Why We Believe Christians Shouldn't Drink Alcohol, part two.

Part two of a five-part series. You can start reading from the beginning here.

Poverty Results From Alcohol

"Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."—Proverbs 23:20-21

No one becomes a drunkard until that first drink has been taken, but that first drink frequently leads to a second drink and soon to drunkenness. And, yes, gluttony is also a sin. They are mentioned here together because they both are unproductive and are apt to bring you to poverty (leaving you penniless, even homeless.)

God Warns Us—Don't Look in the Wine Cup

"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright."—Proverbs 23:31

Simple enough. Don't look at it. Don't go there. Don't drink it.

Alcohol Is a Deadly Poison

"At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."—Proverbs 23:32

If you are careful, you can play around with snakes for a time and probably not get bitten. But if you continue to play with them, "at the last" they will bite you. Who in his right mind plays with venomous snakes? In that very vein, the Bible warns about the poison of alcohol. It may seem harmless at first, but it will destroy you "at the last."