What other Scriptures emphasize self-control and avoiding drunkenness? Setting the scene: Proverbs 23:35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I feel no pain. They beat me, but I did not know it. When will I wake up to find another drink?” Solomon paints a vivid picture of a person so dulled by alcohol that even physical blows barely register. Scripture treats this loss of control as a serious danger, never as harmless fun. Wisdom literature: early and firm warnings • Proverbs 20:1 — “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” • Isaiah 5:11 — “Woe to those who rise early in the morning to pursue strong drink, who linger into the evening to be inflamed with wine.” • Habakkuk 2:15 — “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their nakedness!” Across centuries, God’s word consistently links intoxication with mockery, violence, shame, and exploitation. New-covenant clarity: walk in the Spirit, not in drunkenness • Ephesians 5:18 — “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” • Galatians 5:19-23 — Drunkenness stands among the “acts of the flesh,” while “self-control” crowns the fruit of the Spirit. • Romans 13:13-14 — “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness… Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 — “Nor drunkards… will inherit the kingdom of God.” • Luke 21:34 — “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of life…” Leadership and example: higher standards for shepherds • 1 Timothy 3:2-3 — An overseer must be “temperate… not dependent on wine.” • Titus 1:7-8 — God’s steward must be “not given to drunkenness” but “self-controlled.” • Titus 2:2-3 — Older men and women alike are to be “temperate” and “not enslaved to much wine.” When those charged with caring for others remain sober-minded, the whole flock benefits. Self-control as a hallmark of maturity • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 — Paul disciplines his body “so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” • 2 Peter 1:5-6 — Believers are to “make every effort” to add “self-control” to their faith. • 1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The Spirit-empowered virtue of self-government protects us from bondage to any substance, habit, or impulse. Living alert in the last days • 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 — “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober… put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation.” We stay watchful for Christ’s return by remaining clear-headed today. Bringing it together Scripture speaks with one voice: intoxication dulls the senses, erodes judgment, and invites sin, while Spirit-led self-control keeps the believer alert, useful, and ready for every good work. |
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