other day, a friend and I were talking about the dangers and the deceit associated with alcohol. During our conversation, I was reminded of Solomon’s words, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler: and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). In addition to this, Proverbs 23:29-35 explains the results of drinking alcohol in great detail. People who justify drinking alcohol are deceiving themselves! With all the harm alcohol can do to a person, perhaps deception is the worst harm it brings! Solomon says it best when he writes that those who drink alcohol say, “I must have another drink” when they come off of their drunken stupor (Prov. 23:35). So long as one has deceived himself by denying the true reason for his troubles, he will continue to drink and ruin his physical health, his family, his life, and worst of all, he will jeopardize his soul!
We know one jeopardizes his soul in the drinking of alcohol when we read passages like I Peter 4:3-4. There, the apostle Peter wrote, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” The context of I Peter 4 contrasts the people’s old way of life with the new way of life in Christ (see also: II Cor. 5:17). In so doing, Peter equates all degrees of alcohol consumption (excess of wine, revellings, banquetings) with “lasciviousness, lusts … abominable idolatries … excess of riot”! We know that lasciviousness, and those other sins mentioned are not “harmless pleasure,” or ways to “relax.” Why then would we place the consumption of alcohol into such a category? Truly, we have deceived ourselves when we treat the drinking of alcohol as “nothing”. Alcohol will maim and destroy lives. In addition to these passages, let us add I Corinthians 6:10 and Galatians 5:21 to our study. Yes, the consumption of alcohol will jeopardize our souls. Stay away from it (Prov. 23:31)!
