We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

The attributes of God, once so full of terror, are become [the Christian’s] shield, his stronghold, and his triumph; and he can think of all the glorious perfections of the Almighty, and then say, “I will go unto God, my exceeding joy.” His resistless power, His infinite wisdom, His unchanging fidelity to His word – all these are sources of triumph to everyone who, having believed in Christ, has become a child of God.
John MacDuff

Another occasion where alcohol is sinful is when our drinking causes another Christian to stumble. In Romans 14:12 we read, “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” The same principle is repeated in 1 Corinthians 8 where we are told to not take our liberties in Christ and use them to erect “a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor. 8:9). As long as sin is not involved, believers have Christian freedom to use alcohol if their conscience permits. However, God is very concerned that our freedoms do not cause another brother or sister in Christ to stumble. The Greek word for stumble is “skandalon.” What we are talking about here is someone for whatever reason chooses to refrain from alcohol but is now being tempted to drink by your consumption of alcohol in their presence. The Christian premise – we always restrict our freedoms if it means honoring the convictions of those we love in Christ.
Randy Smith