Renowned Bible teacher John Piper recently addressed the question of whether caffeinated beverages like energy drinks can have a negative impact on a Christian’s spiritual life.
On Monday’s episode of the podcast “Ask Pastor John,” a listener named Jose told Piper that caffeinated drinks are “controversial in our youth group.”
“As someone who likes drinks, I wondered if there were any negative effects or reasons not to drink them,” Jose asked. “They help me stay focused and energized during the workday. I only drink one every two or three days, but I’ve been getting spiritual insights to help me run this race without slowing down. I want to gain strength.”
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As part of his response, Piper focused on 1 Corinthians 6:12-13: You say, “Food in the stomach, food in the stomach, and God will destroy both.” But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ”
“So the body is morally important to God, and especially food and sex are important. So the guidelines he gives are important,” Piper said.
Piper added that the question was “part of a larger issue” and specifically about “the appropriate use of caffeine as well as other stimulants and drugs.”
“Whether it’s energy drinks or whatever I’m ingesting, are they hiding deep issues that I’m not dealing with, because I’m hiding them, or are they something I’m not really dealing with?” And is it helping me to free myself from deeper issues that I may be having?” ” He said.
“If Jose or any of us are hiding a serious problem with meth, then we are not using it as a gift from God for our benefit. It is being used to escape from the good that deep down you desire.”
Piper went on to offer “three summary guidelines” for consuming caffeinated beverages. “Are they really useful?” “Are they controlling me, controlling me, obscuring that Jesus is my real master?” and “Are they using me in love?” Am I building others up? Am I trying to build my own faith and the faith of others? ”
“I have a box of energy drinks in my office,” Piper admitted. “If I have pressing work to do and can’t stay awake, then yes, I’ll go there.”
“If my real problem is that John Piper doesn’t have the discipline to sleep at night, he only sleeps 6 hours instead of 8, so he always falls asleep at work, and that’s why he uses artificial sleep devices.” If it means relying on stimulants, it means hiding, hiding, running away from God.”
Last September, Piper caused a stir when she wrote: Post to X On whether congregations should “reconsider the appropriateness of drinking coffee in the sanctuary on Sundays.”
“Given that the New Testament church met primarily in people’s homes and often shared meals together, drinking coffee in the sanctuary should not only be practiced, but encouraged. ” answered Evangelical podcaster Jimmy Humphrey.
In a January episode of the podcast, Piper elaborated on his sentiments, saying, “Drinking coffee during the holiest hour of congregational worship reflects the respect and reverence that Hebrews 12:28 calls for. “It doesn’t suit me,” I think.
“Drinking coffee is not the heart of the problem. The heart of the problem is that the people and the leaders have a heart that resonates with what I call ‘reverence and awe’ and the holiness and the holiness of that time in the congregation. That means no.” Worship services are (usually) held on Sunday mornings,” Piper said in January.
“Those realities are those pious realities that are unremarkable in their hearts and minds. They know those words: reverence, awe. They know the words, but in the words It lacks a compelling existential content with serious joy that captivates people’s demands for respect and awe. they are just words. ”
