I sincerely desire and pray for Christians to receive, know and understand the Word of God concerning the adverse, destructive effect of all alcoholic beverages, even one drink.

There is so much falsehood and deception in today’s culture because the high, moral and righteous standards have been kicked out, condemned and considered old-fashioned and obsolete. Thus, most Christians no longer heed, read, memorize or daily study the Scriptures pertaining to this devastating topic. Why? Because “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

For example, a deceived, uninformed Christian may say to another, “It’s okay to drink, but just don’t abuse it.” However, this does not line up with the holy Word of God, which has 162 Scriptures pertaining to wine and strong drink. Over and over again, the Scriptures specifically reveal that any use is abuse. Jesus, the timeless Word, warns, “Do not drink wine or strong drink” (Leviticus 10:9) and “Do not even look at wine … [because] wine is a mocker [of God’s holy laws] and strong drink a brawler” (Proverbs 23:31, 20:1). Therefore, would Jesus, the sinless one, lie, be double-minded and then totally contradict himself by saying, “It’s okay, acceptable and right to have a beer at a ball game, a cocktail at a party, or champagne at a very special family celebration”? No, and a thousand times no! So how could one drink it if you’re not even supposed to look at it?

Ultimately, God never gives opinions or suggestions. God gives commands. And his everlasting word is without error because God cannot lie. The condemnation of alcohol has never wavered because “The Word of the Lord endures forever” (I Peter 1:25).

Therefore, all Christians should be like the “Berean Christians” who daily studied the Scriptures (Acts 17:11), and not be “cafeteria Christians” who pick and choose, and then “play leapfrog” over the Scriptures they don’t understand, don’t like, don’t believe in or don’t care to conform to.

So be wise and say “No” to the evil foe: wine and strong drink. Don’t stop with one — stop with none.

Bev Nesbit, Owatonna