What does the Bible say about Alcohol? Are Christians allowed to drink Alcohol?

Every believer knows that excessive consumption of alcohol can have bad influences on your mind that make difficult to serve God. This truth can also be found in several passages of the Bible.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. (Hosea 4:11)

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1)

In Leviticus, God commanded Aaron and his sons not to drink alcohol when if they go to the tabernacle. He didn’t want their judgment to be impaired when they taught the people about His will.

And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. (Leviticus 10:8-11)

And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God. (Genesis 29:5-6)

Only excessive consumption of Alcohol is forbidden in the Bible

In general, the Bible doesn’t prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Jesus and his disciples drank alcohol (cf. Matthew 26:26-29). And the first miracle of Jesus was to turn water into wine (cf. John 2:1-11).

Nevertheless, the Bible warns us urgently of the excessive consumption of alcohol and drunkenness.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh. (Proverbs 23:20)

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre. (1 Timothy 3:8)

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. (Titus 2:3)

The first letter to the Corinthians even says that frequent drinkers won’t enter the Kingdom of God:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

If you want to stay up to date, like us on Facebook.