Drinking Intoxicating Beverages -Part 1
By Allan E. McNabb

The other day, a few teenagers asked me about drinking.  Why isn’t it okay for adults to take a sip of alcohol — they won’t get drunk — what if no one sees them do it?

Important Questions
Questions about drinking and intoxication are very important, especially for young people and new Christians, trying to learn God’s word and please Him in every respect.

Answering these questions are important because they involve our souls.  If we answer them correctly and obey God, we can be saved.  But if we answer them incorrectly and disobey God, we’ll be lost.

It’s also important to answer these questions because alcohol destroys lives.  A quick Internet search for “first drink” and “drunk driver” pulls up heart wrenching stories of loved ones who lost family and friends to drunk drivers.  These stories often display messages like, “If you never take the first drink, you’ll never kill someone as a drunk driver!”

Sinfulness of Intoxication
Intoxication is a sin (Rom. 13:13; Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Pet. 4:3).  It is a deed of darkness (1 Th. 5:7).  Therefore, we shouldn’t participate in drinking to any degree.

  • “For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night” (1 Th. 5:7).
  • “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness” (2 Cor. 6:14)?
  • “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Eph. 5:11).
  • “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Th. 5:22).

Based on these Scriptures, we must conclude that Christians should stay away from every form of drinking and intoxication.  We shouldn’t drink alcohol, not even a sip.

Intoxication Results In More Sin
Studies show that a person is impaired with one beer, or four ounces of table wine, or a mild mixed drink.  The only way to avoid impairment is not drink (Blood Alcohol Calculator, The Police Notebook, Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm).

In other words, intoxication and drunkenness begins with the first drink.

Not only is intoxication sinful, it results in other sins, bringing sadness and despair into the lives of people who drink.

  • Pr. 4:17  Wine figuratively represents wickedness.
  • Pr. 20:1  “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.”
  • Is. 5:11-12  People involved in drinking aren’t mindful of God.
  • Is. 5:22-23  People involved in drinking involve themselves in wickedness.
  • Is. 24:9; Ezek. 23:33  Drinking results in sadness.
  • Is. 19:14; 28:7; 56:12  Drinking results in impaired judgment.
  • Matt. 24:48-49  Drinking and drunkenness in the parable of the evil slave relate to sin.
  • Rev. 14:8  Drinking wine figuratively represents immorality, in Revelation.

In the Old Testament, we have two very poignant examples of sin connected to drunkenness.

  • Gen. 19:32-35  Lot’s daughters got him drunk with wine to coerce him into committing incest.
  • 2 Sam. 11:13  David purposely got Uriah drunk, trying to coerce him into doing something he didn’t want to do.

To Be Continued
The Bible has a lot to say about drinking and drunkenness.  Study the Scriptures on the next page, and we’ll continue this article next week.