“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”
revelries
“Revelries” are wild parties, drinking parties involving unrestrained indulgence in alcoholic beverages and accompanying immoral behavior. This is the Greek word for an orgy. These people love to carouse. They love to go to nightclubs and parties. They treasure merry-making.
In the first century, these people took to the streets with their parties. These parties were wild, furious, and ecstatic. They carried torches and sang songs to Bacchus as they marched through the streets. But, of course, sex orgies were a big part of these parties.
“Revelries” occurs two times in the New Testament. In each of these two occurrences, the New Testament associates “revelries” with drunkenness. Where you have one, you always have the other.
“Let us conduct ourselves properly as people who live in the light of day; no orgies, no drunkenness” (Ro 13.13)
drinking parties
“Drinking parties” or drinking bouts involved unrestrained indulgence in alcoholic beverages and accompanying immoral behavior. Thus, drinking parties signify not merely a banquet but a drinking bout.
This is the only place where this Greek word occurs in the New Testament. A cocktail party is one thing, but this is a riotous party. Wild things come out of these parties. Usually, the longer the party goes, the worse it becomes.
Some people can only have a good time when they tie one on. They are more generous lovers, more astounding singers when under the influence of alcohol. They can quote poetry or play the piano. They also can become dangerous and stab someone. They cannot have a good time without liquor. What is a party without booze?
This sin and the previous sin are sins of the group. They start out drinking and end in sex orgies because group psychology changes their conviction for the moment.
PRINCIPLE:
Sins of the group carry people further in sin that they would go as a single individual.
APPLICATION:
Do the people with whom you hang influence you to do things that you would not do as an individual? If this is so, change your friends. What is more important, your friends or your God?
