Is drinking alcohol allow in Christianity?

The Bible’s answer


It is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation. The Bible describes wine as a gift from God that can make life more enjoyable. (Psalm 104:14, 15; Ecclesiastes 3:13; 9:7) The Bible also acknowledges the medicinal value of wine.—1 Timothy 5:23.

Jesus drank wine during his time on earth. (Matthew 26:29; Luke 7:34) In one of his well-known miracles, Jesus turned water into wine as a generous gift at a marriage feast.—John 2:1-10.

Dangers of overdrinking

While the Bible mentions the positive aspects of wine, it condemns overdrinking and drunkenness. Thus, a Christian who chooses to drink alcohol would do so only in moderation. (1 Timothy 3:8; Titus 2:2, 3) The Bible gives several reasons to avoid overdrinking.

It impairs thinking ability and judgment. (Proverbs 23:29-35) An intoxicated person cannot fulfill the Bible’s command to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.”—Romans 12:1.


Overdrinking removes inhibitions and “the motivation to do what is right.”—Hosea 4:11; Ephesians 5:18.


It can lead to poverty and serious health problems.—Proverbs 23:21, 31, 32.


Heavy drinking and drunkenness displease God.—Proverbs 23:20; Galatians 5:19-21.


How much is too much?

A person has had too much alcohol when his drinking puts him or others at risk of harm. According to the Bible, drunkenness is identified, not by a person’s passing out, but by such behavior as being disoriented, walking unsteadily, becoming contentious, or having slurred speech. (Job 12:25; Psalm 107:27; Proverbs 23:29, 30, 33) Even those who avoid getting drunk can still become “weighed down with . . . heavy drinking” and experience its serious consequences.—Luke 21:34, 35.

Complete abstinence

The Bible also identifies times when Christians should avoid drinking alcohol altogether:

If others would be stumbled by it.—Romans 14:21.


If drinking alcohol violates the law of the land.—Romans 13:1.


If a person cannot control his drinking. Those who suffer from alcoholism and other forms of alcohol abuse must be willing to take drastic action.—Matthew 5:29, 30.

The Bible condemns drunkenness and overindulgence but not the moderate consumption of alcohol. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) Indeed, from time immemorial, men and women of God drank wine, a beverage mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible. (Genesis 27:25) “Eat your food with rejoicing and drink your wine with a good heart,” says Ecclesiastes 9:7. Because wine contributes to a joyful spirit, it was usually served on festive occasions, such as wedding feasts. It was at such a feast that Jesus Christ performed his first miracle—turning water into “fine wine.” (John 2:1-11) Wine was also used for medicinal purposes.—Luke 10:34; 1 Timothy 5:23.

Allowed is up for personal interpretation. How each person defines their personal christian life is different. I personally do not drink alcohol EVER. Do I think it's sinful or bad? Not usually - but for some who have addictive tendencies alcohol should be acknowledged as a problem for them and they should NOT DRINK it - in a perfect world of course. I know myself well enough to know that I would use alcohol to escape so it's a NO NO for me.
Everyone must make such a decision based on their own personal life.

Yes, except in a few extreme Protestant denominations.

Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, ... (John 2:7-9)

Wine is used throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was to turn water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

It is true that we should not become drunk but used in moderation, wine is a biblically acceptable beverage.

Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because it is now that God favors your works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. (1 Timothy 5:23)

Wine and music delight the soul. (Sirach 40:20)

WWJD? What would Jesus do? Jesus had a cup of wine with dinner. In fact, because of this practice, some teetotalers accused him of being a drunkard. See Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34.

If some people wish to totally forego alcohol to eliminate the temptation to over indulge, that is fine. However, I do not think they should force that unbiblical practice onto others.

By the way, for those who argue that Jesus and other people in the Bible only drank fruit juice, a process that would stop grape juice from fermenting into wine was not even invented until 1869 by Dr Thomas B Welch when he invented Welch's Unfermented Wine which was renamed later to Welch's Grape Juice. http://www.welchs.com/about-welchs/history

With love in Christ.

Yes, notice Jesus' first miracle. At a wedding reception, he changed water into FINE WINE. John 2:3-10. Drinking alcohol is permissible, however; over indulgence in alcohol is not permitted. (1 Corinthians 6:10)

Christianity Alcohol

hristian views on alcohol are varied. Throughout the first 1,800 years of church history, Christians consumed alcoholic beverages as a common part of everyday life and used "the fruit of the vine" in their central rite—the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. They held that both the Bible and Christian tradition taught that alcohol is a gift from God that makes life more joyous, but that over-indulgence leading to drunkenness is sinful or at least a vice. The Bible indicates wine as a symbol of joy while "strong drink" is a euphemism for drunkenness.

In the mid-19th century, some Protestant Christians moved from this historic position of allowing moderate use of alcohol (sometimes called moderationism) to either deciding that not imbibing was wisest in the present circumstances (abstentionism) or prohibiting all ordinary consumption of alcohol because it was believed to be a sin (prohibitionism). Methodists advocated abstentionism and were early leaders in the temperance movement of the 19th and 20th centuries, which had followers from many Protestant churches. Today, all three of these positions exist in Christianity, but the historic position remains the most common worldwide, due to the adherence by the largest bodies of Christians, namely Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodoxy.

It depends. The Bible does permit consumption of alcohol, but not an overdose (1 Timothy 5:23). Some churches, however, believe in complete abstinence from alcohol, unless it's used as medication or part of treatment. This is because some churches belive that alcohol can enslave you so you are not free to be used by God.

It is the misuse of alcohol that is condemned in the bible. An enjoyable gift is good only when used properly. For example, honey “is good,” but “the eating of too much honey is not good.” (Proverbs 24:13; 25:27) Moreover, the Bible commands: “Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Does consuming large amounts of alcohol ever bring glory to God? A Christian would certainly want to avoid having a reputation as a heavy drinker.

Yes it is allowed, you just are not allowed to get drunk and drink to much because an excessive indulgence in alcohol is called debauchery and it is a sin, also there are some risks you take when drinking alcohol with others, those friends of yours might like to listen to inappropriate music with foul language so they can drink to it or they may swear allot and it really depends what you do while you drink, if I were you I would avoid it, it would be way to hard to avoid sin while drinking alcohol