Is it okay for a christian to drink wine?

[☦Marius☦]

Also to those that say drinking alcohol is sinful, beware. Calling anything Christ did sinful is obviously heresy. And for the "it was grape juice" argument look to the wedding of Cana where the hosts provided the cheap wine last because the guests were too intoxicated to even notice. Yet Christ provided more. It is not what you drink but the manner in which you drink that matters. Alcohol is so stigmatized in our culture because it is the culture to go off and have drunken Orgies. That does not mean the beverage itself should ever be considered sinful.

 

[Deadworm]

I can't understand why any serious Christian would drink wine--when Scotch or Bourbon are so much better! btw, when I was in Israel and we passed through Cana, 2 churches claimed to be the authentic location of the water-into-wine miracle--and we could buy a bottle of authentic Cana wine for just $40! What a rip-off for just a Cana wine label! It reminds me of the Bigamy Beer bottle we could buy in Mormon country in southern Utah. If Jesus had access to Scotch or Bourbon, He would surely prefer both to wine.

 

[DominicBaptiste]

I like to drink wine once in a while but I was wondering if it's bad? I don't get drunk but once in a blue moon I like to have wine in the evening.

The reason why some Christians consider drinking to be bad is because they or their families have had bad experiences with people doing stupid things while they were drinking or drunk. Having said that, I personally believe that drinking is not specifically un-Christian or sinful, but you have to keep in mind that it causes serious problems for many people, so that's always a point to consider when talking about alcohol from a Christian perspective.

 

[DamianWarS]

I like to drink wine once in a while but I was wondering if it's bad? I don't get drunk but once in a blue moon I like to have wine in the evening.

Yes, it is ok to drink wine but I wouldn't if you're trying to reach a group who feels it is wrong like Muslims.

 

[MissRowy]

Have a glass with your meal but if you are socialising with people who don't drink alcohol it might be offensive to them if you drank.

 

[thesunisout]

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. - 1 Timothy 5:23

Notice... A little wine. Smith Wigglesworth use to travel abroad and would run into many folks who would cruise with him. He use to say that 1 Timothy 5:23 was most peoples favorite scripture and would justify their party life using that scripture. A little wine is not bad, but the party life is.

It wasn't for recreation though, it was for his infirmities

 

[thesunisout]

Yes, it is ok to drink wine but I wouldn't if you're trying to reach a group who feels it is wrong like Muslims.

Also if you drink around Christians who are weak in that area you could cause them to stumble.

 

[Cat Loaf You]

I like to drink wine once in a while but I was wondering if it's bad? I don't get drunk but once in a blue moon I like to have wine in the evening.

If Jesus could turn wine into water then wine can't be bad because otherwise he would not be able to do so .

 

[Jenniferdiana]

When i see wine, it reminds me of Jesus

 

[Francis Drake]

An abundant harvest of wine was one of God's rewards for faithfulness in Israel.

Remember the spies came back with such massive bunches of grapes they had to carry them on poles. That was the harvest of the promised land.
Grapes will automatically and rapidly rot, or ferment into wine whether you like it or not. Therefore God promising them an abundant harvest, that rapidly rots is hardly a blessing unless it can be preserved in skins or clay jars, as indeed it was.

Being blessed by God with an abundant harvest of good wine, that according to some was a sin to drink, is one of the most stupid doctrines the church has invented.

 

[WilliamBo]

A lot of excellent answers in this thread with scripture to back it up.

"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted." -Proverbs 31:4

As you can see in Proverbs 31, she is telling her son who is a righteous man that drinking alcoholic beverages is not for him. For me, I was heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol and cigarettes before God delivered me of those things so I especially stay away from addictive substances like that. Alcohol can be very dangerous, but a glass every blue moon I don't think is going to kill you. It seems like a very thin line with wine. Just be very careful is all I would say. I think I read somewhere that middle-aged women are at the highest risk of being addicted to wine. Alcohol is extremely addicting and kills thousands and thousands a year

Also, many times in the Bible when it says "wine" it is translated in the original Greek or Hebrew as "juice" or "unfermented juice" or "unfermented wine." Just because it says "wine" in the English Bible does not mean it is talking about alcoholic wine necessarily

 

[Rubiks]

Drink responsibly....I find that phrase hilarious. Why? Every cell that alcohol touches dies on contact... brain cells, liver, kidneys, stomach, they all die on contactt with alcohol....How does one poison themselves responsibly?

Incorrect.

Jesus drank wine. That is an indisputable fact.

 

[Rubiks]

Also to those that say drinking alcohol is sinful, beware. Calling anything Christ did sinful is obviously heresy. And for the "it was grape juice" argument look to the wedding of Cana where the hosts provided the cheap wine last because the guests were too intoxicated to even notice. Yet Christ provided more. It is not what you drink but the manner in which you drink that matters. Alcohol is so stigmatized in our culture because it is the culture to go off and have drunken Orgies. That does not mean the beverage itself should ever be considered sinful.

The funny thing about that argument is that grape juice wasn't even invented yet.

 

[jmldn2]

Anything taken to the extreme can become sin, harmful. Gluttony is also one.

 

[Dave-W]

That problem was caused by people, or one could go so far as to blame God for seeing to it alcohol is the only really intoxicating drug that is legal aside from pot.

There is oxygen. I got 02 drunk once.

 

[Dave-W]

If Jesus could turn wine into water then wine can't be bad because otherwise he would not be able to do so .

My congregation growing up insisted it was grape juice, because HE would not be tempting people to sin, (by consuming alcohol) and it was proved in scripture where the steward said "You have saved the best until now;" and EVERYONE knows how much better grape juice is than that nasty old alcoholic wine.

 

[Athanasius377]

A lot of excellent answers in this thread with scripture to back it up.

"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted." -Proverbs 31:4

As you can see in Proverbs 31, she is telling her son who is a righteous man that drinking alcoholic beverages is not for him. For me, I was heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol and cigarettes before God delivered me of those things so I especially stay away from addictive substances like that. Alcohol can be very dangerous, but a glass every blue moon I don't think is going to kill you. It seems like a very thin line with wine. Just be very careful is all I would say. I think I read somewhere that middle-aged women are at the highest risk of being addicted to wine. Alcohol is extremely addicting and kills thousands and thousands a year

Also, many times in the Bible when it says "wine" it is translated in the original Greek or Hebrew as "juice" or "unfermented juice" or "unfermented wine." Just because it says "wine" in the English Bible does not mean it is talking about alcoholic wine necessarily

If you have or believe you are predisposed to having issues with alcohol then I would not take the wine at communion or any other time. Having close friends and a brother that is an alcoholic I understand your concern. There are people at my church that have the same issue and I do not give them the cup. That being said, the statement regarding wine is incorrect. I am not sure where you heard that but no decent lexicon supports that reading. There are different varieties which the word is used such as "sweet wine", "inferior wine", "sour wine". All refer to fermented grape juice. Unfermented grape juice was not possible until a fellow by the name of Welch invented a process in the 19th century to keep the grapes from fermenting. Next time you see a cluster of red grapes. Notice the white powdery stuff on the outside. That's not pesticide it is yeast. Mash up grapes and you will get fermentation every time.

The Bible allows for drinking of wine, but never drunkenness.

 

[RaymondG]

I like to drink wine once in a while but I was wondering if it's bad? I don't get drunk but once in a blue moon I like to have wine in the evening.

No one can tell you if it is a sin or not for you to drink wine....and anyone who tries to encourage you to drink is in danger of leading you to damnation.

This is something one you can determine for yourself:

"And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

 

[Dave-W]

"And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

In that case the sin is not the drinking of wine, it is unbelief.

"...whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

 

[RaymondG]

In that case the sin is not the drinking of wine, it is unbelief.

"...whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

This is correct. And to convince someone to drink something they have lack of faith in drinking, is to convince them to walk into sin. It is not wise for me to tell other to do things based on my own personal faith....as every man is given a measure and has to walk in their own calling.