The Bible and moderate drinking

[Strathos]

Personally I don't drink, but it's not because I think that God completely prohibits it.

 

[Basil the Great]

Well, it was not my intent to put guilt on anyone, though I would like to get many of you thinking about the subject, and my dislike of drinking alcohol goes far beyond my grandmother's addiction. I worked in the social service field for about 28 years and interviewed many women. Almost all of them that told me about their domestic abuse said that the man was almost always fine, unless he was drinking alcohol. I think it is a pretty well established fact that alcohol abuse is tied to domestic abuse, sexual violence, higher divorce rates, higher cancer rates, etc. Then you have the problem of highway deaths caused by drinking. My dad's ex-cardiologist was killed by a drunk woman and 3/4 of a family from a nearby town was wiped out a different drunk woman who came from the same town as the other one I mentioned.

Again, I am not saying that drinking alcohol in moderation is a sin, though drinking in front of an alcoholic would appear to be a sin, based upon Paul's teachings anyway. However, I do maintain that all things considered, the consumption of alcohol is a social evil. Yes, drinking red wine in moderation seems to be good for the heart. However, this plus must be weighed against the minuses of drinking alcohol.

 

[Sabertooth]

Almost all of them that told me about their domestic abuse said that the man was almost always fine, unless he was drinking alcohol. I think it is a pretty well established fact that alcohol abuse is tied to domestic abuse, sexual violence, higher divorce rates, higher cancer rates, etc. Then you have the problem of highway deaths caused by drinking. My dad's ex-cardiologist was killed by a drunk woman and 3/4 of a family from a nearby town was wiped out a different drunk woman who came from the same town as the other one I mentioned.

That is where Matthew 5:29-30 comes into effect.

 

[Francis Drake]

We should also take into account the health benefits.
Sometimes taking a little wine for your stomach's sake needs something a tad stronger.

You can always trust the Scots to go straight to the root of the matter.

 

[Kilk1]

Hello again, everyone! Since everyone on this thread seems to either favor the moderate use of alcohol or at least doesn't think such is sinful, I'd like to steer the discussion toward the anti-drinking arguments, arguments against even the moderate use of alcohol. I started a new thread for this:

If moderate drinking isn't sinful...

If you'd like to respond to the three main objections I've heard against social drinking, please go to the link above. Thank you!

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

Basil,

Gluttony includes all forms of over-indulgence. I’m not surprised it isn’t addressed lest it put things on the hot seat few want to relinquish.

Plus, churches are notorious for gatherings with lots of food.

Yours in His Service,

~Bella

haha - No church is ever going to go after overeating the same way they would go after the other sins. You gotta pick sins that a minority struggle with - if you start "rebuking" and "challenging" half the congregation - you'll soon have an empty church building haha ;-). Thou shalt point the finger !!

 

[FireDragon76]

I am against alcohol consumption, not because it is sinful, in and of itself, but because it is a social evil. I do not expect most posters here to agree with me.

Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian religious dissenter whose philosophy went on to inspire both Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., described alcohol as a poison to "body and soul". In imperial and Stalinist Russia, the Russian state used it to profit themselves, and also to stupify the population.

 

[d taylor]

I do not drink.
But i wanted to post this verse or verses as i have not seen these verses brought into the thread.

John did not drink but Jesus did, so when God was offering the kingdom to Israel, God gave them both a prophet for the non drinkers and a prophet for the ones who did drink. But yet Israel still rejected to Kingdom.

Matthew 11
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

 

[Tiburon]

Hello! For most of my life, I've understood drinking to be sinful under all circumstances. However, while the Bible condemns drunkenness in no uncertain terms (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:18), I've come across some verses that cause me to question if alcohol consumption is always sinful.

The first passage I'd like to consider is Psalm 104:14-15 (NKJV, emphasis mine):

He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.

The passage above teaches that God actually intends wine for us to make our hearts glad. For passages that speak of wine in a good way, I've often heard preachers explain that the wine is non-alcoholic. However, while it's true that different words are used of wine in the original languages of the Bible, the Hebrew word used in this verse for wine is yayin, which according to Strong’s Definitions means "wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication:—banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber)." Does this teach that God intends fermented wine as a blessing, then?

There's also Isaiah 25:6 (emphasis mine):

And in this mountain
The Lord of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.

Isn't this speaking of "wines on the lees" (aged wine) as a good thing?

The third and final passage I'd like to consider is John 2:1-11, the record of Jesus turning water to wine. The Greek word translated "wine" here is oinos. I've heard that this word can refer to either alcoholic or non-alcoholic wine depending on the context, and so I've always been told that the "wine" in this passage is non-alcoholic. However, there's something in the context I didn't know about, specifically what the master of the feast said in verse 10: "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" (emphasis mine). Some claim that non-alcoholic wine was considered the "good wine" back then. However, the Greek word translated "drunk" is methuo, which according to Strong’s Definitions means "to drink to intoxication, i.e. get drunk:—drink well, make (be) drunk(-en)."

Now obviously, since drunkenness is condemned, Jesus didn't endorse that. However, it appears that the "good wine" here contains alcohol, since we read that it was possible to get "well drunk" (methuo) on the good wine referenced.

What are your thoughts? Do these passages endorse the moderate consumption of alcohol? Thanks in advance for your input!

I don't believe the Bible anywhere precludes the consumption of alcohol. Like others here have said though, if it proves a stumbling block for you then steer clear.

 

[Anthony2019]

When it is drunk sensibly and in moderation, there is no reason why alcohol cannot be enjoyed. At the end of a busy week, it is something that can be enjoyed with family and friends, either on its own or as a perfect complement to that special meal.

Consumed in large quantities alcohol can have very serious effects on our health. Not only is intoxication very dangerous, it can cause people to lose their inhibitions and behave recklessly and irresponsibly, damaging themselves, their families, their friendships and even their careers.

For many people, drinking alcohol can lead to psychological and physical dependence. The problem is that most people affected do not realise they are trapped in the mire until they have already started to sink. Once dependency is established, alcohol has them in its grasp and it is desperately hard to escape. Denial is the number one symptom. "Never again" cries the alcoholic and hours later he is doing it all over again.

Fortunately there are many services available to help people with drinking problems. Some are designed to help people regain control and moderate their drinking, others are designed to help people achieve abstinence. Whatever programme works depends on the duration and severity of alcohol dependence, the individual's personal strengths and goals and their level of motivation.

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”