did i commit a sin doing this

[fermy6]

Well my one friend turned 18(here in South Africa we are legal at this age)and I bought him a bottle of booze...I did expect him to get drunk off it but I bought it for him to make him happy...was this a sin on my part?

[Kunoichi]

I can't answer this in terms of morality. All I do know is your friend was the one who chose to drink in excess. Having access to alcohol (in my opinion) isn't a sin in itself, just as having access to say a gun isn't sin in itself. Its what' you do with it.

[K. Ayato]

I have to agree with Kun there. There are a lot of different opinions among Believers in regards to certain topics, alcohol being one of them.

You said you had no expectation of him getting drunk. From what you've shared, I don't see it as sin for getting him the bottle. I understand you feel bad for what happened to him afterward. Pray about it, and decide what's best.

[Atria35]

Jesus himself created wine for a wedding (John 2:1-11). Simply having alcohol is not a sin- it is when you drink too much that it does. It was your friend who, under his own actions, committed a sin. You didn't expect him to. It was under no circumstances your fault.

[fermy6]

Well actually what I meant to say was that I DID kinda expect him to get drunk...but it was the only think I knew that would make him happy

[Dante]

He'll make sure to tell you "yes" during the hangover XD. Whether it is or not seems like a gray area, there is a line somewhere in the Bible saying that we shouldn't get drunk, but that's more of an individual aspect than a group one - and even then you're more responsible for tempting him. If anything, it's certainly not part of the top ten, and odd as it sounds to me, it does seem like you did it with a loving heart (even though you might consider redirecting that care in a more "positive" direction).

[Juliannesan]

Well actually what I meant to say was that I DID kinda expect him to get drunk...but it was the only think I knew that would make him happy

Do you feel wrong about it?
If so, it probably is. And I'm not here to hammer on you or anything, or condemn you.

But next time, it probably wouldn't be the best idea if you know your friend is going to get drunk to buy him alcohol.

It's like buying a likely murderer, a gun. Just not a good idea.
If you love your friend, you want to do what's best for him, right? It may be difficult. But I believe that its best to avoid leaving the temptation open for him.

It wasn't necessarily your fault he GOT drunk, but it still wasn't probably the best idea you giving him the opportunity to get drunk.

But we all make mistakes, just learn from this and do better next time.

[fermy6]

I guess ill just try to see what else he likes so I can get him something else for his bday next year

[MxCake]

God does say that we should not be a stumbling block for others. as for a sin i cant say for sure if you feel bad and that your sorry for doing it then just tell God your sorry. he forgives :p

[Falx]

Fermy6 waar in die ou moederland is jy van? Ek bly in Noord Wes.

[fermy6]

Ek bly in die Oos Kaap

[Falx]

Lekker man.

[KougaHane]

Pardon my curiosity, but what language is that? It looks like Dutch or Afrikaans to me (although those two are heavily related)

[bigsleepj]

Its Afrikaans, which is related to Dutch.

En ek kom van Gauteng af, of soos party sê, die ou Transvaal.

[fermy6]

Ek het verlede jaar(2009) in Gauteng gebly maar by die einde van 2009 het ons Oos Kaap toe gesky...haha my Afrikaans isn't actually that good

[KougaHane]

That's cool! I really like foreign languages, but I thought in South Africa they spoke English and Swahili? For some reason I'm thinking Afrikaans was only spoken in northern Africa. Correct me please

[bigsleepj]

Your geography is a bit confused, sorry to say. Afrikaans is mostly spoken in Southern Africa, in South Africa and Namibia, nowhere else. Swahili is mostly spoken in Eastern Africa along with Aramaic (especially in Ethiopia). No local tribes speak Swahili.

North Africa I'm not sure about, but I'm guessing its Arabic dialects.

[Aedin]

God does say that we should not be a stumbling block for others. as for a sin i cant say for sure if you feel bad and that your sorry for doing it then just tell God your sorry. he forgives :p

God does say we shouldn't be a stumbling block, but I'm not sure buying someone legal counts as a stumbling block. He bought the bottle cause his friend would like it. He didn't force his friend to drink it or get drunk. It was all his friend's choice. I think fermy did nothing wrong and holds no responsibility. Like someone else in this thread, Jesus made wine. His first miracle was turning water into wine. He directly supplied the wine. But if someone got drunk off that wine, you think anyone would blame Jesus? Basically, fermy, you're cool, you did nothing wrong.

[fermy6]

Well I DIDN'T want him to get drunk...but its not like I didn't know he would...so concluding what everyone said...I could say that I did it with a good heart, but I kinda shudve known better...I shud save buying alcohol for my friends wu drink responsibly

[armeck]

i just thought of something... are you really 17? if 18 is the legal drinking age? how did buy alcohol!?

[MxCake]

God does say we shouldn't be a stumbling block, but I'm not sure buying someone legal counts as a stumbling block. He bought the bottle cause his friend would like it. He didn't force his friend to drink it or get drunk. It was all his friend's choice. I think fermy did nothing wrong and holds no responsibility. Like someone else in this thread, Jesus made wine. His first miracle was turning water into wine. He directly supplied the wine. But if someone got drunk off that wine, you think anyone would blame Jesus? Basically, fermy, you're cool, you did nothing wrong.

but you missed when he said he knew that his friend would get drunk off it. and knowing someone would get drunk off it is a stumbaling block.if he didn't know there really wouldn't be an issue.

[MxCake]

and you know when im of legal age to buy it im going to try and keep a good rule for my self if im going to buy alcohol it would be strictly wine.since anything else people just drink it to get drunk off it anyways. wines more of a cultural special occasion thing

[Yojimbo]

and you know when im of legal age to buy it im going to try and keep a good rule for my self if im going to buy alcohol it would be strictly wine.since anything else people just drink it to get drunk off it anyways. wines more of a cultural special occasion thing

Not true. I rarely drink wine. I drink beer mostly but occasionally spirits. And the last time I was drunk was when I was 16 and not a Christian. It's fine you have your personal convictions with alcohol but don't assume just because someone drinks beer or other forms of alcohol they're some drunkard.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18

Ephesians 5 specifically mentions do not be drunk with wine, so saying that specifically it's wrong to drink other forms is false. Obviously we take this to mean don't be drunk with any alcohol. Really it's important to look at the why rather than just the thing itself. That helps to stop blanket statements like that and focus on the heart of the issue. God doesn't want us to be led into sin from alcohol which when abused causes us to fall into sin in many cases. He wants us to be filled and guided by His Spirit.

Christian temperance pretty much didn't exist until 200-300 years ago. It's more of a personal conviction and/or denominational line than a biblical one. In my own experiences the Church in the rest of the world does not share in the views of alcohol abstinence as many American Christians do.

Besides arguably beer is older than wine and there's a lot more types of beers in the world. I would say that beer is just as culturally relevant and refined as wine can be.

As for the original topic fermy you obviously feel bad about this. Like others have said we should not be a stumbling block to others. You knew that he would likely get drunk. If that's his disposition then no it was probably not a good idea to get him alcohol. Yes they're legal but the issue was God's commandments against drunkenness not breaking the legal law of underage drinking. Your friend was still responsible for his actions but I don't think you weren't helping the situation either.

[Aedin]

but you missed when he said he knew that his friend would get drunk off it. and knowing someone would get drunk off it is a stumbaling block.if he didn't know there really wouldn't be an issue.

Yeah, I misread it. I thought he said he didn't know his friend would get drunk.

[fermy6]

i just thought of something... are you really 17? if 18 is the legal drinking age? how did buy alcohol!?

My friend who I went with to the party is 18

[armeck]

oh okay. okay that makes sense lolz