Drinking alcohol has become extremely popular in our society. It is something that many do socially and view as not a big deal.

This thinking goes contrary to the teaching of Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God warns us about numerous dangers attached to the consumption of alcohol.

Drinking negatively affects your mind.

  • Advocates of drinking are often quick to suggest, “The Bible says drunkenness is a sin. It never says drinking alcohol is wrong.” This mentality displays a failure to acknowledge how God gives instructions.
  • It is true that God often directly condemns specific actions in the Bible (Ephesians 4:25-31). But this is not the only way God gives us instructions.
  • Sometimes God condemns specific actions through a general principle (Titus 2:11-12). Drinking alcohol causes us to lose the ability to be sober-minded as God commands (1 Thessalonians 5:4-9; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8).
  • Solomon urges us to understand that alcohol consumption is unwise and dangerous (Proverbs 23:29-35). It messes with the mind. It clouds judgment and robs a person of their ability to make good sound decisions.
  • Alcohol causes us to lose the ability to have self-control (Galatians 5:23).
  • Due to the strength of our enemy, we can’t afford to compromise our sobriety even for one second (1 Peter 5:8)!

Drinking negatively affects your influence.

  • As influence plays a critical role in helping draw people to Jesus (Matthew 5:16).
  • In 1 Peter 4:3-5, Peter clarifies between drunkenness and drinking parties (social drinking). Both practices should be done away with when a person becomes a Christian.
  • People of the world don’t often associate social drinking with holy and godly living!

Drinking negatively affects how you view Jesus.

  • Advocates of social drinking often like to say that Jesus is condoning it in John 2:1-10. Here Jesus miraculously turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
  • The Holy Spirit did not intend for John 2:1-10 to be a proof text for social drinking. He intended the narrative to be evidence that Jesus is the Son of God!
  • Trying to compare what was going on in Cana to what is going on today with alcohol isn’t that simple. If it were, we wouldn’t have warnings like Proverbs 20:1.
  • Unlike today, the word “wine” in the Bible is used very broadly. Sometimes it is referring to alcoholic beverages (Genesis 9:21). Other times, the term refers to the fruit of the vine or grape juice (Isaiah 65:8).
  • Even the fermented wine was often heavily diluted with two to three more times water!
  • What about John 2:10? Are we really to believe this language implies that Jesus contributed to people who were already drunk getting drunker?
  • Jesus was the sinless Son of God! He would never contribute to people allowing the devil access to their minds.

Conclusion:

Are you striving to be holy and pure in all your ways like Jesus?