Should A Christian Drink Beer, Wine, Or Any Other Alcoholic Drinks?
In the Bible’s New Testament book of 1 Timothy 5:23, we see Paul telling one of the guys who worked with him (Timothy) to drink a little bit of wine for his sick stomach and ailments. The Bible does not seem to speak strongly about drinking beer, wine, hard liquor, and other drinks. In this passage it seems like the Bible is actually promoting a little bit of drinking. Is this right?
Actually, if you search the Word of God (Bible) under ‘wine’, you’ll find 238 references in the New King James Bible. When you start to look through those references, you’ll see that the Bible speaks very strongly against getting drunk. The first note of drunkenness in Genesis 9:21 is when Noah settle after the flood and became a farmer. He got drunk on the fermented drink he made from those crops. He sons had to cover his naked and drunk body and it was shameful.
Later we see Lot’s daughters getting their Father drunk so that they could have sinful incestuous relations with him as they were concerned about having children in Genesis 19:32.
In Leviticus 9:8-11, the Lord spoke to Aaron, the high priest of His temple that Aaron and his family was not to drink alcohol before entering God’s presence as it ‘defiled’ them. Clearly, drinking was an issue at the time as alcohol was a part of everyday life according to Leviticus 23:13, but those who ministered to the Lord were not to drink. Here are some scriptures on consuming alcohol in the Bible.
Wine is a mocker,
Strong drink is a brawler,
And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1 (NKJV)
Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
Isaiah 5:11 (NKJV)
Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
Isaiah 5:22 (NKJV)
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:17-18 (NKJV)
The ‘Benefits’ Of Drinking
Let’s face it. For a Spirit-filled believer, there are no benefits to drinking. There are some huge risks. Why should you avoid drinking?
1) Drinking is expensive
2) You do things you regret later when you drink.
3) Alcohol is not only unhealthy (damaging your liver and brain), but it makes you fat
As a follower of Jesus, we are considered a royal priesthood according to 1 Peter 2:9. We are not to be like the rest of the world (Romans 12:1), but we are to be different and dedicated to God. People drink many times to relax or try to make themselves happy. However, when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you don’t need a mind-altering substance or drug like alcohol to get ‘happy’. With Jesus and walking in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, we have a joy that is always filling us. God’s joy doesn’t end and it has no side effects or cause hangovers. According to 1 Peter 1:8, the joy of the Lord is so amazing that it is hard to explain it to others unless they experience God for themselves.
Is It Okay For A Christian To Drink?
Many will tell you that the Bible doesn’t answer that specifically, but if you research wine or drunkenness you will find that God is very much against it. Drinking makes you weak. Drinking makes you do stupid things. Drinking opens you to demonic attack and sin. Drinking alcohol and using mind altering substances will not bring you closer to God. In fact, drinking will take you away from God as you are numbed by the effect on your senses. Alcoholism is an addiction. Why would a believer want to damage their brain, heart, liver and other body parts when the Bible tells us to take care of our bodies as they are the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Should a Christian drink alcohol? Absolutely not. You open yourself up to trouble if you drink. As Ephesians 5:18 says, “..Be filled with the Holy Spirit”. You will have joy that never ends without intaking mind-altering substances. Find out about that here. If you don’t know Jesus yet, here’s your first step to freedom.
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