What Does the Bible Say about Alcohol and Drunkenness?
May 2, 2024
Biblical teachings on alcohol provide us with guidance on how to approach and address this topic within our communities. As Christian leaders, it is essential to approach the topic of alcohol with care and wisdom. When it comes to alcohol, the Bible teaches us the importance of moderation and self-control.
Word History
Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands. “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.
Does the Bible Specify that Drunkenness Is a Sin?
While we know alcohol can have an addictive nature to it, that addiction is tied to a longing that dwells within our sinful nature. The alcohol and the drinking function as an attempt to satisfy that desire. Drunkenness is the state of being intoxicated by the consumption of too much of an alcoholic beverage.
Isn’t it Really Grape Juice?
It is a multifaceted and complex disease, so while someone may inherit a predisposition to the disorder, genes do not fully determine a person’s outcome. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease that is diagnosed based on an individual meeting certain criteria outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
- We might have the freedom to do something, but that doesn’t always make it the best thing for us to do.
- Bravo to those of you who take some time to seek God’s will about drinking and prepare yourselves for the future.
- God is looking out for you when He warns you about the dangers of alcohol and drunkenness.
- By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.
- What often happens with the topic of drinking in the Bible is that Christians drift towards the verses that support their view and ignore the others.
AA.’s Big Book has always said, and still says, there is One with all power and that the One is God! The founders used all kinds of descriptions and titles for God — Father, Creator, Maker, Almighty God — but they all came from the Good Book. That understanding of God produced a 75% to 93% early AA. The Bible does not prohibit the consumption of alcohol but leaves that choice up to the individual. 6 Technically, Jesus and the disciples had only three ritual cups of wine. The fourth cup, which represented the kingdom, was not drunk.
New research challenges long-held beliefs about the perks of drinking.
This might be surprising to some, but throughout the Old Testament alcohol is regularly seen as a blessing from God. First, some dramatic testimony which matches the healings of early AA. So you can be as bold as a lion as you live the Christian life. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your life, he begins to work on those works of the flesh that might still exist within you.
Treatment for alcoholism often involves a combination of therapy, medication, and support. If you think you might have an alcohol use disorder or if you are worried that your alcohol consumption has become problematic, it is important to talk to your doctor to discuss your 9 myths about alcohol treatment options. Other Bible scholars say that Paul is referring to unfermented grape juice. Why then do so many Christians push for the abstinence of drinking when it’s not in the Bible? The abuse of alcohol has caused incredible damage and pain in so many lives.
- Even so, ample evidence exists that Jesus Christ drank wine.
- It is usually called the cup, or it is called the fruit of the vine.
- More than 2 million Americans suffer from an alcohol-related liver disease.
- Everyone has a limit though, where their judgment is affected, their reactions slow down, their speech slurs, and they enter a state of intoxication.
- And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
- You don’t have to adopt the Pioneer program in order to allow it to be learned within AA., practiced within AA., published by AA., and publicized as one of the important elements of AA.’s success.
Alcoholic content of beverages in the ancient world
Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” … Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.