What does the Bible say about drinking? It seems as though the answer you will get depends on what type of church you are asking the question in. Everyone has an opinion about drinking, and it is usually based on their own experiences and preferences. But what does the Bible say? Does it forbid the drinking of alcohol? Actually, no it does not. So does that mean that Christians should run out and get drunk whenever they want? No, the Bible strictly forbids that. But isn't that a contradiction? Not at all. As we shall see, the Bible does not forbid the drinking of alcohol, but it does forbid getting drunk. It is the consumption of alcohol in excessive amounts that the Scripture seems to be concerned about, and it is that same thing that so often gets people in trouble in real life.
Throughout the Bible we see God's people drinking wine, and in fact there are some Scriptures which speak of drinking wine as being a good thing.
In Ecclesiastes 9:7 we are actually encouraged to drink our wine with a joyful heart.....
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.
In Psalm 104:14–15, we read that it is actually God who provides the wine that "gladdens the heart of man" - it is a blessing from God that we are to be thankful for.....
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
In fact, while Jesus was on earth He actually turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). While some Christians try to argue that the wine was just "grape juice", the truth is that a close examination of that passage simply does not bear that out.
With all of that being said, the Scriptures contain multiple warnings not to get drunk and to not let wine be your master.
Proverbs 23:31-32 is a description of just how seductive and just how addictive alcohol can be.....
Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
In Proverbs 20:1 the Scriptures tell us that anyone who is led astray by wine is not wise.....
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Isaiah 5:11 tells us of the foolishness of drunkards who are completely addicted to getting drunk.....
Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.
In fact, later on in that same chapter, Isaiah 5:22 tells us that those who are "champions at mixing drinks" are on a bad path.....
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks
In the New Testament, we see drunkenness included in a list of horrible sins by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:3.....
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
As Christians, we are not to be running off to bars and parties and getting drunk.
We are specifically warned against that.
In fact, in Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul tells us that instead of getting drunk on wine, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit.....
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Rather than being controlled with wine, Christians are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
So what is the "fruit" of the Holy Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us exactly what the fruit of the Holy Spirit is.....
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The truth is that it is those qualities that we are supposed to be cultivating in our lives.
Way too often people allow alcohol to become an addiction and to destroy their lives. Millions of people have had their lives wrecked by drunkenness and millions of families have been torn apart by alcohol.
If you have a conviction to totally stay away from alcohol because you recognize how dangerous it is, there is nothing wrong with that.
If you drink a little alcohol in moderation and you are able to control yourself and keep from getting drunk, there is nothing wrong with that.
But if you are an alcoholic, or if you run out every weekend and get drunk with friends, or if you even get drunk "once in a while", then the Bible says that you are in the wrong.
We are not to get drunk. We are not to get addicted to alcohol or let it control us. It is very seductive and it can and will destroy your life if you allow it to.
It is wise to take the warnings of the Bible very seriously. God knows what He is talking about.
i like the way you explained the use of drinking wine, not that i’m a drinker. I just don’t get it when Christians put one another down about drinking. they can spend a whole day trying to convice a person that it’s wrong to drink…when the world around them is crumbling. There are so many other things we should be trying to get across to this dying world. Jesus Saves! If drinking wine was the only thing we had to worry about this world would be a much better place to live. People would be much happier.
I have a question about Ephesians 5:18 and Pauls use of the word “drunk”. The Greek word he uses is methuskos which means the process of getting drunk not the state of being drunk. So in light of that word chose, is Paul still saying that you can drink alcohol but not get into the process of being drunk? If so, where is that line drawn?
Steve:
That is a really good question and I think a lot of Christians struggle with these issues.
In the end, it is to God that we all have to answer. So do what you think is going to be pleasing to Him.
I really like the way you explained this it will be very helpful to me as I teach this topic to the teens in my class
So what are your thoughts about people in leadership in the church having a casual drink?
mandy you ask about leadership in the church drinking. look in 1timothy 3:1-13 it tells you about it.
i have heard the argument about Jesus turning the water into wine… my thing is, why would Jesus for his first miracle turn about 300 gallons of water into wine??? and through out the bible God specifically says don’t get drunk… the bible also specifically says God don’t temp us. Now with that being said don’t you think that 300 gallons would be a temptation? how about this… say i went to a wedding and bought 300 gallons of wine would you look at me like i was a man of God? what kind of testimony would i have after that?
Deuteronomy 32:33 – Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
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.
1 corithians 14:33 God is NOT THE AUTHOR of CONFUSION!
Drinking alcohol is wrong
The bible says don’t be drunk but the answer is easy how people get “drunk”??? the answer is clear “by drinking alcohol” so don’t get drunk means don’t drink alcohol.Thanks.
Of course there are passages in the Bible that seemingly support drinking.Many Bible men did drink and were intoxicated.If drinking negatively affects our health , we are not suposed to do it because a christian is not allowed to destroy his body which is the temple of God.We can’t do everything that the Bible people did.
This is so crazy. to the person who talked about bringing 300 gallons of wine to a wedding. No, if you brought 300 gallons of wine to a wedding you would not be looked at as a man of God. However, if you turned 300 gallons of water into wine at a wedding……
and, to the person saying that drunk means the same thing as drinking: I wish the Greeks and Hebrews knew that there were words that meant “don’t drink at all” or maybe just “wine is forbidden” – oh wait, there were words that said that. No, don’t get drunk means don’t get drunk. Thou shalt not drink wine means Thou shalt not drink wine.
In biblical times, people drank wine also because safe water was hard to find. I dont think drinking is very smart, but if someone has one glass of wine every once in a while… they will most likely not commit sin..because it says drunkedness causes sin, not drinking. Overall for Christians, the smart thing to do would be to avoid alcohol.
Proverbs 31:6-7 ESV
“Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
I really just don’t get it. There are versus in the bible that say stay away and there are some like the one above that says it’s fine I’d you want to ease your mind. I just don’t know what to do because I have been stressed hurt and Lonely for well over a year now. I just want to get drunk once to ease my mind for a little and see what it’s like. Is getting drunk just once bad?
Dear Marissa,
We all feel the pain and the woes of the this world. We have been doomed to since we first ate of the tree in the garden. If you feel alone then your are not as close to Jesus as you need to be. When you devote yourself to god you will no longer feel alone because you are never alone….God is always with you. He see’s and knows everything you do. Getting drunk does not ease your mind, and as stated in the bible if you “choose” to do so and put it before god and his word…we suffer the consequences(what ever they may be in terms of what we need as only god knows us). All sins can be forgiven if you allow them to be and give yourself over to god. If you want to “get drunk once” just to see what its like though god says not too…is that not repeating the very thing the plagued us from the garden? Remember that you are loved find god in yourself and peace..don’t let the evil of this world steal away what god has given you and blessed you with. There is so much more then what we know. Much love to you we are all brothers and sisters in this world and god tells us to love one another (hug) take the narrow gate my friend not the wide
“If drinking negatively affects our health , we are not suposed to do it because a christian is not allowed to destroy his body which is the temple of God.”
Many doctors agree that a little red wine is a positive thing and can benefit your health. I think the Bible is clear that getting drunk is not a good idea and that having a little alcohol is fine. Paul even TELLS Timothy to have a little red wine for his health.
Marissa, I would say that there are better ways of easing your mind. It would probably be dissapointing if you did get drunk, but also would not get to the root of your feelings but would just help you forget them for a short time…Maybe a friend would be better!
)
@Marissa…..yes…the bible makes it clear that it is a Sin to get drunk. The scripture you refer to is biblical. Remeber back then, they didn’t have the medicine that we have today. So alcohol was used for Medicinal purposes. If you are dying….it was used as what Morphine would be used for …to control pain for those perishing or in distress.
@ADMIN in response to Steve’s question…you write, “In the end, it is to God that we all have to answer. So DO WHAT YOU THINK is going to be pleasing to Him”
That is a dangerous ANSWER and not a good thing to do. He is correct in that the greek word is “The process of getting drunk” We as Christians need to stand up against the DRUG of Alcohol in All its forms. The death and destruction that it has caused….it has no room in the Christian life and it should not be protected. Even in Moderation..is playing with fire. No alcoholic became an alcoholic without first just taking 1 drink..Just 1 drink will be okay…right!?? NO! If we are to do what WE THINK IS Okay and pleasing to Him. As mankind…it can most often lead to doing things that are contrary to the Word and God. That is what the original Sin in the Garden was….us doing what we thought would be okay and God would understand. That is what Hitler thought….his actions would be pleasing to God. We should NEVER do what we feel is OKAY and what we THINK is okay in the eyes of God…we must follow scripture and use it as our pathway.
I think that everyone has to make this decision on their own. Everyone should study the bible and keep an open heart(personal desires aside).
That being said, How does one determine when drunkenness begins? Is it after one sip, five sips, or one glass?
Drinking alcohol is not needed to survive. Drinking alcohol is for self enjoyment.
Is there a such thing as sin in moderation? Are we in this life for self? Are we living this life for this world or eternal life? and most importantly if we are wrong about our interpretation of the bible, what is to become of us on judgement day?
I believe that we all look to the bible for answers with each of us being different so you can see different things. Moderation. Anything can be used incorrectly. Food for instance is a blessing from god it nourishes us and keeps our bodies alive. However by using it to heal our emotional wounds or to heal our stress becomes to much and we no longer are using food the way god has given it to us. Are punishment? Carrying extra weight(our bodies). Same goes with our spirit, when we sin we carry the extra weight of all our troubles we have not given over to god. As for drinking It states you shouldn’t get drunk you shouldn’t leave your families to set up at bars. Yet the bible states miracles of Jesus turning wine into water showing his god given power. In the days when this was written they had no grocery stores, no coca cola, tap or filtered water….no sweet tea and Snapple. They were drinking what was available to them which was mostly unclean water. You have to think how many people there were for 300 gallons and how much each person may have had and also how uneasy it was to come by. Therefor the wine itself is not a sin. God provided grapes to pluck. When WE use what god has given us in the wrong way…to OUR advantage we are sinning and not doing as god would want us too. A glass of wine can be enjoyed. Binge drinking just to become drunk and alter your mind is not the same as savoring a little of something that god has made. We know the difference we only try to change god’s rules to fit ours!
I have never met a committed Christian who struggles with whether it is OK to drink…they are too busy bringing honor and glory to God. The use of wine in the Old Testament stated that alcohol is never approved by God in any amount for the obedient Christian. In the New Testament (Luke 1:15-16) an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist and the angel instructs Zechariah that John the Baptist is not to take wine or any other fermented drink. Ask yourself,
does God teach us to practice evil in moderation? How much alcohol is too much…are you trusting your own heart for that…Jeremiah 17:9. Come out and be separate from the world in their most visible ways of sin and I guarantee you that you will have many more opportunities to share the gospel of Christ and why sinful pleasures do not bring the believer joy and happiness…rather it is Christ and becoming a new creation and turning from our old ways….that is true happiness.
SOMEWHERE IN THE BIBLE IS A SCRIPTURE AS A TREE FALLS SO SHALL IT LAY. I THINK THAT MEANS WHATEVER SHAPE WE DIE IN WE CAN NOT GET FORGIVENESS AFTER WE DIE. RIGHT. WHO WOULD WANT TO CLOSE THEIR EYES IN DEATH AND STAND BEFORE GOD WITH LIQUOR ON THEIR BREATH.
yes this is true whatever state you die in is how you be ,
its to late for you to ask for forgiveness when you die.so be prepared
im not sure what to say but i personally i will not drink beer wine yes
i will not drink beer so help LORD GOD
I think that if you want to really capture what the bible really says about alcohol you have to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek. I’m not going to go into it on here but I wrote a blog about it that you are more than welcome to check out… http://christopheryan11.wordpress.com. It is a sin to get drunk. God’s word does not controdict itself. I have studied it for a long time and everytime I can find in the bible that it refers to staying away from it or giving warning against it or even speaks negativly toward alcohol it is referring to drunkeness. For those of you who constanly argue that alcohol is bad and that when the bible refers to it being a good thing its talking about grape juice and not an alcoholic beverage and that its bad for you and that all believers need to stay away from it then please explain to me Deuteronomy 14:26 “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or strong drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.” (22-29 in context) this is referring to the Lords offering and what they were to do with it in that situation. Read about it. This is clearly talking about alcoholic beverage and they were to eat there before the Lord and rejoice.
i think its amazing how christian people think that drinking alchohol is right…do you think it would be ok in gods eyes??? i think the first step is salvation god want to restore your life so whether you be an alcoholic, prostitute or drugatic the first step is salvation come as you are and let jesus do the trasnformation in ur life i agree with the comment above some people are so concerned with the problem and wanting to change people but as christian we cant do that we need to encourage people and lead them to salvation, pray for them, and guide them and let god do the transformation and god will begin to bring conviction to their lives.
What amazes me the most is how we Christians choose how we want to interpret the Bible; let alone how we blatantly ignore certain things that the Bible says.(I don’t “think”), I know that if I decide to have a glass of wine, that that is NOT a sin.No matter what anyone tells… I know that if I get drunk, that IS a sin…the Bible is very clear, you have to read EVERYTHING in the Bible IN CONTEXT.
In the old testimant the Bible speaks of not eating pork (before Jesus Christ), and then many other things too, which are “change” in the New testament (After Jesus Christ)*to note*…so is it a sin to eat pork? NO…that’s why we need to read “in context”
What also amazes me is how Christians think they are better than one another based on whether they drink or not…it’s ridiculous. What I know for sure is the Bible says: DO NOT JUDGE, so let’s begin to take the speck out of our own eyes before we even think that we as Christians should be TELLING people what to do. Because if it stands to reason that a pastor or any man of God dictate that a person should not have a glass of wine, does it also then stand to reason that a pastor should dicate to the obese person in church? Or even the skinny person who eats too much. Aren’t we all just so flippent about eating “wayyyyy tooo much” at times…this too is a sin. We are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God, so let’s before we judge and decide for others, let’s be clear about our own story, because ultimately we All have to answer to God, one by one! So let not what another man does disturb you, focus on your own shortcomings in your daily walk as a Christian…
I am a christian and I have a drink about two to three times a year, I don’t get drunk, my husband is not a christian, and he drinks every now and then but doesn;t get drunk,we go to places where some of our friends play in bands, just to listen to music,and relax, Is that wrong? should a wife leave her husband over something like that,I mean it is not all the time just every so many months let me know any thoughts anyone has my e-mail is cata@blomand.net
Terri:
The Bible says that it is wrong to get drunk – not to have a drink or two. Although there are Christians that have strong opinions that differ from this.
I would not stress out that your husband has a drink here and there.
What I would be concerned about is that he is not a Christian and is headed for an eternity without God. That is something that you should be praying about every single day.
Hopefully your husband will find salvation through Jesus Christ very soon. You may find the following article helpful….
http://whatdoesthebiblesayabout.com/archives/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation
Every single word was usefull + as a christian to grow more & to live according to God’s will. End of the day God sees evey single thing we do & we got to answer him. So please God & him alone. So that nobody could point thier fingers to us.
Hello Everybody,
I’m a Muslim. I find this article and the discussion on it very interesting. You may know that drinking wine is totally prohibited in Islam. And now I see that it is at least ‘discouraged’ in Christianity too. But I believe, God cannot allow any bad practice that ultimately leads to going astray and destruction of good physical, mental and spiritual health. And the overall meaning and the spirit of the above mentioned Biblical verses is to disapprove wine that causes intoxication and drunkenness.
We Muslim believe Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was sinless and his teaching cannot provide any scope of nearing sinfulness. The followers of Jesus (pbuh) should not indulge themselves in any kind of temptation, be it drinking wine or adultery or fornication or anything else. Muslims are bound to follow all the divinely ordained truths upon the messengers of God, the most merciful and benevolent. We believe in the true messages of all the scriptures with a clear and objective understanding of truth. May God guide us all to the Truth. Peace be upon all of you. Shaloom!
not all Wine had alcohol in it back in the day. so you can drink wine and it not be bad. but also i think that if we are out in public we should not drink for our testimony as a “Christian”. we as Gods son are held to a higher standard because we should act more Holy!