Is Drinking Alcoholic Beverages a Sin?

In today's post we will be going over whether or not drinking in sinful, it's a pretty large topic so let's go ahead and get going.

People who Drank in Scripture

One of the first people who has been recorded as being drunk was Noah (Gen 9:20 -21). Although perhaps this wasn't intentional as just as people's life expectancy dropped sharply after the flood, so also wine could have fermented faster too. We then see  Lot having children by his daughter's as a result of drinking (Gen 19:32).
We see that Eli assumed that Hannah was drunk because she didn't pray out loud, only her lips moved (1Sa 1:14 -16). Nabal was another example of someone who drank in Scripture (1Sa 25:36).

Uriah was made drunk by King David, I assume because David wanted him to sleep with his wife so that he could hid his sin of adultery (2Sa 11:12-13). We see that king Elah was slain by his servant Zimri as he was drinking himself drunk (1Ki 16:8-9).
Other examples of those that drank in the bible are Job's kids
(Job 1:13), and king Belshazzar (Dan 5:1). One example of someone who didn't drink was John the Baptist (Luk 1:15).

See 1Ki 20:12, 1Ch 12:39

Wine used in a Positive Sense

Although some people believe that drinking any alcohol is a sin no matter what I personally do not hold to that view. There are far too many cases in the bible that speaks of wine being a good thing. Let's go over some of them. We see the king/priest Melchizedek bringing forth bread and wine in Gen 14:18, this foreshadowed the Lord's supper (communion) which is still practiced today (Luk 22:19-20, 1 Cor 11:23-30, Heb 7:17) When Isaac blessed Jacob, one of the blessings was plenty of corn and wine (Gen 27:28). Wine was also used as tithes and offerings (Exo 29:40, Num 18:12, Neh 10:37, Neh 13:5).

We see Deu 14:23 & Deu 14:26 that God allowed the use thereof (wine/strong drink) when concerning the tithes of such things.
There's the statement made by Jotham about wine cheering God and man (Jdg 9:13), we also have Abigail giving David and his men wine in 1Sa 25:18. We have David giving out flagons of wine in
2Sa 6:19.

We have solomon instructing his reader to drink their wine with a merry heart (Ecc 9:7). We see it being drunk with milk in Son 5:1,

It's also interesting to note that it will be drunk in the courts of his holiness (Isa 62:8-9). Jer 31:12 is perhaps one my favorite verses in support of drinking wine, I can't see how anyone could condemn the drinking of wine in moderation after reading that verse. Dan 1:5 Speaks of it being nourishing, meaning good for one's health, and Zec 9:17 speaks of it making the maids cheerful.

We know for certain from Scripture that drinking isn't a sin because Jesus himself did it and he was sinless (Mat 11:19, Luk 7:33-34), and because Paul himself instructed Timothy to have some for his stomach/infirmities (1Ti 5:23). We even have Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana (Joh 2:1-10).

See also: Ezr 7:22, Psa 104:15, Ecc 10:19, Son 1:2, Son 4:10, Son 7:9, Son 8:2, Isa 55:1, Joe 2:24, Amo 9:14, Mat 26:29

Command Not To drink Wine or Be Drunk

Okay now that I proven that it's ok to drink wine I think that it's time to cover the other end of the spectrum which is the sin of drunkeness. While we do have the freedom to drink wine we must be careful not to overindulge and become drunk. Let's go through some passages that forbid certain men from drinking wine, or in a more general sense forbids us from being drunk.

We have Aaron and his son's being forbidden to drink when they enter the tabernacle in Lev 10:8-9. Those that made the vow of a Nazarite were to abstain from things made from the vine tree including wine and strong drink (Num 6:3 -4). Samson was a Nazarite to God from the womb, as we see his mother being instructed not to drink wine/strong drink while she is pregnant with him (Jdg 13:4 -5).

I can certainly understand why some people think that it's a sin to drink alcohol as we see in Pro 23:31 to not even look at wine when it is red, and this is certainly good advice to give those who are alcoholics because they shouldn't give any place for the devil (Eph 4:27).

Jer 35:14 tells us that Jonadab's sons kept their father's commandment not to drink wine. The priest were forbidden to drink wine when they entered the inner court (Eze 44:21).
Perhaps the shortest and clearest point to this whole article is found in Eph 5:18 which tells us not to be drunk with wine, note that it doesn't forbid the drinking of it but the excess drinking of it.

Furthermore we see over and over again in the New Testament that we are to be sober, which is the opposite of being drunk (1Th 5:6 -7, 1Pe 1:13, 1 Pet 5:8).  The bible also instructs bishops to not be given to wine and deacons/ aged women to not be given to much wine (1Ti 3:3, Tit 1:7, 1 Tim 3:8, Tit 2:3) we can conclude by this that drinking in moderation is not sinful.

See also: Pro 23:20, Luk 21:34, Rom 13:13

About Drunkeness

So what are some of the negative results of drunkenness? Well in Job 12:25 we see that it can impair your ability to walk. We also know that those that are tricked by wine/strong drink lack wisdom (Pro 20:1). It causes poverty (Pro 21:17, Pro 23:21), We can learn a-lot about the result of drunkenness from  Pro 23:29 -35 such as it dulls our sense of pain, impairs our judgment, it causes sorrow and babbling, and is addicting. It lower inhibitions (Lam 4:21, Hab 2:15), and can cause sickness (Isa 19:14, Hos 7:5).

We further see that drinking impairs judgment from Pro 31:4 -5 and Isa 28:7, and that excess of wine is one of the things which is categorized as the will of the gentiles (1Pe 4:3). Lastly we see that alcohol isn't the only thing that can cause intoxication from the example derived from Rev 17:6.

See also: Deu 29:19, Ecc 10:17, Jer 48:26, Jer 51:39, Lam 3:15,

Punishment For or While Drunk

Let's briefly take a look at the consequences of failing to heed the bibles warning to not be a drunkard. We see in Deu 21:20-21 that a stubborn/rebellious son who was a glutton or drunkard was to be put to death under the Old Testament.The bible prescribes woe to those that rise up early to get drunk and also to those who are mighty to drink wine (Isa 5:11, Isa 5:22).

Believers are instructed not to keep company with other brethren who do this sin in 1Co 5:11. Ultimately this sin will keep you out of heaven as we see in Luk 12:45 -46 that those that go around beating their servants and drinking will have their portion with unbelievers and as 1 Cor 6:10 and Gal 5:21 tells us that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

See also: Jer 25:27, Jer 51:7, Nah 1:10 

Other Verses about the Subject

We see in 2Sa 13:28 that Absalom exacted revenge on Amnon when his heart was merry with wine for raping his sister. Along with whoredom wine is said to take away the heart (Hos 4:11). 

In Joe 1:5-12 the drunkards are told to awake, weep, and howl because of the famine God is going to send. It's a tragedy but we see in Joe 3:3 that people will sell children to sustain their addictions. We can also see from scripture than men prefer old wine over new (Luk 5:39).   

  

Some Christians that prohibit the drinking of alcohol altogether may state that the bible allows the drinking of new wine (grape juice) but not fermented (old). Why is it then that the mockers who heard the men speaking in tongues claim their where full of new wine in it didn't imply they were drunk, or that new wine meant grape juice (Act 2:13)? As Christians we need to be aware of other's consciences, if we are around a fellow christian who struggles with alcoholism we shouldn't drink in from of them (Rom 14:21). The wine we definitely don't want to drink of is the wine of the wrath of God (Psa 75:8, Rev 14:10). 

See also: Deu 29:6, Deu 32:33, Est 1:7 -8, Pro 4:17, Pro 31:6-7, Ecc 2:3, Isa 24:9, Jer 16:7, Jer 31:29-30, Eze 23:33, Amo 2:8, Amo 2:12, Mic 2:11, Hab 2:5

So to conclude their is nothing wrong with having a little drink now and then as long as it doesn't get you intoxicated. However Christians who struggle with alcoholism should avoid it altogether so that they are not tempted to get drunk.

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