Should Christians Drink?

When I ask the question, "should christians drink?" I'm not talking about the consumption of soda, kool-aid, milk or water. Just thought I'd clarify that in case someone concluded from the title of the article that I was advocating complete abstinence from all liquids.

No, what I'm talking about is the consumption of alcohol. Should Christians drink beer, wine, bourbon, vodka, whiskey, etc? Is it right or wrong for Christians to get drunk? What about moderate drinking, such as an occasional glass of wine with dinner or a few beers with your pizza? What should be our attitude towards drinking in general?

I want to tell you where I stand right from the beginning. I firmly believe that Christians should not consume alcohol for recreational purposes. It is, I believe, wrong for Christians to drink beer and wine and other such fermented beverages, and I take this position because it is what the Bible teaches. Now, you may disagree, but all I ask is that you prayerfully read this article. If, after reading this article, you still disagree with me, then I ask that you write a comment below or send me an email explaining where I missed it.

Let's begin by looking at a few passages of scripture that condemn drinking. Then I want to address some common misconceptions and arguments used to justify drinking.

Turn to Proverbs 23:29-32. Solomon says, "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder." The wise man is addressing here the dangers of alcohol. He clearly says that alcohol causes woe, sorrow, strife, complaining, wounds without cause and redness of eyes. He goes on to say in verse 32 that in the end, alcohol will get the best of you; it will "bite like a serpent and sting like an adder." But here's what I want you to notice. In the middle of this passage, we're warned, "Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup..." How can we justify drinking when Solomon, who is here inspired by God, says DON'T EVEN LOOK AT IT? Yet despite this divinely issued warning, people who profess to be Christians go about drinking and getting drunk, and they act as if nothing is wrong with it. For me, this is a powerful argument.

Let's skip forward to the New Testament now. There is one particular verse that I want to focus on here, although many could be considered. Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." First of all, we need to understand that the New Testament condemns drunkenness (Gal. 5:21; 1 Pet. 4:3). It is wrong for a Christian to be drunk, or intoxicated. But here in Ephesians 5:18, Paul is not saying, "Don't be drunk," he's saying, "Don't get drunk." The phrase "get drunk" here is from the Greek word methusko which literally refers to the process of becoming intoxicated. You see, there is another Greek word for the state of drunkenness and that is the word methe (as in Gal. 5:21). So what is the point in all of this? The point is that God not only condemns the state of being drunk, but He condemns the drinking process which leads to drunkenness.

What does it mean to be drunk? When we think of someone who is drunk, we picture a person who is falling on the floor, a person who can't walk straight, a person who has consumed so much alcohol that they have turned into some wild, out-of-control party animal. But that is not how the Bible defines drunkenness. The Bible defines drunkenness as mere intoxication. A person is intoxicated when their judgment is impaired, when they are physically affected by the substance which they're consuming. Let me ask you this question: when is a person physically affected by alcohol? At what point in the drinking process does one's judgment begin to be impaired by the alcohol? Is it at the point of all-out drunkenness? Of course not. We understand that a person's judgment is impaired long before they are falling on the floor drunk. There is, for example, something called a "buzz." At the point of a buzz, a person's judgment is already visibly impaired. How much does it take for a person to get a buzz? Not much. But really, a person's judgment is being impaired before they get a buzz, and thus the intoxication process has already begun. The point is that biblically speaking, a person is drunk, or intoxicated, long before we would say that they are drunk. And biblically speaking, we're not only to abstain from drunkenness, but also the drinking process by which we become drunk, or intoxicated. And this is all in addition to Solomon's command not to even look at wine when it is in the cup.

So the case FOR drinking is not looking too good, is it? And we've only considered a portion of the scriptural evidence that speaks against recreational and social drinking. As Christians, we need to stay away from alcohol. That means no more getting drunk, no more drinking parties, no more beers with the guys and no more wine coolers with the girls.

Tomorrow, I'm going to look at the story of Jesus turning water into wine. While many believe that Jesus made alcoholic wine (which then would justify drinking), the fact is that Jesus did no such thing. But you'll have to wait till tomorrow for the full explanation.

For now, comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.