Should Christians Drink?

Well, for one thing, Christians have been drinking since the beginning of the church, as wine was the only palatable substitute for the stale water of Israel. (The area was so arid, that cisterns were hewn out of rock to catch the water when it rained; after a few months, the water would get stale and start to smell, so the taste and water were masked with wine).


The Bible has somewhat to say about drinking:

I Timothy 5:23: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.”

Ephesians 5:18: “And do not be drunk with wine , in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”


The Bible has somewhat to say about getting drunk:

Proverbs 20:1: “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

Proverbs 21:17: “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.”

Proverbs 23:30-35: “Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: ‘’They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?’”


Now these are but a few examples from scripture; I could go on, but you get the point.

Before I became a Christian I was an alcoholic and a drunk. I drank every day, usually until I passed out. I did things that I have never told anyone about, about which I am ashamed of to this day (even though I know that I have been forgiven; we all have those regrets, the things we wish we could go back and change; but we can’t and so we must leave them with Jesus).

As a pastor, I do believe that it is wrong for me to drink: “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine , not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous.” (I Timothy 3:2-3).

As a Christian, I believe that it is equally wrong for me to drink; I don’t wish to be brought under the influence of alcohol; it lowers your inhibitions and you will find yourself saying and doing things you normally would not do.

Also, countless individuals have been hurt by drinking and the subsequent drunkenness and violence that usually follows; it is a fact that families suffer when drunkenness is prevalent in a household.

For me the greater issue is love; am I walking in love by drinking? Listen to what Paul wrote: “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. (Romans 14:21).

If a weaker brother sees you drinking, and uses your drinking as an excuse for his drinking, are you walking in love?

If an individual who has come to Christ and been set free from alcoholism is stumbled and once again enters into that from which Christ has set him free, are you walking in love?

If an individual who has been abused by an alcoholic is stumbled by your drinking, are you walking in love?

If an individual with an addictive personality sees you drinking and decides to try it and falls into bondage to alcohol, are you walking in love?

If my son or daughter, who sees me drinking, decides to drink and falls into bondage to alcohol, am I walking in love?

These are the questions that you and I must answer before we consider drinking. For me, the answer is simple: I will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to do nothing that will stumble my brother, or offend my brother, or weaken him (or her) in any way.