As you live life and participate in the workforce you meet many people who claim to be “Christian” brothers and sisters, but as you watch many of them their conduct doesn’t look very different from the pagans who deny Christ. So to be able to spot false “Christians”, a good tell is their adoration of alcohol as Peter gives us a wonderful clue.
1 Peter 4:1–6
Stewards of God’s Grace
[1] Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, [2] so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. [3] For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. [4] With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; [5] but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. [6] For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. (ESV)
Look at the company in debauchery Peter includes drunkenness and drinking parties. And in Biblical times strong drink was undiluted wine, as for sanitation some wine was used to purify water as it has compounds to accomplish this necessary task. But many people actually cooked the alcohol out of the wine making a paste that could be added to water for taste and to purify the water. So many alcoholic beverages today are far beyond what the Bible refers to as strong drink or undiluted wine, as well as no longer being needed for sanitation. And many hard liquors are exponentially more potent. Consequently, alcohol in large amounts is a poison that can cause you to be incapacitated and to black out, as well as opening you up for demonic influence or possession as in ancient times it was used as part of pagan worship in order to commune with pagan gods, or more correctly demons. And under the influence of alcohol people commit many sins they otherwise wouldn’t.
So long before you’ve had a chance to observe someone’s fruit as to whether bad or good, they will often show you who they are by how they consume or talk about alcohol, which is a mind altering drug (funny how drinkers can look down on those that use other drugs). Though, some have some clue about it being inappropriate and will try to conceal it, but it eventually comes out and in many instances they show themselves deceitful as they say they don’t drink much but actually consume it quite often. But don’t take my word for it, as I’ll post two sermons doing a deep dive on the science and history of alcohol as well as what the Bible has to say about it.