May A Christian Consume Alcoholic Beverages

May a Christian consume alcoholic beverages and it not be a sin? Perhaps it is best we examine a bit what the Bible says in regards to alcoholic beverages.

One of the greatest Biblical proofs that drinking alcohol is not a sin in God’s eyes is the fact that Christians drink wine showing Christ died for our sins. Some believe that wine “oinos” (If you have a Strong’s Concordance see #3631) was grape juice, but it couldn’t be because it represented His blood which pictures life. God said that what gives us life is our blood. Wine is fermented grape juice which is active or “living” just as our blood.

The Apostle Paul did not think drinking wine was a sin. He tells Timothy, who was having stomach trouble, that he should drink a little wine for his stomach’s sake.

 ”No longer drink only water, but use a little WINE for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” (1Timothy 5:23)

Notice Paul said “a little wine” which wouldn’t result in drunkenness. If the Bible is God-breathed we should learn from this that wine is good for certain stomach illnesses when consumed for the right purpose and in small quantities.

Of course, the Bible does condemn drunkenness. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, got drunk after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Titus 1:7 states that a minister of God should not be given to wine or an alcoholic. Drunkenness is clearly a sin (1Timothy 3:8).

The Apostle Paul warns us that we should not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess (Ephesians 5:18).

Again, Paul says wine is okay long as getting drunk isn’t the goal.

As long as we drink moderately, the Bible states it is good for us, but drunkenness or alcoholism is definitely a sin and not to be a part of a Christian’s life.

I also believe Jesus drank alcoholic wine as Matt 11:18 and Luke 7:33-34 implies.

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”

Jesus contrasted Himself with John the Baptist. Jesus said that John did not eat bread nor drink wine, but Jesus did eat and drink. This gives the impression that Jesus ate bread and drank wine. Furthermore, because Jesus ate and drank, He was called a “glutton” and a “drunkard.” This implies that Jesus possibly drank alcoholic wine (although He didn’t get drunk!).

Okay, back to my original question. May a Christian consume alcoholic beverages and it not be a sin? Sure. However, I would stick with wine since that is all the Bible condones. I would have no issue if a Christian drank a glass of wine with his evening meal or a social drink with friends. However, it isn’t always wise. For example: I have struggled with alcoholism for over 20 years ( dang I’m getting old ) and the further I am from it the better. If a Christian knows this about me he should not drink around me, in my opinion. For my sake he should skip the drink so that I am not tempted.

Below is a video citing some facts about alcohol.

 

 

This is a very controversial topic but I am convinced, that wine, if consumed in small amounts, is permissible and good for a person’s health.

Since Beer and Whiskey aren’t mentioned in the Bible I personally don’t find approval for drinking them.

Thoughts?

Hebrew 10: 26-31

I have heard this used to justify how one can lose his salvation. I believe the author of Hebrews is addressing Jewish persons who were flirting with the possibility of returning to Judaism after having the full knowledge of truth. Below is the verses in discussion:

“26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (10:26-31) 

I am probably going to go against mainstream interpretations but I believe the author of Hebrews is not speaking of occasional or even persistent sins due to the weakness of the flesh such as lust, drunkenness, theft, anger, and the like. These kinds of sins, while serious before God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), are what the Apostle Paul refers to as being “caught in a sin” or “overtaken in a fault.” Yet, they are forgivable. The sinning I believe that the author is speaking of is the sin of apostasy.

I believe the author is referring to a sustained defiance towards God — apostasy — as he was in 6:4-8, that is, in this case I believe that some Jewish people were turning deliberately away from faith in Christ and returning to Judaism, as if Jesus were not the Messiah at all. This is flagrant, deliberate apostasy, not simply sinning due to our weakness of the flesh.

The writer compares this deliberate, defiant sin to “rejecting the law of Moses” (10:28). In this case it is rejecting the Savior himself, so that there “no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (10:26). If a person rejects the sacrifice of the Messiah himself for his sins, what sacrifice is there left that can save him? Can the blood of bulls and goats remove human sin (10:4)? No!

The writer of Hebrews isn’t talking about sins of weakness. Jesus died to forgive them. The writer of Hebrews is talking about those who reject Jesus and his forgiveness to such degree that they reject Him as the Messiah. For them, and for them only, there is no longer any forgiveness.