Is Social Drinking A Good Work?

            Who determines good works?   Titus 2:14, “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.  So, Christ redeemed us for one purpose. For his own special people who are zealous for good works.

            How and who tells us what is consider a “good work. Only God can. He tells us through commandments and ordinances given to a special people. If we do those things which God tells us to do, then we bring glory to the Father. Christ said in John 17:4, “I have glorified you on the earth. How? “I have finished the work you have given me to do. What was this work? The commandments that His Father gave him to do while here on earth. And by doing so, the Father was glorified.

            Now ask yourself, do you think social drinking is a good work. Do you believe that God’s word allows it? If so, it must be a good work. We are to be zealous for good works. If this is a good work, then it is our responsibility to teach this to the sinner in order that he may being redeemed and do the good work of social drinking.

            Eph. 6:4, as fathers, we are “ to bring up our  children up in the training and admonition of the Lord”. As a father, if social drinking is a good work, then I need to teach my children about this “good works” God has commanded. As in teaching any “good work” of God,  we need to start early in their life that  social drinking is a good work, authorized by God, and they need to get started as soon as possible.

            Do you think one command of God applies to one person and not another? Concerning an Elder in I Tim.3:3. Paul says and Elder should be “not given to wine”. Titus 1:7 says likewise. In I Tim. 3:8, Paul states concerning a deacon, “not given to much wine”. They define this phrase, “not given to much wine” as meaning, “ not to become addicted to” Nothing wrong with social drinking as long as you do not become addicted”.

            Does God prohibit Elders from social drinking and allow Deacons to social drink when he says of an Elder, “ not given to wine” and to a Deacon, “ not given to much wine”. Does he prohibit a good work in one, and not allow the other to do this good work? Does God give a command for one, and yet not the other. Do you believe by allowing Deacons to social drink, they are the only one doing a good work, for they are following God’s commandments? Do you believe these two phrases mean the same thing? Let’s look at some other verses concerning these phrases and ask some questions.    

         Prov. 23:22 says, “Do not despise thy mother when she is old”. Does this mean I can when she is young or middle age?

         Eccl 7:17 says, “do not be overly wicked." Does this mean then I can be a little wicked?

         Romans 6:12 says “do not let sin reign in your mortal body". Can we let some in just as long as we don’t let it take over?

          A person can be addicted or given to good things. Prov.25:27, “it is not good to eat too much honey. So we can be addicted to good things which we are warned against.

          As these verses show, when God says “not”, it does not mean a little. If this is what you think “not given to a little wine” means, then you can make the same application to these verses above.

          In I Peter 4:3, Peter there uses three words. Drunkenness, revelries, banqueting. What do these words mean and how do they differ from one another?

- CL Bruner