Alcohol: To Drink or Not to Drink?

Should a Christian drink alcoholic beverages? Should a Christian engage in the so-called recreational use of drugs (marijuana, cocaine, etc.)? There was a time, only a few decades ago, when these questions were answered with a resounding “no.” It has become quite fashionable for professing Christians to drink alcoholic beverages. Some church young people find it no big deal to play with illegal and legal drugs in search of an emotional joy ride. It must be acknowledged that a strong strain of legalism encouraged the measurement of one’s spiritual status by such things as abstinence from alcohol, movies, and other behavior restrictions. But the old legalism has given way to a culture of license that is incompatible with the grace of discipline.

With regard to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, several summary responses present themselves. There are those who say that total abstinence is commanded by the Scriptures. Those passages in the Bible that refer to believers drinking wine (1 Tim. 5:23) are interpreted to mean grape juice. Another school of thought is that drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation is permissible whereas drunkenness is condemned. These two ways of thinking yield to a third understanding of the Bible. It is believed that it is permissible to drink “a little wine.” The Christian conscience cannot be bound in the matter of alcohol. Instead individual Christians must come to their own convictions based on the best way to use their liberty in Christ. What is the biblical path that must be followed with regard to beer, wine, liquor, and other such beverages?

The Scriptures condemn the immoderate use of strong drink. Christians are not to get drunk (Eph. 5:18). To be controlled by alcohol rather than the Holy Spirit is alien to a zeal for God. The Christian is not to associate with those who call themselves “brothers” but are drunkards (1 Cor. 5:10). There are certain people who become dominated by their sinful desires. They are dangerous company, especially if they profess to be Christians. Christ’s people are not to be drawn into close companionship with them. Drunkenness arises from one’s sinful nature (Gal. 5:21; Rom. 13:12-13; 1 Cor. 6:10). Intoxication is the result of decisions we make, not genetic determinism. Drunkenness is self-destructive (Prov 23:29-35). It breeds a host of ills such as foolish decisions, violence, poverty, family breakdown, and death. The vice-like grip of love for alcohol can bring a nation to ruin (Isa. 5:11).

Christian liberty permits one to either abstain from or partake of alcoholic beverages in moderation. Total abstinence is not God’s requirement for all His people. Self-control and moderation bound up in love for God should guide the believer’s behavior (Gal. 5:23; 2 Pet. 1:6; Tit. 2:2). Alertness to the possibilities of a personal fall serves as a caution light when contemplating any non-moral issue (Rom. 13:14; 1 Cor. 10:12). The body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Since the body of the Christian belongs to God, the question is of paramount importance, “How would alcohol, or any food or drink affect my body?” We are to glorify God in everything we do (1Cor. 10:31). Our culture’s fixation on personal rights, if made a litmus test for our decisions, is a move away from living under the Lordship of Christ and the authority of God’s Word.

Often overlooked in the question of drinking alcoholic beverages is the responsibility the Christian has to others. The believer who desires to please God must be willing to give up his rights for the welfare of others (Rom. 14; 1 Cor. 8, 10). The restriction of one’s freedom in Christ will be necessary as a part of loving one’s neighbor as himself. Also to be considered is the enormity of the problem of alcoholism in our society. We live in a situation that is significantly different from Bible times. In the first century wine was mixed with water. Up to two hundred parts of water to one part wine was a preferred norm. The people of Bible days could not have imagined the high alcohol content of beverages today.

If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, have you arrived at this decision on the basis of peer pressure or biblical convictions that your liberty in Christ gives you? Are you drinking alcoholic beverages without full freedom of conscience? Have you considered the possibility that a susceptible “weaker brother” (one who has not developed adequate biblical convictions) is being caused to stumble? Are you abusing your liberty? How necessary is alcohol to your joy, contentment, and adjustment to the pressures of life? Can you cope with the stresses of life without chemical dependence? Alcohol can easily become a god, but it will never offer what God alone can give us.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church