To Drink or Not to Drink

Should a Christian drink alcoholic beverages? It seems there are three prevailing views. Some say that a Christian should never drink because drinking alcoholic beverages is a sin. Others reason that a Christian is permitted to drink an alcoholic beverage in any setting because wine is mentioned throughout the Bible and it is therefore not a sin to drink. Still others have concluded that a Christian is permitted to drink alcoholic beverages as long as it does not offend another Christian.

It is clear that the Bible condemns drunkenness-Proverbs 20:1; Proverbs 23:29-35; Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 5:22; Isaiah 28:7; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:18- There is no debate here. But what about drinking alcoholic beverages so long as you do not get drunk and do not hurt anybody?

To think through this, I would suggest some questions to consider.

• Am I sure that the wine sold today is the same as the wine used in the Old Testament and New Testament?



• Am I sure there are health benefits from drinking wine?



• Am I sure that I can drink alcoholic beverages without making another Christian stumble? Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13



• Am I sure that I am not drinking alcohol because of peer pressure? Romans 12:2



• Am I sure that I am not pushing Christian liberty too far? Galatians 5:1. Two quotes to consider on this are:
  
  “We do need to guard against making absolutes out of personal standards that are not specified in Scripture, or assuming that others are sinning if they don’t adopt our standards about issues that may not be traps for them. But why are we so prone to defend choices that take us right to the edge of sin, and so reluctant to make radical choices to protect our hearts and minds from sin?” Nancy Leigh DeMoss
  
  “Liberty may be an instrument for giving glory to the Most High, or it may be a curtain used to shield base indulgence of the flesh (I Peter 2:16). You may discover by self-examination of your heart which function liberty serves in your life.” Walter J. Chantry
  



• Am I 100% confident that I would never under any circumstance move from being an occasional drinker to getting drunk or becoming an alcoholic? Proverbs 23:29-35

Here is my position on a Christian using beverage alcohol. While the Bible condemns drunkenness it does not say that it is a sin to drink alcohol. There is, as far as I know, not a clear, direct, specific command that prohibits drinking alcohol. The saying, “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew and don’t go with those that do’ – is good advice but it is not in the Bible. To tell you that drinking wine is a sin would mean I would be giving a universal command for all Christians that I cannot find in Scripture.

However, considering all the factors, for me personally, I have chosen not to use alcohol.
While the Bible does not forbid it, the spiritual risks are far greater than any perceived benefits. If a teenager saw me buying beer or wine or ordering such in a restaurant and conclude it was okay for them, I would have a hard time with that. If a lost person I am trying to reach saw me buying or ordering alcohol, I believe my witness would be compromised. I believe alcohol is the devil in liquid form and that with the abundance of other beverages, I just do not need it. I do not want to be the cause of anybody stumbling and certainly not over something that is totally unnecessary in our society.

I have just seen too much of where alcohol leads and what it can cause. I have helped get a drunken, vomiting man from the toilet to his bed. I have sat in a detox unit with a man who lost his family because of alcohol. I have sat with a family, whose son, deathly yellow from too much alcohol, lay in the ICU, unsure if he would survive. I have listened to the anguished cries of a child who wished their daddy would sober up. I have heard the heartbreak of parents whose child was caught in another drunken stupor. Considering all things, there is just no good reason for a Christian to use alcoholic beverages. Beverage alcohol is associated with too many things evil for me to use it.

I urge you to consider the questions and get before God and decide.

Should I drink or not drink? Can I drink to the glory of God? If Jesus came to my house, could I say, “Jesus, I’m so glad you’re here. Come on in. Let’s have beer! Let’s go get some wine?” I know I could not.