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What Does the Bible Say About Drinking?

I have a friend who used to be an alcoholic and now cannot even gargle (since mouthwash usually has a large amount of alcohol) or else he could go into a drinking binge. He recognizes that his own convictions about alcohol are not universally applicable; his friends are sensitive enough not to drink in his presence. The following are some roughly random notes on wine and other alcoholic beverages in the Bible. Even a casual look at the scriptures reveals a much different perspective than what most modern American Christians have about this topic.

  • Alcohol was one of the most abused drugs during the time period during which the Bible was written.
  • One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
  • The interpretations of each verse are up for debate.
  • We have to remember that Satan does seek to kill people.

This is just one of the reasons that many people choose not to drink. When you are vulnerable, that is when Satan likes to attack the most. We have to remember that Satan does seek to kill people. One of the main causes of car accidents is drunk driving.

Bible Verses About Alcohol

I know people who died in a drunk driving accident and they died without knowing the Lord. If the devil can catch you with your guard down, he will. I’m not saying it’s a sin, but I believe Christians should either stay away from it to be on the safe side or use wisdom when consuming alcohol. There are many believers who try to fit in with unbelievers and say, “don’t worry I’ll drink liquor with you.” Why are believers trying to show that they can hang? You probably have tried to stop drinking before and it has not worked for you.

For those who encourage others in anything which brings about their downfall, they are guilty. Many people are blind to the fact that one drink often leads to another. People justify the use of alcohol claiming they have perfect self-control.

Effects of alcohol and wine on our bodies

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Can you imagine trying to witness to others while drinking a beer? An unbeliever will look and say, “that just doesn’t seem right.” You might not understand how it causes others to stumble, but it really does affect people. The saying “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic” is based on the fact that a recovered alcoholic can never go back to drinking in any amount without being controlled by it again.

What Bible verse is against alcoholism?

One well-known such conference turns (occasionally) good advice into hundreds of rules that can suffocate one’s walk with God. We are enamored of the ‘How to’ books that work for others and perhaps may work for us. We can package such as ‘practical Christianity’ or ‘a wise and godly lifestyle’ or ‘principles to live by,’ but at bottom when such advice goes beyond the scriptures and turns into more than advice, it is legalism. Such a preoccupation with legalism is seen in church membership requirements, missionary and pastoral ordination bodies, and Bible college/seminary codes of conduct.

Does the Bible condone moderate drinking of alcohol?

Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. Ben Sira discusses the use of wine in several places, emphasizing joy, prudence, and common sense. One of the original sections of 1 Esdras describes a debate among three courtiers of Darius I of Persia over whether wine, the king, or women (but above all the truth) is the strongest. The argument https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for wine does not prevail in the contest, but it provides a vivid description of the ancients’ view of the power wine can wield in excessive quantity. I know people who are literally killing themselves and I know people who died in their sleep in their mid 40s because of alcoholism. You might say I’m strong enough to handle it, but many people who died thought the same thing.

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?

Heart disease

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. And the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

  • I’m not saying it’s a sin, but I believe Christians should either stay away from it to be on the safe side or use wisdom when consuming alcohol.
  • In the Jewish tradition, Jesus and his disciples drank wine at the Last Supper, which was a Passover Seder.

And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light. But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

Now, to be sure, not all of these are in positive statements, but neither are the majority in negatives statements. The most common Hebrew word is יינ (134 times in the MT), while the Greek word  οἶνος occurs in the New Testament 26 times. Let’s look at some Bible examples of people who used alcohol, as well as the effects it has on the body. Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field;In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting,No treader treads out wine in the presses,For I have made the shouting to cease.

Throughout Scripture it is condemned and it leads to even more wickedness. There are so many Scriptures that warn us about alcohol. This should cause us to pause and think about if we should fix a glass or not. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. That’s not to say that they should tolerate your alcoholic behavior. Your spouse, friends, or relatives can find out how to help you by contacting a Spirit-filled fellowship, AA, or ALANON, an organization for friends and relatives of alcoholics.

Bible verses about drinking in moderation

And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. Anyone who misuses alcohol or other drugs is harming the body. Because most https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/five-myths-about-alcoholism-you-probably-didnt-know/ experts believe that people with addictions aren’t capable of choosing to stop — they require treatment to recover — it’s unclear whether addiction is a sin.

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