Can Christians Drink Wine?

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Thanks, and I appreciate the support. All right, in this video, I want to talk about Christians and alcohol.

First, I want to share the fact that I'm fully aware of the various views on this subject, and I respect the differences that are among Christians.

And I simply want to share my thoughts on this question, and perhaps provide some direction for those who may be grappling with this issue.

So can Christians drink alcohol? Or if we can phrase things a little bit differently, is it a sin for Christians to drink alcohol?

Well, first, I want to say that there are things that are not in and of themselves sinful, but can become sinful.

For example, eating food. Eating food isn't sinful, but it can become sinful.

The Bible speaks of the sin of gluttony. Using a knife isn't sinful, but it can become sinful when used to murder someone.

In like fashion, having sex isn't sinful, but it becomes sinful when done outside the biblical parameters of marriage.

I think the same principles apply here with respect to alcohol. Drinking alcohol isn't in and of itself sinful, but it can become sinful when misused.

Let's take a quick look at what the Bible has to say about this specific topic. There are various passages in Scripture which speak about the negative elements of drinking alcohol.

And I should mention very quickly that while the Bible does not explicitly condemn alcohol consumption, it most definitely provides some warning.

So let us take a look at Proverbs 20, verse 1. It says, And again,

Isaiah 5 .11 says, So the

Bible clearly speaks ill of the sort of drinking which results in intoxication and drunkenness.

In other words, drunkenness is clearly sinful and should be avoided by believers. On the other hand, the

Bible does speak of the proper use of alcohol. That's right, the proper use. Sorry, guys who think it's a complete and utter sin to consume alcohol, that's just not supported by the

Bible. The Bible says in Proverbs 31, verses 6 -7, And again,

Psalm 104, verses 14 -15 says, Now considering these passages, you need to remember that the ancient

Israelites did not have the sort of medicine that's afforded us today, and so alcohol had great medicinal purpose, you know, back in the day.

Now let's consider 1 Timothy 5 .23 in this regard. It says, Now you may be saying to yourself then, yeah, so perhaps it's fine if one consumes alcohol for medicinal purposes.

But the Bible condemns as sinful consuming alcohol for recreational purposes. Now again, that's just not the case.

In fact, it's quite clear in the Bible that even Jesus most likely consumed alcohol. Now consider Matthew 11, verse 19.

Jesus says, Now, while the passage doesn't flat out say that Jesus drank alcohol, it would really make no sense that His critics would call

Him a drunkard if He wasn't even consuming alcohol. In like fashion, it would make no sense to call

Jesus a glutton if He wasn't actually eating food. The point here is, the point that Jesus is getting at here is that His critics would no doubt be willing to exaggerate these facts to somehow find fault in Him.

In fact, Jesus pointed out that John the Baptist came neither drinking or eating, and they said that he had a demon.

The point is, no matter how Jesus came to them, they would find fault. Now, Jesus was often ridiculed for keeping company with noted sinners and tax collectors, and He often ate and drank with them, and in so doing, this is an important point here,

He never joined them in sin. Rather, He spoke life to them and shared with them how they could be made right with God.

Now, it should be said that Christians differ on how to answer this whole issue of alcohol, and that's okay.

But what we want to avoid is the unwarranted and unbiblical legalism that usually is associated with this topic.

If you're a Christian and you firmly believe that Christians should not consume alcohol, I completely understand.

And because of the dangers that can be associated with drinking, I completely understand why some folks would want to distance themselves from alcohol completely.

But to condemn others by calling it a sin, I think goes far beyond what the Bible teaches. There just is no biblical warrant in saying that it's a sin for Christians to consume alcohol.

Galatians 5 .1 speaks of the freedom that we have in Christ, and in 1 Corinthians 6 .12, it says in light of that freedom, that all things are lawful while not all things are beneficial.

We are free in Christ, but we're not free to use that freedom to sin.

But with respect to drinking alcohol, specifically, the Bible doesn't speak of it as sin. Rather, it clearly condemns alcohol's misuse or drunkenness as sin.

So, in this regard, I think it's safe not to go beyond what is written, as we're told in 1 Corinthians 4 .6.

Lastly, as I mentioned at the beginning of this video, there are things that are not in and of themselves that are sinful but can become sinful.

And to that, I want to mention briefly that while drinking is not sinful, it can become a stumbling block to others.

So, Jesus teaches us to love others and to put others before ourselves. If consuming alcohol becomes a stumbling block to those around you,

I think there is an important biblical principle here, in that out of our love for others, we should avoid at all costs becoming a stumbling block to them.

Now, can Christians drink alcohol? I want to hear from you. Why don't you share your thoughts in the comments below, and if you found this video helpful, please share it with others.