Okay, so I am going back and attempting to answer a little of what you had written. The reason why I initially ignored this is because you were using fancy words. In my experience, I believe when folks seek to talk in a fancy way, they are not doing so as to benefit anyone but themselves (or to make themselves look overly important). Most people do not reply to fancy talk like this. For how many people reply to your posts when you talk in this way?
Okay, as for your initial words used before your question:
Vacuous: marked by lack of ideas or intelligence.
Explication: an explanation; interpretation.
You are saying: I think the central issue here, which has yet been left in a unintelligent series of explanations, is our discerning of just exactly what being "sober" is and what the moral application and outcome is of being sober?
This is a several questions and not just one that needs to be numbered and made clear. You just threw a bunch of questions into one question in a paragraph among many (with some fancy words beforehand) and you expected me to address it. But nobody is going to answer you if you do that (under normal circumstances). But because you insulted me and you said I do not address the points in people's posts, I am going to address a few of things you said (that I skipped because you were not talking normally).
Question #1. How do we discern just exactly what being sober means in the Bible?
Question #2. What is the moral application in being sober?
Question #3. What is the outcome of being sober?
Answer #1. I believe I answered this one by providing you with the etymological definition on the English word "sober." Also, context, cross references, the same occurrences of that word, and prayer is an important way to figure out what a word is saying.
Definition:
3525 nḗphō – properly, to be sober (not drunk), not intoxicated; (figuratively) free from illusion, i.e. from the intoxicating influences of sin (like the impact of selfish passion, greed, etc.).
3525 /nḗphō ("be sober, unintoxicated") refers to having
presence of mind (clear judgment), enabling someone to be
temperate (self-controlled).
3525 /nḗphō("uninfluenced by intoxicants") means to have "one's wits (faculties) about them," which is the opposite of being
irrational.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
to be sober, to abstain from wine.
Source:
Strong's Greek: 3525. νήφω (néphó) -- to be sober, to abstain from wine
Scripture:
6 "Therefore let us not sleep, as
do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:6-7).
Context:
5 "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
8 "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9).
Being sober is associated with putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. So we need to be sober by having faith and love within our Christian lives. BTW ~ I love you in Jesus Christ (even if we may disagree strongly). We are also to have the hope of salvation to sober, as well. We are to watch and be sober as a part of the Lord's return. We are to keep the faith and love others. For if we do not live holy for the Lord and we do not do what is right and good, we could miss out on the Rapture. We have to keep the faith and love others. We have to keep our hope in Jesus and His good ways. But there are those who are asleep at night in the faith. They are drunken in the night. Their faith is drunken and they are not looking for their Lord's return and they are not being ready or prepared and being sober and awake (watching).
Being drunk here would not make much sense if it did not mean drunk. It is a parallel. Drunk (alcoholic drunkenness) is the parallel with being spiritually drunk.
Cross Reference:
In the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13): We learn of the foolish virgins took no oil for their lamps and when the call came, they did not have time to buy more oil and be on time for the wedding. The oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. They did not have the Holy Spirt and they tried to get themselves right with God before their marriage to Jesus (at the Rapture), but it was too late. They missed the wedding.
48 "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite
his fellow servants,
and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for
him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint
him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:48-51).
1 Timothy 3:1-3 says that a bishop should be sober and not given to wine. The words sober and not given to wine are definitely related.
Answer #2. So what is the moral application in being sober?
The moral application of being sober for a believer in Jesus Christ is not potentially harming yourself and others both physically and spiritually with spiritual and or physical drunkenness. We can be sober physically by not being given to wine. This gives us a longer and healthier life to live. We would not be defiling God's temple, as well (Seeing alcohol is known to damage the body even with moderate use). So the moral good of taking care of the temple of God should be noted in regards to abstaining from wine or in being sober. To be spiritually sober would include abstaining from wine because one could potentially fall into alcoholism and not be able to live out their faith in love like they are supposed to. We are to be sober spiritually by loving others and in building the faith and hope in Jesus Christ. The moral good is allowing God to change our lives and the lives of others to walk in His good and upright ways.
#3. What is the outcome of being sober?
It is obvious. If a believer is being sober from alcohol, there are many health benefits. They will also not be worried about their next drink but they will instead be focused on the things of God like praying, helping the poor, preaching the gospel, loving others, etc. The ultimate outcome of being spiritually sober is eternal life with Christ; And what could be more beautiful than that?
Being sober is not playing games with drugs like alcohol. Even if God did allow believers to drink strong intoxicating beverages for social reasons, why take the chance on being the one who could slip into addiction like so many others? Also, logic dictates that you were not as sober as you were when you did not have your first drink. You are effected by the beverage in some way.
You asked: Why is a lack of sobriety a danger to a Christian's efforts to keep in step with God's Spirit?
Because God's Word is written by the Spirit and the Word of God gives us many warnings against strong alcoholic beverages.
Here are 75 references on drinking alcohol (Which include some warnings).
1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.
2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality.
3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.
4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine.
5) Deuteronomy 21:20 - A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious.
6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 - God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.
7) Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 - Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink.
9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 - Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine.
10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 - Nabal died after a drunken spree.
11) 2 Samuel 11:13 - By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.
12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 - Amnon was drunk when he was killed.
13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 - The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated
14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 - Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.
15) Esther 1:5-12 - The king gave each one all the drink he wanted. The king was intoxicated when he commanded the queen to come.
16) Psalm 75:8 - The Lord’s anger is pictured as mixed wine poured out and drunk by the wicked.
17) Proverbs 4:17 - Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.
18) Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.
19) Proverbs 23:19-20 - A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.
20) Proverbs 23:21 - Drunkenness causes poverty.
21) Proverbs 23:29-30 - Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.
22) Proverbs 23:31 - God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.
23) Proverbs 23:32 - Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.
24) Proverbs 23:33 - Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces willfulness, and prevents reformation.
25) Proverbs 23:34 - Alcohol makes the drinker unstable
26) Proverbs 23:35 - Alcohol makes the drinker insensitive to pain so he does not perceive it as a warning. Alcohol is habit forming.
27) Proverb 31:4-5 - Kings, Princes, and others who rule and judge must not drink alcohol. Alcohol perverts good judgment.
28) Proverbs 31:6-7 - Strong drink could be given to those about to perish or those in pain. Better anesthetics are available today.
29) Ecclesiastes 2:3 - The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
30) Ecclesiastes 10:17 - A land is blessed when its leaders do not drink.
31) Isaiah 5:11-12 - Woe to those who get up early to drink and stay up late at night to get drunk.
32) Isaiah 5:22 - Woe to "champion" drinkers and "experts" at mixing drinks.
33) Isaiah 19:14 - Drunken men stagger in their vomit.
34) Isaiah 22:12-13 - The Israelites choose to drink; their future looks hopeless to them.
35) Isaiah 24:9 - Drinkers cannot escape the consequences when God judges.
36) Isaiah 28:1 - God pronounces woe on the drunkards of Ephraim.
37) Isaiah 28:3 - Proud drunkards shall be trodden down.
38) Isaiah 28:7 - Priests and prophets stagger and reel from beer and wine, err in vision, and stumble in judgment.
39) Isaiah 28:8 - Drinkers’ tables are covered with vomit and filth.
40) Isaiah 56:9-12 - Drinkers seek their own gain and expect tomorrow to be just like today.
41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 - The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.
42) Ezekiel 44:21 - Again God instructed the priests not to drink wine.
43) Daniel 1:5-17 - Daniel refused the king’s intoxicating wine and was blessed for it along with his abstaining friends.
44) Daniel 5:1 - Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon; led his people in drinking.
45) Daniel 5:2-3 - The king, along with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank from the goblets which had been taken from God’s temple.
46) Daniel 5:4 - Drinking wine was combined with praising false gods.
47) Daniel 5:23 - God sent word to Belshazzar that punishment would be swift for the evil he had committed.
48) Hosea 4:11 - Intoxicating wine takes away intelligence.
49) Hosea 7:5 - God reproves princes for drinking.
50) Joel 1:5 - Drunkards awake to see God’s judgment.
51) Joel 3:3 - The enemy is judged for selling girls for wine.
52) Amos 2:8 - Unrighteous acts of Israel included the drinking of wine which had been taken for the payment of fines.
53) Amos 2:12 - Israel is condemned for forcing Nazarites to drink wine.
54) Micah 2:11 - Israelites are eager to follow false teachers who prophesy plenty of intoxicating drinks.
55) Nahum 1:10 - The drunkards of Nineveh will be destroyed by God.
56) Habakkuk 2:5 - A man is betrayed by wine.
57) Habakkuk 2:15 - Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink.
58) Habakkuk 2:16 - Drinking leads to shame.
59) Matthew 24:48-51 - A drinking servant is unprepared for his Lord’s return.
60) Luke 1:15 - John the Baptist drank neither grape juice nor wine.
61) Luke 12:45 - Christ warned against drunkenness.
62) Luke 21:34 - Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.
63) Romans 13:13 - Do not walk in drunkenness or immorality.
64) Romans 14:21 - Do not do anything that will hurt your testimony as a believer.
65) 1 Corinthians 5:11 - If a Christian brother is a drinker, do not associate with him.
66) 1 Corinthians 6:10 - Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God
67) Galatians 5:21 - Acts of the sinful nature, such as drunkenness, will prohibit a person from inheriting the kingdom of God.
68) Ephesians 5:18 - In contrast to being drunk with wine, the believer is to be filled with the Spirit.
69) 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7 - Christians are to be alert and self-controlled, belonging to the day. Drunkards belong to the night and darkness.
70) 1 Timothy 3:2-3 - Bishops (elders) are to be temperate, sober, and not near any wine.
71) 1 Timothy 3:8 - Deacons are to be worthy of respect and not drinkers.
72) 1 Timothy 3:11 - Deacons’ wives are to be temperate and sober.
73) Titus 1:7-8 - An overseer is to be disciplined.
74) Titus 2:2-3 - The older men and older women of the church are to be temperate and not addicted to wine.
75) 1 Peter 4:3-4 - The past life of drunkenness and carousing has no place in the Christian’s life.
Source:
75 Bible references on drinking alcohol.