The writer of Proverbs warned several thousand years ago that "wine is a mocker" and "strong drink is raging" and that "whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1, KJV). Given this warning, should Christians abstain from alcohol? What does the Bible teach about Christians serving or drinking alcoholic beverages?
Alcoholic Drinking Understood
Drinking alcohol is something that humans have done for most of their history. The world's earliest legal document (the Code of Hammurabi) addresses restrictions on the distribution and availability of alcohol, demonstrating that humans have long indulged in (and, in some ways, tried to restrain) alcoholic drinking.
An alcoholic beverage can best be described as a drink, which contains ethanol (alcohol). It serves as an energy source as well as a drug that impacts the central nervous system and sensory functions.
Those who enjoy drinking alcohol claim it helps them de-stress, overcome nervousness, boost their mood (at least in the short term), and enjoy greater social camaraderie.
Others caution that alcohol can lower inhibitions too much, impair judgment, affect driving, and cause health risks, particularly when enjoyed in excess. And they caution that few aspire to be alcoholics when they start drinking.
Drinking in the Bible
Wine is the alcoholic beverage that's most often identified in the Bible. In the Old Testament, "wine" is translated from the Hebrew words yayin or tiros (or tiyrowsh). In the New Testament, it is translated from oinos. In some passages, the Hebrew word sekar is used, which the classic King James translates as "strong drink," while the New International Version prefers "beer."
Those who argue that the Bible permits drinking in moderation claim that virtually all of the references to "wine" in the Scriptures, including when Jesus turned the water into wine (John 2), denote fermented grape juice.
Christians opposed to alcoholic drinking (even in moderation) claim distinctions in the biblical text between fermented grape juice (alcoholic wine) and non-fermented grape juice (fresh wine).
Should Christians Drink Alcohol?
The Christian community is divided over the question of alcoholic drinking. Many believe it is fine to do in moderation, while others say Christians should avoid alcohol altogether.
One scholar taking the position that Christians can enjoy alcohol in moderation is Richard V. Pierard. Yet Pierard, though he argues that drinking in moderation is permissible for Christians, warns it is "fraught with peril."
Says Pierard, "[Drinking in the Bible] befuddled the mind (Isa 28:7), prevented rulers from acting wisely in their roles as lawmakers and judges (Prov 31:4-5), caused sorrow and quarreling (23:29-35), and led to outright humiliation, as the drunken behavior of Noah and Lot illustrates (Gen 9:21; 19:30-38)." (Elwell, Walter, ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd edition. "The Drinking of Alcohol," pp. 40-42. Grand Rapids: Baker Books House Company, 2001).
This is precisely what the writer of Proverbs 20 referred to when he warned that sekar ("strong drink" in the KJV) is "raging" and that it easily deceives (Proverbs 20:1).
Scholar Samuele Bacchiocchi, author of Wine in the Bible: A Biblical Study on the Use of Alcoholic Beverages, argues that the permissive attitude toward alcohol embraced by so many Christians today "has provided Christians with an alleged Biblical and moral justification for drinking alcohol, thus depriving them of a Biblical and moral conviction for abstaining from intoxicating beverages." ("A Preview of 'Wine in the Bible' by Samuele Bacchiocchi).
Bacchiocchi commends evangelical Christians, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries and perhaps especially in the United States, who waged political and cultural warfare against alcoholism.
John MacArthur, a bestselling author, pastor, and theologian, offers up a third view, namely that the wine in the Bible, while mostly fermented, was done so at a much lower concentration. In fact, positive uses of wine in the Scriptures were to purify water. According to MacArthur, early Christians "drank [wine] diluted because it purified the water. In fact, in the early church an interesting note: unmixed wine was found unacceptable. Always it had to be mixed with water." ("What is the right Christian stand on drinking?" by John MacArthur).
Though MacArthur's view is not as strict as Bacchiocchi's, he nevertheless encourages Christians to avoid alcohol. It's safer to do so.
Though the debate over whether Christians can drink in moderation continues, virtually all evangelicals agree the Bible condemns drunkenness.
The Apostle Paul says drunkenness originates from one's sinful nature (Galatians 5:21). He says Christians are not to be drunk with wine, but rather be "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
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