Is getting drunk a sin

[EAGonzalez]

is drinking itself a sin can you get drunk once in a while like at a party or is it a sin in anyway? I don't mean drunk like on the floor crawling and throwing up I mean like a relaxing drunk

 

[Bouke285]

Yes, It is referred to a few times in the Bible it takes away your ability to be an example in Christ because you can't even control yourself. Sorry I only read the title being drunk is

 

[banish'd]

Hello EAGonzalez,

It's a personal preference, and some denominations prohibit drinking all together. I only drink with my wife, and then it's limited to 2 drinks. A couple of Mai Tai tropical drinks while in Hawaii is romantic, but drinking at a party is not what we considered to be appropriate Christian behavior.

We are liberals, but we draw the line at 2 drinks while being romantic with each other. We do not drink with another couple, because we consider that a party also.

 

[heron]

The bigger sin is usually what you say and do when drunk. Or what you forgot you said and did.

When the apostle Paul says "be sober," he is speaking of a mindset where you are always alert and ready to go where God leads you next. If your senses are dulled and you have a lampshade on your head, God might not bother giving you any direction at all. (Except to the loo.)

 

[Peripatetic]

The sin is not drinking, the sin is "drunkenness", which (like so many other sins like lust and gluttony) does not have a clear-cut definition. Having a drink or two is not sin. Jesus drank wine on many occasions, and His first miracle was creating more wine for a wedding party. Those people weren't just having one glass (or they wouldn't have known that they new wine was better quality than what ran out). That said, there were probably some people at that wedding feast that got drunk, and sinned while doing so.

Some of it has to do with intent: are you drinking to "drown your sorrows" or to lead you to sexual contact? To me, this is different from having a beer or two with friends while watching a game on TV. Also, people whose drinking progresses (ie. the more you drink, the more you want/need to drink) should avoid it altogether. There is alcoholism in my family, and it was very destructive.

 

[sjdean]

Unfortunately being drunk means something different to everybody, it means anything from a state of impairment where you are unfit to drive a car to being blind paralytic drunk, vomiting all over the place and smashing things up.

My personal thoughts it's the after effects of alcohol. If you can drink 10 pints of beer and hold your head up high never getting into fights, putting others before yourself, not damaging yourself, helping others and having decorum, then, go ahead.

If you do something while drunk you wouldn't do while sober, then perhaps you need to cut back on what you drink.

 

[ampbelle3130]

i agree that the sin in itself is not that action of drinking however, it is the result of being drunk. if you have a couple drinks and you still act responsible, you are still a good example of Christ, you dont fight or cause unnecessary drama, you show respect and you can make good decisions - then by all means, feel free. however if when you are under the influence of alcohol, you become something that would not honor God and someone that is not respectable and you are unable to control your tongue and your actions - then drunk is a dangerous and sinful state for you to be in.
use your disgression. know when it is appropriate, when it isnt and learn your limits.

 

[Sketcher]

You're not supposed to get drunk. You're allowed to drink as long as you don't get drunk. But if you can't control your intake once you get started, it's best not to drink at all.

 

[sjdean]

The problem is defining what "drunk" actually means IMHO. Many are the times I've had a few drinks and got what I would consider "drunk" (though maybe it is just intoxication), and I discuss faith my friends and pray for them!

 

[savedbygracebre]

Conviction is a wonderful thing! If it feels wrong, it probably is. Conviction is the Holy Spirit telling His own what Is right and what is wrong. The fact that you questioned this in the first place tells me you were under conviction. We each have our own convictions. Mine is to not drink, while others do-mord power to them and if they do it in a God honoring and responsible way then " God bless them"!

 

[Peripatetic]

Conviction is a wonderful thing! If it feels wrong, it probably is. Conviction is the Holy Spirit telling His own what Is right and what is wrong. The fact that you questioned this in the first place tells me you were under conviction. We each have our own convictions. Mine is to not drink, while others do-mord power to them and if they do it in a God honoring and responsible way then " God bless them"!

Here's the thing though... sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between conviction from the Holy Spirit and false accusations from "the other side". Sometimes the devil wants us to obsess about something on the borderline that may not be sin at all for us, while we blissfully ignore some of our much more devastating and blinding sins (like pride for example).

R.C. Sproul just did an interesting podcast series on objective guilt vs. guilt feelings, and explored these questions. At one point, he finally got to the question I often ask: "How do we tell the difference between true conviction and false accusation?" The answer he gave was OK, but nothing revolutionary... something along the lines of "The Holy Spirit leads you closer to God, while the devil seeks to push you away."

Still, it can be hard to tell because the devil can use guilt in very deceptive ways... one of his biggest weapons is confusing our priorities about what to address in our lives.

 

[heron]

Sometimes the devil wants us to obsess about something on the borderline that may not be sin at all for us, while we blissfully ignore some of our much more devastating and blinding sins (like pride for example).

Sometimes the real question stems from a competition between friends/churches/family who take an adamant stand, and your own common sense. Having the best answer doesn't win the competition -- it can provoke it.

Alcohol has been a way of preserving and hindering germ spread for centuries. We have safer methods of preserving than the world used to, so we have more choices.

But think about what fruit juice does if you let it sit unrefrigerated for a few days -- it develops white mold at the top. Then it gets fizzy after the white scum.

Imagine living in desert climate with no way to keep fruit juice fresh, and no permission to drink fermented juice. Liquid has to come from somewhere. Cactus juice gets boring after a while.

 

[TruththroughGod]

I agree with those who said the sin is drunkenness. It is loosely defined...I think that if you have a drink or two with your wife or husband, that is fine...but if you drink to get drunk, that is where it is condemned. Also, going out on the town every weekend and getting drunk is, in my mind, drunkenness.

I think it all depends on your intentions.

 

[Lukelight]

I answer your question not by my own opinion but the one that matters the word of God. This verse is a verse I wish someone told me when I was off getting drunk. So I share it with you.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
But if you repent(turn from sinning) and trust alone in Jesus he will give you a new heart with new desires
Lastly: there's no such thing as a worldy Christian only Other worldy

 

[Mister_Al]

Drunkenness is listed in the works of the flesh. And, it has a penalty.

Galatians 5:19-21 Amplified Bible (AMP)
19 Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control),20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

There is no such thing as being a little bit drunk, just like you can't be a little bit pregnant. You either are drunk or your not.

Blessings,

Alan

 

[MuddSaw]

Absolutely!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[huk945]

Last time I did it, it sure seemed like one to me, but that was a long time ago, LOL

 

[Razare]

If you like drinking as a casual thing, I would say anything that puts you over the legal limit to drive is sin.

I drink coffee. If I drank 10 cups I'm sinning. When I drink 4 cups, I am probably sinning.

1 cup? Maybe... maybe I am but there are bigger sins and small sins. If I drink the 1 cup in faith, it's not a sin... and if I make a sin out of it, this is not faith but rather, "Do not eat, do not drink" which is demonic.

"Do not ever drink any alcohol whatsoever" is demonic. Getting drunk on alcohol is also demonic. Faith and love solves all these issues, and operates above rules.

"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2

But also, Paul is not saying there that giving into sensual indulgence is good. Rather, "do not drink beer" offers little to nothing in terms of restraining indulgence, and it's human wisdom really. Godly wisdom has to do with operating in the spirit, where you know right and wrong through faith and love.

 

[aiki]

is drinking itself a sin can you get drunk once in a while like at a party or is it a sin in anyway? I don't mean drunk like on the floor crawling and throwing up I mean like a relaxing drunk

Drinking alcohol is not a sin - but it is what the Bible describes as a "weight."

Hebrews 12:1
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Drinking alcohol offers no benefits that cannot be obtained from a non-alcoholic drink. It is potentially addictive. It is also treated as a poison by the body (hence the term "intoxicated"). It is commonly associated in North American culture with activities and lifestyles that are far from godly. Alcohol carries the risk of impaired judgment and lowered inhibitions. Do these things make drinking alcohol a sin? No, but they make drinking alcohol a foolish choice and a weight upon one's spiritual life and growth.

Drunkenness is another matter. It is very definitely a sin. How drunk is sinful drunk? Drunk is drunk whatever the degree. The Bible makes no allowances for degrees. Any drunkenness is sin.

Ephesians 5:18
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication...
21 ....envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who has ever been drunk should never drink alcohol again. And anyone who resists the idea of never drinking alcohol again needs to assess how free they really are from its power.

Selah.

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

is drinking itself a sin can you get drunk once in a while like at a party or is it a sin in anyway? I don't mean drunk like on the floor crawling and throwing up I mean like a relaxing drunk

I think it is. Alcohol has had a stronghold in my life since I was 17 (now 30), even though I have gone months and even years between drinks. Even now, I struggle sometimes with temptations of buying alcohol and drinking. It's best to abstain, especially if your goal in drinking is to "feel" the affects, it's just a matter of time before you have a drinking problem. Sober for two months so far this time!