I know that this will probably be a sensitive topic for some. Though as Christians, I believe we should always be open to correction, so please keep an open mind. You might not even realize how something is affecting your life until you hear it from the perspective of someone else. If you are totally against hearing a new perspective, it could be a sign of another issue in your life.
From talking with individuals and through my personal experience growing up around individuals with different views on this subject, I have seen the extremes and the middle grounds. Some perspectives have Biblical basis while others do not. Unfortunately, it seems like Christians oftentimes are more excited to grab a drink than to go to church and worship our great Savior. Though you could also say the same thing about other things aside from drinking. The other extreme is people leaving their churches because a pastor said drinking without getting drunk is not inherently sinful.
Based on what I’ve seen, I’d say there are three views on the subject:
- Drinking alcohol and getting drunk are not sinful.
- Drinking alcohol is not sinful but getting drunk is sinful.
- Drinking alcohol is sinful altogether.
View 1: Drinking alcohol and getting drunk are not sinful.
Of the three options I presented, getting drunk is the only one that is completely and undeniably sin. The Bible specifically warns drunkards have no place in God’s kingdom:
No thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. — 1 Corinthians 6:10 CSB
The good news is that if you’re currently struggling with drunkenness, you’re not hopeless! The very next verse offers hope:
And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Corinthians 6:11 CSB
Even if you’re of the belief that drinking alcohol and becoming drunk is not sin (despite the Bible’s strong language towards it), do you know when Jesus will return? Well, God never told us when that would happen, so nobody knows when Jesus will return. But I can imagine you would not want to be in a drunken state when he returns. I know I would not want that.
Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. — Matthew 24:42-44
View 2: Drinking alcohol is not sinful but getting drunk is sinful.
While the Bible states that getting drunk is sinful, it does not identify the consumption of alcohol as a sin. There is a big difference between the two. When drunk, your self-awareness and decision making abilities are hindered. The key thing is knowing what your limit is and executing self-control. A single drink is typically not enough to get someone drunk. Timothy even encouraged using wine for its medical benefits:
Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. — 1 Timothy 5:23 CSB
But really the answer is much more complex than that. The act of drinking alcohol without getting drunk could still be a sin on its own for a few reasons.
Even if you’re not getting drunk, are you glorifying the act of drinking? If you’re more excited to order a drink than you are to be at church, something is probably wrong. Think about it this way: if you’re talking to a lost person about how great it was to go to the bar, how are you going to transition that discussion into something productive and centered on Christ? You could argue that a bar is the best place to witness to others, but you need to seriously ask yourself if that’s the real reason you’re going.
Is drinking alcohol becoming an idol for you? If your church attendance is declining or you’re not involved in church activities or groups you used to participate in, maybe your priorities have shifted—for the worse? If you are prioritizing alcohol over your Christian friends and community, you’re choosing to place it higher than your love of others. Jesus said:
No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. — John 15:13 CSB
Laying down your life might not mean literally dying on behalf of or for someone else. It could mean laying down your old life of worldly things. When I think of worldliness, I think of things that make it easy to tell the world “I want to be like you.” Some of the things I instantly think of include theft, murder, clubbing, drugs, and alcohol.
Does alcohol affect how you save or spend your money? Your first thought might be: “No, I’m tithing the same amount with or without alcohol.” Well, that’s not really the point I am trying to make here. 1 Timothy 5:8 CSB says:
But if anyone does not provide for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. — 1 Timothy 5:8 CSB
If alcohol is consuming enough of your life where it prevents you from taking care of yourself or your family, it could be a problem. The money you spend on alcohol could be used to provide new shoes for your kids, to do repairs on your car, or to pay down your student loans.
Does your drinking of alcohol cause others around you to sin? There could be other believers in your social group that have struggled with addiction in the past—maybe not even with alcohol but with something else. If you invite them to grab a drink with you and they become drunk, that could damage your relationships. Even if you did not intend for it, you may have been responsible for placing that person into a situation where they were tempted to fall into sin.
Is it honoring Jesus and his purpose? Of all the points, I think this one is the most compelling. What benefits are you actually gaining by drinking alcohol? Sure, the social media post may look cool or the drink might taste good. But are you posting about your faith in Jesus too? Or is the focus of your Instagram that you grabbed a couple drinks with friends? How could a lost person look at you and determine that you’re different from anyone else? Instead of grabbing drinks, why not grab a Bible?
View 3: Drinking alcohol is sinful altogether.
From my readings, there is no verse in the Bible that says “alcohol is altogether evil and you should never drink it.” As already mentioned, the Bible even prescribes it for medical reasons. Even though the Bible doesn’t condemn drinking altogether, there are cases when the mindset of “drinking any alcohol is sinful” would be correct.
Firstly, if someone is against alcohol, other believers should accommodate that and put away their desire to drink for the sake of peace. Paul wrote about this:
So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. — Romans 14:19-21 CSB
Given the context, Paul wants Christians to promote peace among each other above all. It does not say the “anti-alcohol” believer should just ignore the alcohol. It says the “pro-alcohol” believer should not drink at all to prevent the other believer(s) from stumbling.
If your relationships with “pro-alcohol” believers are on edge because you do not want to be around someone who might have a drink, you are in the wrong. The same goes for the “pro-alcohol” person—if you’re refusing to spend time with people because you know they are not comfortable with alcohol, you’re in the wrong. In either case, both parties should pursue reconciliation and prioritize their relationships with each other over alcohol.
You should prioritize God and your relationships with other believers, it’s pointless to argue about eating and drinking. Earlier in Romans 14, Paul writes:
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval. — Romans 14:16-18 CSB
This goes to show that what you eat or what you drink does not matter. What matters is how you are pursuing righteousness, peace, and joy.
Conclusion
To conclude the above, I (the author) fall into the category of those who believe drinking is fine—as long as you do not get drunk. However, if I know a fellow believer is uncomfortable with drinking, I would dare not consume alcohol around them. I would do so simply to maintain peace with them according to Paul’s instructions. I would rather set aside something so simple as an alcoholic drink than to negatively affect their personal convictions or potentially even bring up past drama in the person’s life. To do otherwise would be self-centered and harmful to Christians with different convictions.
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