Can Christians Consume Alcohol?

The Christian and Alcohol: A Gospel-Centered Perspective

Introduction: A Journey to Freedom
For twelve years, I lived in the grip of addiction, depression, and self-destruction. No matter how hard I fought for sobriety, I couldn’t break free. I won battles here and there, but I never won the war. Then, in October 2011, everything changed. In a moment of desperation, I encountered Christ in prayer, and the walls around my heart began to crumble. By February 2012, I surrendered completely to Jesus, and that’s when true transformation began.

As I placed my trust in the gospel and followed the leading of God’s Word and Spirit, my life changed in ways I never thought possible. The peace, joy, and love of Christ filled the void that addiction had tried to numb. I walked away from tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, and for the first time, I wasn’t just sober—I was free. Over the next year, God continued His work in me, calling me into pastoral ministry and opening doors to serve His church.

But freedom in Christ isn’t just about breaking chains—it’s about learning to walk in wisdom. As I matured in my faith, I wrestled with the question of Christian liberty, particularly when it came to alcohol. Could I, as a former addict, enjoy it in moderation without compromising my faith? Did 2 Corinthians 5:17 really mean that I was a new creation, even in this area? After a season of prayer and counsel, I believed the Lord was leading me to walk in freedom, using wisdom to enjoy alcohol without returning to the bondage of my past.

For the past 13 years, I have walked in that freedom, drinking occasionally and without the chains that once bound me. My story isn’t a universal answer for everyone, but it is a testimony to two unshakable truths: Jesus Christ truly has the power to transform lives, and faithful discipleship isn’t about rigid rules—it’s about walking closely with Him, which looks different for everyone. The one thing every Christian shares is that Jesus is the true hero of every story.

Biblical Teaching
The Bible does not prohibit alcohol consumption but does warn against drunkenness and excess. Wine was a common part of biblical culture, used in celebrations (John 2:1-11), worship (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), and even as a symbol of God's blessing (Psalm 104:14-15). Jesus Himself drank wine (Luke 7:33-34), partook of it enough that some falsely accused him of being a drunkard (Matthew 11:19 and parallels), and in fact, He created “good wine” at a wedding celebration (John 2:1-6). Paul advised Timothy to use a little wine for his health (1 Timothy 5:23). However, Scripture clearly condemns drunkenness as sin (Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 20:1, Galatians 5:19-21), emphasizing self-control and wisdom in its use.

Biblical Wisdom and Discernment
Alcohol, like many created goods, is not inherently sinful, but its misuse can lead to destructive consequences. Moderation aligns with biblical principles of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) and responsible stewardship of the body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The issue is not the substance itself but the heart’s posture toward it. When alcohol becomes a means of escape, addiction, or a stumbling block to others (Romans 14:13-21), it ceases to be a God-honoring practice. G.K. Chesterton captures this balance well: “We should thank God for beer and burgundy by not drinking too much of them.”

Church Tradition
Christians historically believed that alcohol was a gift from God that made life more joyous. Early church fathers preached moderation but warned against drunkenness. Christians used wine in Communion, or Lord’s Supper, and saw wine as important at the Last Supper.

Throughout Christian history, attitudes toward alcohol have varied. The early church used wine in the Lord’s Supper, and many Reformers, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, accepted moderate consumption. John Calvin once said, "It is permissible to use wine not only for necessity but also to make us merry." However, movements such as the 19th-century temperance movement arose in response to the societal harms of alcohol abuse. The Methodist Church, founded by John Wesley, was one of the first to preach against alcohol. By the mid-1800s, some Protestant Christians began to believe that drinking alcohol was sinful, leading to the Prohibition movement in the United States and the Eighteenth Amendment, which went into effect in 1920. While some Christian traditions advocate total abstinence, others recognize that a biblical approach allows for freedom in moderation while respecting individual conscience.

Historical Timeline
Alcohol has been a part of faithful Christian life throughout church history. Here is a sampling of historical moments, from an article by Brett McCraken, to show that this issue is not a-historical:

• Second Century: St. Clement of Alexandria publishes Pedagogia, which includes the first scholarly treatment of Christians and alcohol.
• Fifth Century: St. Brigid of Ireland reportedly changes her bathwater into beer so that visiting clerics would have something to drink.
• 1620: The ship carrying John Winthrop to the Massachusetts Bay Colony also carries more than 10,000 gallons of wine and three times as much beer as water.
• 1770s–80s: Spanish Catholics plant the first vineyards in California at missions up and down the coast.
• 1759: Arthur Guinness opens his brewery in Dublin, eventually using money from its success to fund Christian charities, hospitals, and Sunday School programs.
• 1933–1949: “The Inklings,” a group of Christian luminaries including C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams, convenes at the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford for beer-aided literary discussions.

Alcohol’s Effects on the Body and Mind
While alcohol can be enjoyed responsibly, it is important to acknowledge its effects. The Bible warns against the dangers of excess (Proverbs 23:29-35), and modern science confirms that heavy drinking can impair judgment, damage the liver, and increase the risk of addiction. Proverbs 20:1 states, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Alcohol affects the brain's decision-making and emotional regulation, which is why Scripture warns believers to remain sober-minded (1 Peter 5:8). This does not mean alcohol must be avoided entirely, but it calls for wisdom, self-control, and accountability in its use.

Navigating Personal Convictions and Community
Romans 14 teaches that some believers, due to conscience or past struggles with addiction, may choose to abstain entirely. Their conviction should be honored, and those who drink in moderation should not cause them to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). Christian liberty should always be exercised with love and consideration for others, prioritizing unity over personal preference (Philippians 2:3-4). As Ryan Kelly explains, "It is the abuse of a thing that is sin, not its use. Sin is that which violates God’s biblical commandments, not the additions and inventions we make. No man can bind the conscience of another. As Sola Scriptura Christians, our minds, wills, and hearts are directed by God’s revealed will in the Scriptures alone. On issues not forbidden or condemned by Scripture, we cannot invent a morality, or, worse, impose those inventions on others. We cannot be holier than Jesus, can we?"

The Concern of Legalism
A Latin phrase helpful in this discussion is abusus usum non tollit (“Abuse does not take away proper use”). Legalism, which imposes extra-biblical restrictions as a measure of holiness, can be just as dangerous as the sin it seeks to avoid. John Piper, though a personal teetotaler, rightly warns: "I want to hate what God hates and love what God loves. And this I know beyond the shadow of a doubt: God hates legalism as much as he hates alcoholism." Legalism fosters self-righteousness, whereas the gospel calls us to heart transformation through Christ.

D.A. Carson provides a helpful analogy: "If I’m called to preach the gospel among a lot of people who are cultural teetotalers, I’ll give up alcohol for the sake of the gospel. But if they start saying, 'You cannot be a Christian and drink alcohol,' I’ll reply, 'Pass the port' or 'I’ll think I’ll have a glass of Beaujolais with my meal.'" Paul demonstrated this balance when he circumcised Timothy to remove a stumbling block (Acts 16:3) but refused to circumcise Titus to uphold gospel freedom (Galatians 2:3-5).

The True Problem: Sin, Not Alcohol
The gospel reminds us that sin, not alcohol, is the true problem. Drunkenness is a manifestation of sin’s effects, but the root issue is the human heart’s tendency to seek fulfillment apart from God. Whether through alcohol, materialism, or any other excess, sin distorts good gifts from God. The solution is not merely abstinence but transformation through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The gospel calls us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), walking in wisdom and self-control.

Conclusion
Alcohol, in and of itself, is neither inherently sinful nor inherently righteous. The Bible permits its moderate use while warning against excess and misuse. Christians are called to exercise wisdom, self-control, and love for others in their approach to alcohol. For some, abstinence is a necessary and wise choice, whether for personal conviction or past struggles. My own journey of redemption and restored freedom is a testament to Christ’s power to transform. The gospel does not simply impose new rules; it renews and reorders desires so that we may live in joyful obedience to Christ. Ultimately, our aim should be to glorify God in all things, keeping the gospel central and pursuing holiness in every aspect of life (1 Corinthians 10:31).


Bibliography

1. Chesterton, G.K. Heretics. London: John Lane, 1905.
2. Calvin, John. Commentary on the Psalms: Psalm 104:15. 1557.
3. McCracken, Brett. “Christians and Alcohol: A Timeline.” Still Searching (blog), July 17, 2013. https://stillsearching.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/christians-and-alcohol-a-timeline/.
4. Kelly, Ryan. “Well Drunk.” The Aquila Report, May 5, 2012. https://theaquilareport.com/well-drunk/.
5. Piper, John. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2003.
6. Carson, D.A. The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012.

Referenced Scriptures (ESV)
a. John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

b. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

c. Psalm 104:14-15

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man's heart.

d. Luke 7:33-34

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

e. Matthew 11:19

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

f. 1 Timothy 5:23

No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

g. Ephesians 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

h. Proverbs 20:1

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

i. Galatians 5:19-23

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

j. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

k. Romans 14:13-21
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

l. Proverbs 23:29-35
Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
    Who has redness of eyes?
Those who tarry long over wine;
    those who go to try mixed wine.
Do not look at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup
    and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a serpent
    and stings like an adder.
Your eyes will see strange things,
    and your heart utter perverse things.
You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
    like one who lies on the top of a mast.
“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;
    they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
    I must have another drink.”

m. 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

n. 1 Corinthians 8:9-13
But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

o. Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

p. Acts 16:3
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

q. Galatians 2:3-5
But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

r. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

s. 1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.