Introduction:
Our subject is two-fold, dealing first with alcohol (which is
a drug! But, it’s legal), and then with illegal drugs (or controlled
substances, narcotics).
The word “drug” is generic. Think of all the things that are
sold that are peculiar to a “drug store” (like tooth-paste or shampoos
or combs). But we are talking about narcotic drugs. (Narcotic = from the
Gr., Narkotikos = that which numbs, stiffens, stupefies, deadens, and
therefore relieves pain). Alcohol is one of those drugs, the most
common!
“It’s okay to drink as long as I don’t do drugs” is a foolish
statement. Alcohol is one of oldest drugs around!
I. ALCOHOL (the legal drug)
A. In the first half of this lesson, the issue before us:
Does the
Christian have the right to socially consume alcoholic beverages? Does
God authorize the Christian to support (even moderately!) the liquor
industry?
1. The pro-drinker needs clear
evidence of two things: (1) God’s approval, and (2) of intoxicating
drink for human consumption, in the same passage. There are passages
about each, but not of both together!
2. Wine doesn’t make itself. Grapes
left alone rot, not turn into wine. Wine is made by wine-makers!
Wineries represent a man-made art. Remember, grapes don’t turn into
wine!
3. Alcoholic beverages have a
dangerous drug that has
mind-stealing powers: ethyl alcohol, the intoxicating agent in beer,
wine and whisky. It is depressant drug; it is addictive, mind-altering,
personality-changing, judgment stealing, and is damaging to the body. It
immediately, upon entering the body, affects the part of the brain that
operates our inhibitions, diminishing them. It takes away sobriety! Only
the liver can burn it up. It is as effective as marijuana.
a. toxin = poisonous substance. Intoxication = an abnormal state that is
essentially a poisoning. (Remember, the body is the temple of the spirit
within it that God gave).
b. sclerosis = hardening of the liver, an effect of ingesting alcohol
into the body.
B. . Eng. Word “wine” / Gr. Word “oinos” (In the Bible there
are 13 different words used for “wine”). “Wine” is a generic word for
both unfermented and fermented grape-juice. The word “wine” settles
nothing as to the inebriating, or non-inebriating state. The word “wine”
in our English versions of the Bible emphatically does not mean
exclusively “alcoholic beverage”!
1. It can signify the grape itself,
as also the juice of the grape or fermented wine (which without
distillation cannot exceed 14% alcoholic content).
a.
Aristotle’s statement: “The word “wine” (oinos)
is ambiguous and different wines behave in different ways”.
b. Neh. 5:18, “Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and
six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days
store of all sorts of wine …”.
2. It can signify the grape itself.
a. Deut.
28:39, ASV, “Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt
neither drink of the wine, nor gather [the grapes]; for the worm shall
eat them”. But we don’t gather liquids, nor do worms eat wine. So, most
English versions supply the phrase, “the grapes”.
But note the Septuagint Version: “Thou shalt plant a
vineyard, and dress it, and shalt not drink the wine, neither shalt thou
delight thyself with it (the wine-BHR), because the worm shall devour it
(the wine-BHR)”. Here the word is Oinos (Heb., Yayin) = “wine”, which is
gathered and which worms eat! Here “wine” stands for grapes!
3. It can signify fresh, unfermented
grape-juice that was
commonly drunk in ancient times.
a. Gen.
40:11, “and Pharaoh's cup was in my (chief butler’s) hand; and I took
the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into
Pharaoh's hand”.
b. Gen.
49:11, Heb. parallelism, “He hath washed his garments in wine, And his
vesture in the blood of grapes”. “Wine” parallel to “blood of grapes”;
that is, grape-juice.
c. Isa. 65:8,
“Thus saith Jehovah, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one
saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it…”
d. Isa.
16:10, “ …. no treader shall tread out wine in the presses…”.
e. Jer.
40:10,12, “gather ye wine and summer fruits”. (Liquids aren’t gathered).
f. Jer.
48:33, “I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses: none shall
tread with shouting”.
g. Joel 3:18,
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop
down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk”.
h. Amos 9:14,
“they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also
make gardens, and eat the fruit of them”. (Not, make wine; but, drink of
the vineyards).
4. It can signify fermented
grape-juice.
a. Prov.
20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth
thereby is not wise.”.
b. Prov.
23:31, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in
the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: 32 At the last it biteth like a
serpent, And stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange
things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be
as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon
the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was
not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I
will seek it yet again”.
(1) Note that nothing is said here about “excess” in drinking this wine!
c. Hab. 2:5,
“Yea, moreover, wine is treacherous, a haughty man, that keepeth not at
home; who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is as death, and cannot
be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him
all peoples”.
C. Let us comment briefly on some pertinent passages:
1. Prov. 31:6,7, “Give strong drink
unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul: 7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no
more”.
Is this an order to give a person strong drink, not only to the dying,
but also to the troubled in spirit, so that they can be “bombed out”,
and not feel their pain? No; we just read in Hab. 2:5 that such wine is
treacherous, and is as death, etc. So, let us look also at the previous
two verses (4, 5) of this Proverb: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is
not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes [to say], Where is strong
drink? 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice
[due] to any that is afflicted”. Strong drink is condemned!
Apparently, then, “give” here means “leave, or let”, those
who use it, use it. It is not a command to send the bitter in spirit to
the saloon! Note some example of this type of language:
a. Eccl.11:9,
“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the
days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight
of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring
thee into judgment”.
b. Isa.
50:11, “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about
with firebrands; walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands
that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand; ye shall lie down
in sorrow”.
c. Matt.
23:32, “Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers”.
d. Eph. 4:26,
“Be ye angry, and sin not”.
2. Jn. 2:9,10, (At the wedding feast
in Cana, Jesus turns
the water into wine), “And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water
now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had
drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom, 10
and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when
[men] have drunk freely, [then] that which is worse: thou hast kept the
good wine
until now”.
a. Remember,
our English word wine, in our day and time, carries with it a
connotation that must not necessarily be forced into the Greek word used
here, oinos! Don’t assume that Jesus made an intoxicating beverage
comparable to our well-known wines of today! What would take a lot of
time naturally, as the falling rain is absorbed by the earth and then
flows through the grape-vine to make grapes, from which juice is
squeezed, Jesus miraculously made that juice in a moment!
b. “drunk
freely” = half-drunk?? If Jesus made intoxicating wine (some 150 gallons
of it!), then he made something and shared it with the half-drunk people
at the feast and caused them to be even drunker! He would have then
promoted drunkenness; yet, according to Gal. 5:21, drunkenness is a work
of the flesh which will cause eternal damnation.
c. “good
wine” = means more alcoholic content?
Such a claim simply shows the prejudice of the person making it. In N.
T. days it meant pure, fresh, sweet. So testify writers of those times!
3. Lk. 5:37-39, “And no man putteth
new wine into old wine-skins; else the new wine will burst the skins,
and itself will be spilled, and the skins will perish. 38 But new wine
must be put into fresh wine-skins. 39 And no man having drunk old [wine]
desireth new; for he saith, The old is good”.
a. Jesus
could have meant that fresh grape-juice was put in new wineskins for
preservation, and not in old ones which, contaminated from previous use,
could then start fermentation and the carbolic acid produced would split
the old skins (as possibly it would even new skins). Note Job 32:19,
“Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent; Like new wine-skins it
is ready to burst”.
b. Or, if
Jesus had in mind new wine that had begun to ferment, then the new
wineskin would expand and allow for the fermentation to continue.
c. He is not
saying that “old wine” had alcoholic content while the new was just
grape-juice, and that that made it better.
He could be saying that the general view of the public then was (and it
can be proven by testimonies) that old wine (boiled juice made into
syrup and later cut with water was considered better (in flavor and
mellowness) than the new wine, or freshly squeezed grape-juice. As it
was appropriate to choose the better tasting of the two kinds of wine
(neither one being fermented), it was appropriate for his disciples not
to fast at that time.
d. Jesus’
point is the inappropriateness of certain things to illustrate the
inappropriateness of his disciples fasting at that time.
4. Rom. 14:21, “It is good not to eat
flesh, nor to drink wine, nor [to do anything] whereby thy brother
stumbleth”.
a. Some
assume that the “wine” here is intoxicating and that it may be drunk
providing no one is “offended” by it. They assume what they can’t prove
it and build an argument on it!
b. The
context and associated passages (1 Cor. 8 and 10) would indicate that
the “meat” and the “wine” here mentioned were such as were used in
sacrifices to pagan gods. The “wines” were poured out in offerings to
the gods. Whether it was non-fermented or fermented “wine” is beyond the
point. Both the meat and the “wine” here treated were of the things that
Paul calls “clean, good” within themselves, but could be used in ways to
cause others to sin. Did Paul, saying “clean and good”, have in mind the
destructive products of the brewery and winery?
5. Eph. 5:18, “And be not drunken
with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit”. Here
obviously the word “wine” has reference to the intoxicating kind; it
causes drunkenness, a work of the flesh. Such is the result of touching
the “mocker”, the “brawler”. (Prov. 20:1)
6. 1 Tim. 3:8, “Deacons in like
manner [must be] grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not
greedy of filthy lucre”.
a. The
pro-drinker is often heard to argue that this passage proves that it is
all right to be given to a little wine (to be a social-drinker), as long
as he is not given to much wine.
b. The
context will not permit this. There is no contrasting of quantities of
wine consumed. Paul had just said that the deacon must be grave or
sober. “Given to much wine” is the opposite of gravity and soberness.
Any amount of alcohol consumed diminishes soberness.
7. 1 Tim. 5:23, “Be no longer a
drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine
often infirmities”.
a. Not
“drink”, but “use” a little wine. Obviously the medicinal use of wine is
here referred. The medicinal use of wine is also seen in Lk. 10:34,
where most likely the wine was fermented and thus could serve as an
antiseptic.
b. Timothy
was to no longer drink only water, but because of his stomach problems
he was to use some “wine”. We do not know if the wine here is fermented
or not. Unfermented wine (grape-juice) would be very nutritional and
otherwise beneficial to his health, as opposed to the unfit water
available for drinking. Would “wine” (poisoned grape-juice), with its
ethyl alcohol, been so beneficial to his stomach?
Perhaps so, but it was still a prescription, not a social
beverage!
c. The
medicinal use of wine no more supports social drinking than the
medicinal use of heroin supports the drug traffic!
8. See Matt. 11:19, “For John came
neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 19 The Son
of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man
and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”.
a. Was this a
true representation of John and Jesus, or a misrepresentation? Where is
the solace in this passage for the pro-drinker?
D. The “moderation argument” (or, the “excess theory”). This
argument is popular, even among some brethren, due to the fact that
alcoholic beverages are socially acceptable in our society today, and
for a long time have been legalized. (Warnings of health hazards are
mandatory on cigarette packages; why not on wine, beer and whiskey
bottles? Answer: alcoholic drinking is too widespread and popular!)
1. It has been argued that since Paul
condemned drunkenness, he approved of moderation in drinking alcoholic
beverages. As the worldly-wise liquor industry says, “Drink responsably”.
Sounds good, doesn’t it. But it is not Scriptural! And, it’s a
contradiction of terms!
One’s response is deadened by the ethyl alcohol!
2. The social-drinker has to do the
proving that Jesus used and condoned alcoholic wine for general
consumption. The onus (burden of proof) is on him to prove that Jesus
made and shared an alcoholic wine at the feast of Cana (Jn. 2). But that
can’t be proven; Jesus’ conduct cannot be used to defend social
drinking. The pro-drinker is the one who must deal with the morality
question here, not I. I contend that Jesus miraculously made some 150
gallons of grape-juice and gave it for the consumption of those who had
already fully drunk of the same which man had prepared. Jesus would not
have violated Hab. 2:15, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink
…”.
3. The pro-drinker argues that since
Paul said, “not given to much wine” (1 Tim. 3:8), that it is all right
to drink in moderation modern-day wines (many of 20 % alcoholic
con-tent!).
a. Let’s try
that argument on these passages:
(1) 1 Tim. 3:8, “not greedy of filthy lucre”. Is it all right to be
greedy of clean lucre (money, monetary gain)?
(2) Prov. 23:22, “despise not thy mother when she is old”. Is it all
right to despise her when she is young?
(3) Eccl.7:17, “Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why
shouldest thou die before thy time?”. Is it all right to be a little
wicked?
(4) 1 Ped. 4:4, “wherein they think strange that ye run not with [them]
into the same excess of riot”. Is it all right to run into riot if not
in excess?
4. Whether with little (“moderation”)
or much ingesting of alcohol, that much poison is put into the body.
“But alcohol is used as a vehicle for disease-combating drugs”. Yes, for
reasons of conveyance and preservation. But in such an arrangement there
is a trade-off between the damage of the low percentage of alcohol and
the benefits of the disease-combating drug.
5. But, we are told: “In excess it is
condemned”. Anything in excess is condemned, even honey, (Prov. 25:27,
“It is not good to eat much honey”). Moderation is only in consideration
of what is good.
Nothing unlawful can be rightly done in moderation. In Prov.
20:l (“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth
thereby is not wise”) there is no exception made for moderation!
6. “Moderate, responsible drinking” =
equals moderate removal of discrimination, sobriety, and justifies the
selling (operating bars) and manufacturing (breweries, wineries) of the
product (for moderate use, of course)! All alcoholics started with the
first drink.
E. Social Drinking and the apostle Peter 1 Pet. 4:3, “For the
time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to
have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings,
carousings, and abominable idolatries”.
1. Winebibbings = literally, wine
plus bubbling up; that is, plentiful supply
2. revellings = Gr., komos. Thayer:
“drinking parties, …. indulging in revelry”
3. carousings = Gr., potos (think of
the English word, “potable”). Thayer: “a drinking, carousing”. “
Drinking bouts”, says Marshall’s Interlinear.
4. This is the TV picture of the
“good life”: Bright lights, music, handsome men and beautiful women, a
gala setting, and beer or wine in their glasses. “The man of
sophistication”: well dressed, handsome, and with his glass of liquor in
hand (and in the past, with a lit cigarette in the other hand!).
5. Peter says that we Christians left
all that behind; we no longer walk in such activities!
F. Some closing observations:
1. Most churches (and even many
churches of Christ!) use modern-day wines in the Lord’s Supper, arguing
that “fresh wine (or, grape-juice) couldn’t be kept long, and that
grapes weren’t available out of season in New Testament times”. False!
The evidence is abundant that grape-juice was boiled into syrup, or
semi-solids, (and also dried into raisins), later to be dissolved with
water into liquid form, that it was bottled in skins, and that bunches
of grapes were hung up and kept for great lengths of time.
2. “Where is the Scripture that says
that drinking today’s wines in moderation is sin?” Well, where are the
Scriptures that in so many words condemn X-Rated movies, gambling,
pornography, polygamy and concubinage, wife-swapping, live-ins, domestic
partner, etc.? Now, just who is demanding a passage that condemns
something in specific terms?
3. “Will one beer send you to hell?”,
a question prejudicially framed. One beer what? Per hour? Per day? Per
lifetime?
I answer with a question: Will 10? 100? 500? If 100 will,
will 99 not?
On what basis do YOU set YOUR number? One beer won’t maintain
the liquor industry, but if millions of persons take the “one beer”
route, the industry will be kept busy! The issue is one of attitude
toward intoxicating beverages: are you promoting the imbibing of them,
or opposing it? A bad attitude will certainly send any soul to hell. An
attitude of wanting to put bad habits and customs behind so as to
produce in one’s life the “fruit of the spirit” (Gal. 5:22,23) is what
is necessary to stay out of hell!
4. It is hard to keep up with the
statistics on alcoholism in our country! The soaring costs of loss of
life in alcohol-related accidents (often of innocent people who were
sober), of suicides, of loss of man-hours of work, of extended drug
treatments, of loss of income for the family and of other related
sufferings, run into astronomical amounts of dollars! I will not try to
introduce such figures into this lesson.
II. DRUGS (the illegal type) (“Controlled, by prescription, substances”)
(Much of what has been said about alcohol, the legal drug,
applies also to the illegal drugs. So, this section will be briefer).
A. Remember: every passage on sober, sobriety, soberness,
grave, self-control, is a condemnation of both legal and illicit drugs!
The popular illegal drugs to a greater or lesser degree alter the mind!
Numb!
Deaden the feeling! Transport to
fantasy land! Herein is their popularity.
1. Truth is reality. A lie (pseudo)
is fantasy, dream, wishful thinking, pretension, imagination, deception.
Reality and responsibility go hand in hand; a lie and irresponsibility
go hand in hand.
2. The choice is everyone’s, and
everyone daily makes the choice. But the choice, not the person,
determines the consequences. We choose Truth or Pseudo, but Truth and
Pseudo choose the consequences.
a. Jer. 6:19,
“I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts”.
b. Jer.
17:10, “ (God gives to man)….according to the fruit of his doings.”.
c. Gal. 6:7,
“for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”.
3. Reasons for youths drinking:
1 - to prove
their “maturity”, their social entrance into adulthood. Don’t adults
drink?
2 - to get
high = escape their problems (not confront and conquer them)
3 - to
conform, to respond to peer pressure, to appear “normal”: “everyone
everywhere is doing it”
a. But Christians are leaders (light, salt), not followers! WE turn on
the light; WE do the preserving!
4. “Recreational drugs” = really a
euphemism for damage to the brain, nervous system, body, and soul. They
produce an endless cycle:
Euphoria to depression, to more “crack” to get from
depression to euphoria, ad infinitum.
B. A general list of illicit drugs:
1. COCAINE - extracted from Coca
leaves, with is derivatives: rock (from appearance: chips of stone), and
crack (from the sound it makes in the pipe when smoked). Rock cocaine is
highly addictive and deadly!
a. It
produces euphoria, followed by devastating depression that in turn
creates the need to smoke it again! The addictive cycle. And to finance
the growing cycle? Stealing, which often ends in unintended murder.
b. Long-term
effects: Depression, suicide, homicide. It destroys the body and mind.
2. MARIJUANA (Mary Jane) - from dried
leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis sativa plant, smoked in pipes
or cigarettes.
a. Harmful to
the brain, lungs, heart, reproductive system and motor skills. “Stoned”,
or “Spaced out” = out of touch with surroundings; so, out of touch with
reality! This is the opposite of God’s command for us to always be
sober.
Saying No to marijuana usually is a No to the entire drug culture!
Or, its use is the door to the drug
culture.
3. STIMULANTS (“uppers”, in the
morning; “speed”) and depressants (“downers”, at night) = drugs that
contain chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system.
a. These are
Pep Pills (or amphetamines). They push past the normal limits of
endurance.
b. Effects:
Exhilaration, euphoria, and hyperaction that often results in accidents
/ death (specially among athletes).
4. DEPRESSANTS are sedatives
prescribed for anxiety, tension, insomnia, muscle spasms, and
irritability, but they have intoxicating effects.
a. Examples:
Barbiturates, Valium. The effect is much like that of alcohol: slurred
speech, weak and rapid pulse, shallow breathing, and with over-dose,
coma and death.
b. “Date
rape” drugs fall into this category.
5. NARCOTICS - (from the Greek word,
to numb, deaden), for relief of severe pain.
a. Example:
Heroin. From opium poppies. Smoked, inhaled, injection (“mainlining”).
It is highly addictive and has severe withdrawal symptoms. To support
the addiction, the addicts often engage in crime (robbery),
prostitution, and even murder.
6. HALLUCINOGENS - Chemically
manufactured drugs.
a. Example:
LSD, a powerful hallucínogen, was made popular in the “rebellious
sixties”. It gives a disoriented sense of direction, distance and time
(hallucination). “Bad trips” can result in loss of control and even
suicide.
7. INHALANTS (not illegal, but whose
purposes are abused) = chemicals made to glue, polish, paint and fuel
things, but which can cause a “high” (mind alteration) if breathed in
concentration (not in well-ventilated areas).
a. Examples:
Lighter fluid, glue, paint thinner, hair spray, vegetable cooking spray,
felt tip marking pens, etc.
b. Effects:
from light-headedness to relaxation and then to depression and even
coma. End result: hospital, prison, death.
c. “Sniffing”
damages the brain, liver and kidneys, throat and lungs. It is
addictive.
C. Conclusion:
1. Christians obey the laws of the land. They have no trouble
with “substance abuse”.
a. Rom. 13:1,2, “Let every soul be in
subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and
the [powers] that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth
the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand
shall receive to themselves judgment”.
2. Our bodies are not to be abused, but used to the glory of
God.
a. 1 Cor. 6:19,20, “Or know ye not
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye
have from God? and ye are not your own; 20 for ye were bought with a
price: glorify God therefore in your body”.
3. Addiction in anything is wrong.
a. 1 Cor. 6:12, “All things are
lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful
for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any”.
4. Cast your cares upon the Lord - no anxieties! The true
“tranquilizer,” the substance that can’t be abused!
a. Phil. 4:6,7, “In nothing be
anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in
Christ Jesus”.
b. 1 Pet. 5:7, “casting all your
anxiety upon him, because he careth for you”.
5. Father and Mothers: be parents, not pals. KNOW your
children’s friends, their music, their movie watching, their
expenditures, their use of time, their schoolwork. Lead them, not let
them! Lead them, not leave them! Neither “quality time” nor “floor
time”, but be parents at ALL times! Teach them to work, to help others,
to have creative hobbies, to lead orderly lives!
6. Humanism, with its preaching of “self-esteem”, has turned
children into spoiled, selfish brats. Teach a child to love, to give, to
think and do for others and he will get all of the esteem that he can
stand! And, he will enjoy what he is doing that brings that esteem and
appreciation.
7. “DARE to say No”. Why? Who said so? What motivation is
that? That is a man-made solution that isn’t working. Only fearing God
will solve the problem. The bottom line: not, “Dare to say no!”, but
Eccl. 12:13,14.
a. Eccl. 12:13, 14, “[This is] the
end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his
commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man. 14 For God will bring
every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil”.
b. That slogan is an appeal to pride;
it is a poor substitute for conviction and commitment to truth, to God!
Rather, be like the young man of Ezek. 18; he saw and considered!!!!
(1) Ezek.
18:14,28, “Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins,
which he hath done, and feareth, and doeth not such like …. Because he
considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath
committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die”.
8. Here is the reason to shun illegal drugs and all sin:
a. Gal. 6:7,8, “Be not deceived; God
is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that
soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he
that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life”.
The way of the cross, to heaven; the way of drugs, to hell.