March, 2010
08 Are You Gospel-Shaped, or Just Religious?
05 Can Christians Drink Alcohol? (A Biblical Response From the Pastors of SGCM)
February, 2010
26 Newspaper Article
25 Beer and Bible
May, 2009
28 Grace Applied
25 Get a New Addiction
15 Don't Waste The Delay
March, 2009
19 "Certain young men..."
February, 2009
25 The Reformed Culture
18 Revival begins with humility
14 The Core Issue
14 The Health of Your Souls
05 The Qualification of a gospel preacher
January, 2009
31 The Kingdom of self vs. The Kingdom of God
30 Bound For Glory
23 Intensifying Desires
22 The Gale of the Spirit
10 Eternal Youthfulness
03 It Is Finished!
01 This much O Lord we want you!
December, 2008
31 Bible Reading for 2009
30 What do you hope for in 2009?
27 Post-Christmas Blues:
19 The Substance Behind the Shadows
17 Amazed Again
05 A Divine Gift
November, 2008
26 Feeling Sorry For Yourself
25 Why be in a Local Church?
18 The Gospel and Family
13 The Prodigal God
07 Billy Graham at 90
06 Kids...who'd 'ave 'em?
06 What the Gospel Does
01 Who are you?
October, 2008
27 ESV Study Bible
24 Interview with Wendy Alsup
23 Gospel-centred Parenting
22 The Problem of Bad Bible Teachers
11 Hard Words For Hurting People
11 Merthyr Produces Some Of The Finest
07 The Posture of Prayer
01 God-reliance!
September, 2008
30 The Discipline of Treasuring Christ
29 Practical theology for Women
29 The Essence of Sin
27 A Miracle of Grace
26 Keep Yourself Satisfied in God
26 How Passionate Are Your Praises?
24 The World's Most Shockingly Scandalous and Glorious Story!
23 Thirsting
22 Monday Morning Awe
17 Intimacy
15 Are you believing in yourself?
15 Your identity is not in your suffering
04 The Gospel Produces Hope
August, 2008
14 Why is there fighting in Georgia?
14 Impressive China?
14 What Tony does in his spare time!!
June, 2008
20 The Happiest Man In The World
19 Hanging with the guys!
19 Humility displayed through lopsided love
19 CJ's 8 most recommended books
18 Spurgeon quote from Sunday's Message
17 Heaven
01 Dad's and Summer holidays (Part 3)
01 T4G Session 3
01 Free ebook!!
May, 2008
29 Maria Sue Chapman Memorial Service
28 Dads and Summer Holidays (Thoughts from CJ Mahaney)
28 Dads and Summer Holidays (Continued)
22 "Where Is Your God?"
09 John Wesley's Accountability Questions
April, 2008
30 T4G Session 2
30 Singing at T4G
25 The Absolute Importance Of Doctrine
24 A Small Mind's Struggle For Retention
23 "Come and See" or "Go and Tell"?
22 Go On Being Filled With The Spirit!
18 America Trip (Final Part???)
15 America Trip (Part 2)
14 America Trip (Part 1)
10 C S Lewis on "5 Tips For Clear Writing"...and talking!
March, 2008
26 The Work of The Spirit in Seattle
25 Taking the Plunge of Grace
23 Jesus Is Alive
22 From A Desert To A Glorious Kingdom
19 Tim Keller @ Google
12 Great Worship Resources Going Cheap!
08 Motivation to Worship
06 The Reason For God - Book Review by Tim Challies
06 7 Characteristics of an Ingrown Church
03 The Reason For God "Doubting Your Doubts"
February, 2008
18 Tim Keller and The Reason For God
January, 2008
07 New Year's Resolutions?
December, 2007
24 Favourite Christmas Films - the Result!!
18 Richard Dawkins ... a Cultural Christian!!
14 Favourite Christmas Films
12 The Gospel and Suffering
05 The Unmarried Woman WIth Lots of Husbands
November, 2007
27 The Truth of Fantasy
23 Free Jonathan Edwards Classic
23 We’re Loving Merthyr! (Update)
22 A Nation in Mourning ... Why?
20 The Good Shepherd
15 Lest we forget…
12 We’re Loving Merthyr!
08 Religion verses The Gospel
08 What Is a Gospel-Centered/Missional Church...
07 No Rest For The Wicked!
October, 2007
29 Advertisers sure know how to grab our attention
15 Praying About Praying
08 Work: A Holy Calling
01 Baby Dedications
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Are You Gospel-Shaped, or Just Religious?
08-03-2010 | SGCM Blog | Gospel | Application »
Are You Gospel-Shaped, or Just Religious?
3 ways to tell.
1. Your reaction when things fall apart.
Do you catch yourself saying, "God, why is this happening? I've done x, y, and z?" Do suffering, difficulty, and obstacles provoke "why?" questions predicated on your goodness or effort? You've been working so hard, reading your Bible, going to church, serving others . . . why would God let this happen to you now? If that's your line of thinking, it reveals you believe God owes you. And that's religion.
2. Your reaction to others.
Do you compare yourself, bad or good, against others? Do you belittle, mock, condescend, even if just internally? Do you resent others' successes? Do you celebrate others' failures? Do you really wish people would get their act together, or do you really wish people knew Jesus? Are you frequently annoyed, put out, irritated, embarrassed, or inconvenienced by others?
3. Your appraisal of Jesus.
Is he your greatest treasure? That's the number one indicator of gospel-conformity. You may know right off the bat if this is true or not. For some, it's true only sentimentally or religiously. You may think it's true ultimately, but your time, talents, words, emotions, and bank account testify differently.
These are all heart issues. Anybody can get the behavior right. The Pharisees certainly did, and most of them went to hell. But this isn't even about looking Pharisaical or legalistic or churchy. There's a lot of Christian hipsters out there in coffee shop churches who have no idea they're just religious.
(HT Jared Wilson)
Gareth Lloyd
Can Christians Drink Alcohol? (A Biblical Response From the Pastors of SGCM)
05-03-2010 | SGCM Blog | Culture | Merthyr »
When the Merthyr Express reported that a “storm was brewing” we really didn’t anticipate the extent of the reaction that would be caused.
What began with a simple request to place an advert in the local paper quickly led to a visit from a local reporter (accompanied by a photographer), a “small article” eventually being transformed into a front page headline story which was also run in both the Western Mail and the South Wales Echo. This was swiftly followed by a phone call from Radio Cymru with a request to come on a religious affairs programme, followed by BBC Radio Wales asking if we would be willing to be interviewed live on air on their ‘Good Evening Wales’ programme. All of this (along with lots of encouragement and support) was followed by a tidal wave of often vicious and character assassinating criticism from some within the Christian community.
And of course it is not only us who have received emails, phone calls and visits but many of you have or will be asked questions about this and so our desire is that you are protected and informed.
One verse from the wisdom literature in the book of Proverbs has been quite relevant this past few days: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you become like him yourself” (Prov 26:4).
There are times when people can speak with such a rage, venom, and foolishness that the most godly and wise thing to do is remain silent. This can be difficult when you are being attacked, particularly when you believe you are being unfairly and unreasonably attacked. Often it is even harder when someone you love and respect is being attacked. These are the moments when we need gospel explosions to take place in our hearts. We need to remind ourselves of the undeserved grace we received even while we were enemies of God and the unpayable debt that has been cleared through Jesus’ death for us.
The temptation is to react to want to hit back twice as hard using theology as a weapon of destruction. Minimally our hearts can be polluted with bitterness but the bible has something to say; “… do good to those who hate you, ...” (Lk 6:27)
There is a verse that follows immediately after the one previously quoted in Proverbs which seems to contradict it: “Answer a fool according to his folly lest he become wise in his own eyes” (26:5)
It’s not a contradiction, remember these are “wise sayings” not commands. The point is that there are certain circumstances when the response of your heart to foolishness can be utterly foolish. The wisest thing to do is hold your tongue. If you were to respond you would later regret it. But there are also times when the wisest thing to do upon hearing foolishness is to set about making a humble, gracious and informed response in order to help individuals who think they are wise, recognise the foolishness of the position they have been taking.
Some of you may have heard explanations made as to why alcohol is sinful or at least inappropriate for a Christian. Without intending to be derogatory or arrogant in any way, part of the purpose of this paper is to answer the “fool in his folly lest he think he is wise”.
We have also specifically addressed various arguments that have been raised against us. Our purpose is not to win a theological battle but to express and explain how our desire is to base both our faith and practice on Scriptures alone.
We are at no point advocating that all Christians should drink alcohol. We recognise that this is a secondary issue and an issue of the conscience that Christians may, with gracious, loving and sincere motives choose to disagree on (see Ro 14). We have many Christian brothers and sisters who we do disagree with us on certain theological issues but because we are ‘one in Christ’ we love and respect them. Our unity comes from a love for the Saviour and a delight in the gospel of Jesus Christ that takes guilty and vile sinners and makes them righteous before a Holy God. It is scandalous and amazing grace and motivates us to treat one another with humility and grace.
The Historical Argument
We have been pointed by a number of people to a specific article that suggests that until recently the issue of alcohol in the church was never discussed and was certainly not an issue because godly men and women just did not drink historically in the church.
This statement is factually incorrect; closer research proves that among many others throughout the history of the Christian church, John Calvin, Martin Luther, CH Spurgeon and the Puritans all considered it acceptable to drink alcohol. Calvin received many gallons of wine as part of his pay; Martin Luther, the architect and instigator of the Reformation married a woman who brewed her own beer and is credited with many quotes stating how he enjoyed drinking beer; some of the Pilgrim Fathers when they landed in America built a brewery before they built their first church building! and Charles Spurgeon the ‘prince of preachers’ considered it acceptable to drink and smoke.
An organized anti-alcohol stance grew with John Wesley in the 1700’s and alcohol was outlawed amongst Methodists; this view spread to chapel-goers and clearly the most vehement opponents of alcohol were William Booth and the Salvation Army. This was a direct response to the abuse that he observed on the streets of London’s East End.
Whilst respecting such opinions, we agree with Robin Brace in his article, ‘Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol?’, that it is easy to lose “sight of the fact that all of God’s blessings to Mankind (food, prosperity, sexual love etc) can be abused where sinful lifestyles predominate ... ”
We will also note later in this paper that it is evident in the bible that Jesus drank alcohol; that Paul encouraged the drinking of alcohol and there are a number of verses that show that as far as God is concerned drinking alcohol is perfectly acceptable if done so in an appropriate manner. We will say more on these specific points later.
The Various Stances Christians take on this Issue
It is fair to say that there are three main positions that Christians generally adopt in this debate; prohibition, abstention and moderation.
Prohibition
People who hold to this point of view say that all drinking of alcohol is sinful and forbidden in scripture. They state that we Christians are to be separate from the world and not to engage in such sinful acts (i.e. drinking alcohol). Our most vocal opponents would hold to this view.
The strongest proponents of this view argue that for anyone to drink alcohol or associate with anyone drinking alcohol is a sin and can lead to hell. It has been stated in recent emails that as a direct result of our stance we “need to repent and be saved”, that we are “leading our flock to hell”, that “we are committing apostasy” and it is “an abomination to God.”
What is abundantly clear in the Bible is that drunkenness is a sin (Eph 5:18) and for obvious reasons. It leads to all manner of misery, devastation and destruction in people’s lives where all sense of self-control is lost. Drunkenness and alcohol addiction is one of the major problems in our locality. However, we need to be careful that we don’t hear alcohol and immediately jump in our thinking to drunkenness and associate all the references in Scripture to drunkenness with the drinking of alcohol.
It is interesting to see that on a number, if not the majority of occasions, the bible is wholly positive on the subject of wine and strong drink. There are of course examples of abuse and drunkenness but the potential for abuse never indicates the necessity of prohibition and we must be careful to study this subject in the context of the whole of Scripture not just a few selected texts that may seem to support a case.
In Deut 7:13 we are told of the blessings that the Lord would grant Israel, if they were obedient. These blessings included many children, wonderful crops and herds and that God would “bless ... your grain and your wine and your oil”.
The Israelites were encouraged to produce wine as a symbol of God’s blessings. When observing the Feast of Tabernacles they were commanded to behave joyfully; in Deut 16:13 we read “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast ...” (our emphasis added).
When the Israelites were given instructions to save their tithe carefully for their feasts, they were told ... “spend the money for whatever you desire - oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household” (Deut 14:26).
We need to be clear here (and some well intentioned leaders driven by a particular agenda avoid this point) - the original Hebrew word used (Hebrew: ‘shekar’ ‘intensely alcoholic drink’; Hebrew word number 7941 in Strongs) was a spirit drink like rum or whisky, probably made from dates but clearly very potent! The bible encourages God’s people to drink wine or strong drink when they feasted before the Lord.
It also appears that wine was involved in the ‘drink offerings’ at the tabernacle (Ex 29:40; Lev 23:13) ... wine at the place where God dwelt!
Judges 9:13 speaks of ... “wine that cheers God and men” .
Psalm 104:14-15 says “God...makes wine to gladden the heart of man”. Who created wine? God. Why? To gladden the heart of man!
In the book of Isaiah wine is clearly symbolic of great blessings ... “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Is 26:6 our emphasis added).
It is often argued by prohibitionists that the wine mentioned in the bible was unfermented wine (grape juice) or wine with a very low alcohol content. This argument, again made by well meaning individuals but with a particular preference and agenda, does not stand. It would seem to be contradicted by some of the scriptures above (“well-aged or well refined” wine). In addition the fact that certain passages in Proverbs warn against the abuse of alcohol and getting drunk (and indeed there are biblical examples of men who did get drunk on alcohol) strongly indicate that the wine was fermented because if they were drinking simply grape juice the risk of getting drunk would not have been an issue.
Some say Christians only ever drunk mixed wine and mixed wine was wine diluted with water. Only once in Isaiah 1:22 do we read of wine diluted with water and there it is condemned because certain people were trying to sell wine and ripping off their customers. When it speaks of mixed wine it is speaking of wine mixed with spices to give additional flavour etc.
The Bible does speak of grape juice (Numbers 6:3). When Bible says wine it means wine; when it says grape juice is means grape juice.
As we move into the New Testament we still see the command not to get drunk but once again the New Testament seems to be wholly positive towards the use of wine. The word wine occurs 37 times in the New Testament and is only used negatively (usually in the context of drunkenness or excess) on 7 occasions.
Many Christians are embarrassed that for Jesus’ first miracle he chose to turn water into .... wine! Amongst most scholars it is accepted that this was normal alcoholic wine (Greek: ‘oinos‘ , Greek word number 3631 in Strong’s). Obviously Jesus did not think it was sinful to enjoy drinking wine at a wedding or why else make it His first creative miracle! We should also note that the Master of the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2) thought this was great alcoholic wine and calls over the Bridegroom and says ... “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now”. Clearly this knowledgeable man did not think it was unfermented wine or grape juice.
One other point to note, do we think Jesus did not realise there was a risk of some people getting drunk or abusing the excellent wine He created? Of course He did and no doubt some abused the gift He gave them but He still created it anyway! The religious people hated him for it!
Did he ever get drunk? No … because although he was tempted in every way as we are yet he was without sin (Heb 4:15).
It is not inevitable that if you have a drink you will get drunk. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
It is a dangerous thing to act and speak as though we are holier than Jesus! He never broke God’s rules but He was quite happy to break the rules of men. We must work hard at not imposing our conscience on others (that goes both ways by the way - we will not impose our conscience on others).
Some argue very strongly that Jesus never took a drink. This is far from clear and indeed in Lk 7:33 there is evidence that he did drink ... “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine and you say ‘He has a demon’. The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners ..” The Pharisees and Scribes whom Jesus was addressing clearly saw Jesus drinking or else why throw the accusation that he was a drunkard?
In addition we see real wine being used in communion by the church at Corinth (1Cor 11:21, 23-26). The Corinthians were getting drunk on this wine when they came together as a church and Paul had to address that issue along with many others in this letter.
Paul also tells Timothy in 1Tim 5:23 to ... “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach..”. As far as Paul, the Apostle, was concerned there was no prohibition against drinking. It is not sufficient to argue that Paul was encouraging Timothy to avoid drinking the water because it was unhealthy; this interpretation would be a classic case of reading into scripture with our preferences and agenda. On a clear, unambiguous reading, with no preconceived ideas, one is forced to conclude that Paul considered it acceptable to drink alcohol.
A criticism and strong point made to us has been that Christian Ministers should not drink. Does the scripture give such a command anywhere?
In 1Tim 3:1-13 (esp 3 and 8) both elders and deacons are commanded not to be drunkards or given to much wine (the Greek literally means ‘not addicted’). This does not mean an alcohol ban but rather to drink in moderation.
Abstention
A second position that Christians adopt is abstention; this means to abstain from something that is potentially evil for the sake of wisdom or to avoid the appearance of evil. The point being made is that because something might be abused then it is better to abstain from it.
This position sounds good but if taken to its logical conclusion you would end up abstaining from everything.
Martin Luther says, “Do you believe that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object that is being abused. No! Men can go wrong with wine and women, shall then we abolish women?”
One of the great evils of society is sex abuse. Do we encourage abstention because of the potential of abuse. Obesity is another great issue, do we suggest people stop eating or encourage self-control and wisdom in eating. People are being killed in traffic accidents every week, should we stop driving?
The Christian community are called to be a city within a city, the redeemed of God who take the good gifts he has given them and use them for good and not abuse them.
Furthermore, what historically has happened is that the issue of wisdom eventually becomes a rule – a rule that is nowhere found in the Bible. Churches are filled with their own modern day Pharisaism; this Pharisaism has caused far greater destruction and devastation to the witness of the gospel than alcohol consumption has ever done.
The charge has been made that we are leading many astray because we are not avoiding the appearance of evil. A number of individuals have stated that we are sinners if we do not avoid all appearance of evil.
We want to challenge the use of the phrase “avoid all appearance of evil” (some people quote it as a bible verse) and what, in our opinion, has become a catch all comment by certain individuals who want to stop other people doing what they don’t think is appropriate.
Daniel Wallace Ph.D (Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary) calls this verse (which is actually based on the verse 1Thess 5:22 and is usually misquoted) “The Sin Sniffer’s Catch-All Verse”!! He has written an excellent article that can be found at www.bible.org (search articles written by him on 30.6.2004), which essentially challenges “scripture twisting”.
The point is that those who say you should not drink alcohol or be seen with those who drink alcohol because we must “avoid all appearance of evil” are twisting scripture. Greek scholars are agreed on the fact – and it is demonstrated in modern translations – that the best rendering of the verse would be: “Abstain from every form of evil”. Form is not the same as appearance. The context of this passage, which must not be ignored when using a scripture, concerns the exercising of discernment when considering prophetic words and keeping the good things God has said whilst getting rid of the bad things that men say. The idea of this verse is to stay away from bad or incorrect doctrine. It is not a verse that has anything to do with lifestyle and should not be used out of context.
In any event Jesus clearly didn’t worry about how things looked (see Mtt 11:19; Lk 7:34). The legalistic Pharisees were very concerned with what things looked like but Jesus clearly was not. The issue for us is the heart. We are not advocating visiting lap dancing clubs, strip clubs etc (as some have suggested we might want to .. just to show we are ‘free’). There have been some wild comments made suggesting that we do not care about the gospel or the Lord’s honour and are more interested in ‘seeker sensitive’ services than allowing the power of God’s word to work on a person’s heart. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are passionate about the honour of our God; we are passionate to see the life transforming effect of the gospel continue to move on our friends, family and the folk who live in Merthyr and the surrounding areas; we firmly believe that it is God who saves through the power of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in an individuals life.
However, we do also believe that we must create as many cultural contexts as possible for the local church to engage with the world. Our heart is not to pursue sin but to pursue the sinner and that means engaging with non-Christian folk where they are without ever engaging in sin.
It seems to us that Jesus operated on a relational basis with those who were outside God’s kingdom. There is a magnificent example of this in John 4 where Jesus sits with a Samaritan Woman (unheard of amongst the Jews and it appeared evil to the Pharisees and indeed even some of His own disciples!) and talks to her, gets to know her and brings the truth of God’s kingdom into her heart .. eventually this causes a gospel explosion in her heart … “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? ... Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony ...” (Jn 4:29-39).
Now, having said all the above, we are also clear that if a person chooses not to drink because of preference, conscience or just a lifestyle choice then that is perfectly acceptable (we have many individuals in our church who choose not to drink). We are not going to force our view on others and in the same way we hope others would respect our views without condemning us because they disagree.
Our approach is summed up in 1Cor 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”.
Moderation
This is the third position that certain Christians have adopted. This view says it is acceptable to take a drink in moderation but not get drunk; this view also accepts that it is acceptable to choose not to drink also. This is our view as pastors of SGCM.
If your conscience does not allow you to drink then do not sin by drinking but recognise that according to Romans 14 you are the weaker brother being referred to (analagous to the weaker brother who does not eat meat or who still regards certain days as holy) and you must not impose your conscience on another.
Equally important is that the stronger brother (he who can eat meat or drink alcohol) is in a place to show grace and if that person is in contact with another who could stumble then the stronger brother must do all he can to avoid the potential problem. In such circumstances we would not encourage people with an issue with alcohol to attend any event that might cause them to stumble but this cannot be taken to be a rule that you must never hold certain types of events (such as a beer & bible evening) or mix with individuals who enjoy a drink. For some though - they may wish to stay away ... again this is acceptable but they must not impose their conscience on others.
What is crucial according to this passage is that God is honoured in our heart attitudes in how we eat or drink.
There is an interesting couple of verses that may assist some individuals who have been quick to rush to judgment ... Ro 14:10-12. We want to work hard at not judging those who think differently to us or who have different preferences .. we hope others will do the same for us.
Drinking is not a sin; some are happy to drink some are not; ultimately it depends on a person’s conscience. Legalistic morality or rules and regulations cannot be imposed on God’s people.
A Word About Drunkenness
We strongly agree with those who say that getting drunk is sinful; this is clear from a number of passages in the bible (see Prov 23:20; Is 24:20; Ro 13:13; 1Cor 5:11; 1Cor 6:10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:18 amongst many others).
One only has to look around to see the damage that the misuse and abuse of alcohol has caused and we would not encourage any individual to drunkenness. As we have stated elsewhere, just because some may abuse something does not mean it has to be forbidden (or else we must forbid all things that have the risk of being abused).
However, as with all sin God has graciously provided a remedy found in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Anyone who pursues drink as an alternative for God is making something an idol in the place of God and is in danger of seeing themselves being shut out from the kingdom of God. But the gospel restores God to the throne of men’s hearts and makes a way back to God’s kingdom for all men and women - even the drunkard who has repented.
Here are a number of specifics questions and charges (with our responses) that have been put to us ….
Should we not separate ourselves from the world?
Some argue that verses in the bible say we should be separate from the world (see 2Cor 6:17).
We believe the context of the whole chapter here is to separate from a value system that puts God-alternatives as the idol/god in a person’s heart. If the scriptures mean we cannot live amongst unbelievers then we cannot do our jobs, live next door to an unbeliever … in fact we should be like monks and go and live in caves. Of course that is not what is meant here. What Paul has in view here is that the desires and preferences to follow our own values and not to live for God’s glory is something we must not do; we live for Him and love Him not the idols of this world.
In Jeremiah the Israelites are encouraged by the prophet not to listen to their own leaders who are saying, we must keep ourselves separate and live apart from Babylon (symbolically a world opposed to God in its Scripture usage) but rather to go in and live among them and settle among them and do them good.
Jesus did the same; he was in the world not of the world - we do not practice the same cultural/sinful practices; we do not engage in drunkenness or fail to exercise self control, we do not worship the idols of men and women because this is sinful.
We must not bring alcohol into the ‘House of God/prayer’?
It is important to state that it is a mistake to equate a church building with the Old Testament temple. The New Testament fulfillment of the temple was Jesus and His body the church (all believers).
Certain individuals have stated that when Jesus cleared out the moneylenders from the temple in John 2 he was protecting the sanctity of God’s building and so we should be the same. This is a misunderstanding of what Jesus was doing. The issue at stake in John 2 was that these Jewish moneylenders who had set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles were getting in the way of the Gentiles coming to God and seeking to worship God. The only place they (the Gentiles) were able to do so was the Court of the Gentiles – they couldn’t go any further into the temple. Jesus was moved to throw the moneylenders out because they were stopping the Gentiles from worshipping His Father; the building’s glory was not the issue the glory of God was the issue.
Our desire is that we do not want outsiders (unbelievers) prevented by our religious practices or preferences from engaging with God; if providing a relaxed, comfortable and familiar environment (say a bunch of guys spending time, enjoying a beer and chatting about the bible?) where unbelievers can mix with Christians and hear the good news of God’s grace allows them to consider or engage with God then that can only be a good thing. We believe Jesus would do all within His power to be culturally and contextually relevant - after all that is what He did anyway!
As a final comment on this question, we do not believe that alcohol in a religious building is any different to alcohol in another building. We respect and love the history of our building but whether we like to admit it or not buildings are of little consequence and we must do everything we can to make them welcoming and comfortable for visitors/unbelievers; the gospel moves forward by the power of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of believers to declare the great and glorious good news to those who do not know Christ.
Shouldn’t we avoid alcohol because our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit?
This is an argument often made by those who observe others doing something they disagree with. Interestingly it is rarely used when a group of Christians are eating excessively (which can happen all too often).
The verse at stake here is 1Cor 6:19 “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 brought with a price. So glorify God in your body“. It is important to understand that the context here is the exhortation to flee from sexual sin - the verse has nothing to do with alcohol and correct biblical interpretation does not allow us to use it in the context of alcohol simply because it suits our purposes.
Are we leading our flock to hell?
Amongst the more stunning accusations thrown our way is that we are “leading our flock to hell” by allowing people to drink.
What this comment exposes is a complete misunderstanding of the gospel.
If anyone equates drinking alcohol with losing our salvation they have completely misunderstood the foundational truth of the gospel and are doing the very thing Paul addresses and speaks strongly against in the book of Galatians; that is - adding a requirement to the gospel that is just not found in the bible.
Sometimes such intemperate, unbiblical statements are justified as being due to the strength of an individuals conviction on the issue of alcohol ... this is not a sufficient reason or excuse to make such unbiblical, angry and anti-Christian accusations.
We have and would urge all our critics, if you disagree with us, please do so using language that is appropriate between Christian brothers/sisters; pursue a humble and gracious spirit no matter how strong your convictions are, this is glorifying to God.
Is this issue part of the Devil’s plot to cause us to fall?
This is another accusation that has been made. We do firmly believe that believers should always be on their guard to watch and pray that they are not tempted to sin.
At SGCM we seek to operate within a system of accountability and care for one another; part of that is that we should guard against the possibility of excessive drinking (in the same way that we seek to guard ourselves and be accountable for other areas of our lives where we might fall) and would encourage each other to exercise self control and moderation in this and other areas of our lives where we might be tempted to sin. We encourage our members to ‘gently admonish’ a brother (or sister) who may be sinning or failing to glorify God with their words or actions; this helps us all to grow in godliness and pursue holiness as the bible encourages us to do.
As with many other gifts we accept that alcohol could be used as a snare and are fully aware of the harmful potential. But as we have stated previously the fact that a gift may be misused or abused by some does not mean that gift cannot be enjoyed. Some people use the gift of language and speech to harm others and cause hurt; does that mean we never talk? Some people abuse the wonderful gift of sex; does that mean a husband and wife may never enjoy each other intimately? Some people over eat or eat the wrong food to excess; does that mean we should never enjoy a good meal? Of course not! We must not single out alcohol because of preference, prejudice or incorrect teaching that we have received from well intentioned individuals.
Do we believe that alcohol draws people into the Kingdom of God or the power of God through the Holy Spirit?
Amazingly it has been suggested that we are placing our confidence in beer/alcohol to get people saved or draw them into the kingdom of God and that eventually they will fall away.
If it is not already quite evident from our comments above please allow us to state quite clearly …… we believe it is always the Spirit of God and the power of the gospel that brings men and women to salvation and nothing else. God calls men and women to repent and place their confidence in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. It is the Holy Spirit working in a person’s heart that allows them to respond to this glorious message of the gospel.
We do not seek to entice people using alcohol as some have suggested but we do want to create culturally relevant (not “seeker sensitive”) contexts into which we can invite friends, develop relationships and have opportunities to share the gospel with a lost and dying world. We believe this is far more beneficial and productive than standing in the street and preaching at those who pass by. Do we condemn those who do stand on the street and preach? Of course not, we simply disagree that this is the best way to reach the lost in this culture at this time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to restate that the purpose of this paper is not to engage in a theological battle but simply to explain how we understand the teaching and application of Scripture on what is clearly a controversial subject. We are saddened that there are some who have been offended by our position, though also grateful that some have written to us out of nothing other than concern for us as a church and the ongoing work of the gospel at SGCM. We value your care. We hope that this paper, at least in measure, goes some way to demonstrating that our practice is not governed without any thought to what Scripture teaches.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
In His service,
Gareth Lloyd and Tony Graham
________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1) All bible quotations are from the English Standard Version.
2) The following articles have been used, quoted or referred to:
• Should Christian’s Drink Alcohol? (Keith Malcomson)
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 – The Sin Sniffer’s Catch-All Verse (Daniel Wallace Th.M., Ph.D.)
• The Bible and Alcohol (Daniel Wallace Th.M., Ph.D.)
• Is it a Sin for a Christian to Drink Alcohol (Robin Brace)
• Can Christians Drink Alcohol (from Founder and Perfector website; author unknown)
• Alcohol sin? (www.GotQuestions.org)
Gareth Lloyd
Newspaper Article
26-02-2010 | SGCM Blog | Culture | Merthyr »
What originated with a request to our local newspaper to place a small advert for an upcoming church discipleship event has quickly developed into something far bigger than we ever imagined with three newspapers and BBC Wales wanting to cover what many seem to be considering to be a fascinating story. Furthermore, blogs are being written from both secular and Christian perspectives and extremely heated (and sadly, sometimes vicious) debates being conducted on Facebook pages. What is clearly an emotive subject to many has resulted in a strong polarisation of opinions. Our intention in the coming days is to present something of a reasoned explanation for the position we take.
However, for now we would like to express that it has never been our intention to cause offense or to disparage any other church, denomination or Christian group. We had no control over the way these articles were written, nor did we get opportunity to read the articles before they went to print and in places would certainly have worded them quite differently.
We do not believe that the practical outworking of the way we pursue the mission of the gospel is the only way and that every other church is inferior or misguided. We do maintain a strong and passionate desire that the powerful, unchanging truth of the gospel finds as many unhindered, and culturally relevant contexts for gospel proclamation as possible. My own personal, historical frustrations expressed in the article were not intended as an attack or slur on any church or tradition but rather presented as a reason for doing what we do.
Our passion has never been for the means or the method but for the glorious message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified!"
Gareth Lloyd
Beer and Bible
25-02-2010 | SGCM Blog | Culture | Bible »
What's all the fuss about then? Surely the people of God have always been pitching down the pints?
Apparently not if you were to read the Merthyr Express, South Wales Echo or the Western Mail. After flicking through these broad-sheets you would have to assume that not only have Christians never pulled a pint, but that the idea of a 'Beer and Bible' evening is a straight-up religious coup.
Have a read of the South Wales Echo article?
Well, it seems that everyone has an opinion. But this our invitation: Why not come and make your own mind up...?
We will be meeting at 7:00 on Saturday evening to have a few pints, bottles or cans, stay sober, and enjoy studying the whole Old Testament.
Carlsberg and Chronicles
Stella and Song of Songs
Peroni and Proverbs
Amstel and Amos
Whatever your drink come and enjoy the night. There will be both beer, soft drinks and bibles provided for free.
Some of you may ask: Why 'Beer and Bible'? Why not just meet to study the bible?
We would like to give you 2 main reasons:
1- Because we would like everyone to understand that the gospel is not about rules but about real full life. We would like them to become curious and walk through the door looking for beer, but walk out having found out about the real Jesus.
2- Because we happen to quite enjoy beer and absolutely love the bible. So it makes perfect sense to enjoy the two together with some of our best mates.
Curious? Come and see for yourself and enjoy a drink and the bible with us.
Dave Medlicott
Grace Applied
28-05-2009 | SGCM Blog | Gospel | The Gospel For Real Life »
In his devotional book 'Holiness' Jerry Bridges quotes C. Samuel Storms: "Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to bestow it in the presence of human merit ... Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it in the presence of human demerit ... [Grace] is treating a person ... solely according to the infinite goodness and sovereign purpose of God".
Bridges goes on to say: ".. if you despair of experiencing God's blessing because of your demerits, you're also casting aside the grace of God ... I need to be reminded frequently that my demerits do not compel God to withdraw His grace from me, but rather He treats me with no regard whatsoever to what I deserve".
What incredibly good news! Even when I fail, fall on my face under the weight of my sin, and feel unworthy to be called a child of God - He (God) does not withdraw His affection, love and mercy from me but rather continues to love abundantly and is willing to forgive me for my failings; not because of any inherent goodness in me or something special that I have to offer but solely because of Jesus and the work that He has accomplished for me on the cross. What a scandalous truth that is!
Sometimes that is hard for us to hear or believe because we feel so crushed by some ongoing or new sin but whether we believe it or not it is truth and a truth that God is eager for us to apply to our lives each day and each time that we fail.
Tony Graham
Get a New Addiction
25-05-2009 | SGCM Blog | Culture | Media »
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-do-you-break-free-from-addiction-to.html
Gareth Lloyd
Don't Waste The Delay
15-05-2009 | SGCM Blog | Gospel | The Gospel For Real Life »
Check out this powerful story here http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/05/claytons-story.html
Gareth Lloyd
"Certain young men..."
19-03-2009 | SGCM Blog | Church | revival »
This is a book currently being read by some of the men in our church and stirring souls towards a fresh empowering of the Spirit of God for the work of Gospel proclamation:
"Nevertheless, this book goes forth with a mission. It is written with the profound conviction that the paramount need of the twentieth century is a mighty evangelical revival such as that which was experienced two hundred years ago. Thus, I have sought to show what were the doctrines used of God in the eighteenth-century Revival, and to display the extraordinary fervour which characterized the men whom God raised up in that blessed work. Yea, this book is written in the desire—perhaps in a measure of inner certainty—that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more bring into being His special instruments of revival, that He will again raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ. And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labour and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives."
Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, pages 15-16.
Gareth Lloyd
The Reformed Culture
25-02-2009 | SGCM Blog | Culture | Bible »
Amen and amen to this blog from Ray Ortland Jr:
I like Reformed theology. I believe it's what the Bible teaches. But I don't like Reformed culture. I don't believe it's what the Bible teaches.
Reformed theology is all about grace deciding to treat people better than they deserve, for the sheer glory of it all. Sometimes Reformed culture doesn't look like that, feel like that, taste like that. It gives people exactly what they deserve, as judged by the Reformed person. But who exalted him as judge in the first place? Our true Judge stepped down to become our Friend. That theology of grace must translate into the sociology of grace as we treat one another better than anyone deserves, for the sheer glory of it all.
"If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride."
J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, page 15.
Gareth Lloyd
Revival begins with humility
18-02-2009 | SGCM Blog | Church | revival »
"Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble saint is most jealous of himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints . . . and to be quick to notice their deficiencies. But the eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. . . . Pure Christian humility disposes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, and to make the most of it, and to diminish their failings, but to give his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself."
Jonathan Edwards, "Thoughts on the Revival," in Works, I:399-400.
Gareth Lloyd