Should Christians drink alcohol? Is it a sin to drink alcohol? There are some over-simplified answers to this question out there, but stick with me because there is some nuance we need to explore.
Alcohol, like money, is not inherently evil. It’s all about how you use—or abuse—the thing in question.
You can’t go to extremes and say Christians should never drink alcohol, nor can you say all Christians can drink whenever they want as long as they don’t get drunk.
The Bible tells us a lot about the role and purpose of alcohol. God’s people used alcohol during celebrations. An example is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Jesus was actually accused by the religious leaders of the day of being a drunkard, because he didn’t have a strict policy forbidding alcohol consumption.
God created alcohol as something we can use for enjoyment.
Go, eat your food, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved of what you do.
Communion, one of the oldest and most sacred rituals in Christianity, includes alcohol. If it was a sin, why would we use it to remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross?
All that said, there are some reasons why it might not be wise for a Christian to drink alcohol.
All things are permitted for me, but not all things are profitable.
This is a great principle to apply to other activities. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you decide to drink.
Will this damage my Christian image?
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors.
Could your public drinking cause non-believers to have a wrong impression about you and about your faith? Even if you’re drinking in moderation, you may be perceived as getting drunk, so you have to be careful.
Will my drinking cause Christians to stumble?
So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again...for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
Let’s say you’re out with your friends having beer or wine, and there’s someone else in the group who may have struggled with alcoholism. Seeing you drink might trigger them to be tempted toward falling back into that addiction. Or if you’re around a new believer who might see you drink and think that’s the example they should follow.
Am I becoming addicted to alcohol?
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.
There may not be a concrete scripture forbidding drinking, but if it gets to a point where you can’t go long without drinking, or you have to have it every time you go out, or if you’re using it to escape your troubles, you might have an addiction that needs to be broken.
For more helpful biblical Christian content from Allen Parr, visit his YouTube channel The BEAT or browse other topics on the Let’s Equip blog!