Alcohol, and The Law?

Liberty is not a license to belittle

Can a Christian have a drink? Believers answer differently, and the conversation often becomes larger than the glass. This article considers alcohol, Christian liberty, and how we treat people whose convictions differ from ours. Whatever our position, contempt is a poor companion at the table.

Lets’ dive in. In several instances within the Bible, the consumption of alcohol is not explicitly condemned but rather permitted or even prescribed for medicinal purposes. One notable example is found in Proverbs 31:6-7,"Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more." (Proverbs 31:6-7, NIV)

Ancient references to alcohol belong in their literary and historical setting. They should not be turned into instructions to self-medicate pain, grief, or poverty. The theological question here is how Christians understand the passages, not what someone should drink to manage distress.

Evidence indicates that ancient societies, including those in biblical times, were well-acquainted with the fermentation process and actively consumed alcoholic beverages. Moreover, various biblical passages make references to the effects of alcohol, such as Pentecost, which aligns with the consumption of fermented wine rather than unfermented grape juice.

Some Christians abstain from conviction, personal history, recovery, health, or simple preference. We should respect that choice. The separate question is whether a personal discipline should be taught as a universal command. Let us examine the distinction without assigning bad motives.

Whenever I hear someone describing laws and rules we must live by found in one particular sliver or denomination within Christendom, I think about what James tells us in the Bible: “For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” Let’s look at a few other laws that fall into this thinking.

• The very verse that prohibited the Levitical Order from tattooing goes on to describe that haircutting and shaving are forbidden. (Leviticus 19:27)
• Disabled people, disfigured people, etc, are not to go to the Altar of God (Leviticus 21:17-18)
• No mixed fabric in clothing. (Leviticus 19:19)
• “Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.” (Leviticus 19:26)
• Don’t EVER work on Saturday or be stoned to death (Numbers 15:32-36)

Consider how we read the commandments

• Thou shall not commit adultery.

Sounds clear enough, but The Gospel of Mathew 5:28-29 explains that “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. The point is we have all broken at least one of the laws, and therefore, we are guilty of all.

Fortunately, the point of the Law was to prove to us the need for a savior. Paul puts it this way, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Many churches preach elements of the Law as described in the Torah by Moses – but the New Testament warns about this very thing.  Apostle Paul writes, even unto this day, when Moses (Law) is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Catch that? Thanks to Christ, believers have the liberty to not be under the law.

Freedom still carries responsibility

Does this mean we should live reckless lives as Christians? (This is called antinomianism) and the Bible says, “God forbid.” So, how do we put all this together scripturally? God loves us and wants the best for us, so of course, He would warn us against drunkenness, for example to stay on point. Romans 13:13 is just one warning: “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”

I can say that most of my bad decisions came after drinking too much. But I don't believe that scripture teaches that this opinion means God forbids alcohol as some churches add.  Even if we ignore the wedding feast, where He turned water into wine (and I know for fundamentalists – this was grape juice), we can even look back to the rigged Old Testament itself. Proverbs 31:6-7 says, “Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”

The point is that all these added stipulations miss the point..  We all fall short of His Glory and are in need of a savior. Paul writes in Galatians 5:14 that the law is fulfilled in the command to love our neighbor as ourselves.

So do we still need to follow the Big 10 commandments or not? “Need” to. NO. “Want” to. Absolutely. Jesus told us in John 14 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And 1 John adds, “His commandments aren’t burdensome.”

Love gives us reasons to live honestly, honor commitments, and care for our neighbors. Grace should make us more attentive to harm, not more creative at excusing it.

But here is a caution to those who embrace Christian liberty: the next time you hear someone or some church falling back into legalism, or historical inaccuracies about “grape juice”, be careful not to judge them as well. Remember that God made them, even the perspective they hold, and He knows them and loves them where they are, just as He knows and loves you where you are. “Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Eph 4:7)

Romans 12:3 cautions against thinking too highly of oneself. Romans 14:13 asks believers to avoid passing judgment and placing a stumbling block before another. Consider how those passages might guide a disagreement about Christian liberty.

If someone abstains, respect that without turning the occasion into a theological debate. Nobody owes us an explanation for declining alcohol. Christian liberty should be considerate enough to leave another person’s boundaries intact.

After all, God is sovereign. God knew there would be differences in interpretation of the lesser things, and tells us in Philippians 1:18-20, “Yet in spite of all of this I am overjoyed! For what does it matter as long as Christ is being preached? If they preach him with mixed motives or genuine love, Christ's message is still being preached.”

Plus, regardless of what we personally think, we know, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but (when) face to face. (we) shall know just as I also am known.  We are all sinners in need of a savior, and whatever we think we know, we only know in part on this side of eternity.

Choose consideration over the last word

Read Romans 14 with the actual person in mind. Discuss a conviction without humiliating someone who differs. If alcohol has become harmful in your life, take that seriously and seek appropriate support. Winning the argument about permission is not the same as making a wise choice.

Explore the research, definitions, and limits behind the discussion →

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