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Bible Verses About Drinking Alcohol

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Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff on 05/13/2024
Bible Verses About Drinking Alcohol

Bible Verses about Drinking Alcohol and Drunkenness

You're here because you're probably wondering what the Bible really says about drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol is a very hot topic among Christians that has been argued and discussed for thousands of years. The topic of alcohol often sparks lively debates within Christian circles. While some Christians believe in complete abstinence, others think it's fine to enjoy a drink now and then. Ephesians 5:18 says: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." - a clear command against drinking to the point of drunkenness.

While God warns us to not be drunk and describes certain situations where someone should not drink, but the Bible never says that alcohol is wrong. Since the Bible doesn't absolutely forbid drinking alcohol, whether or not someone should drink is a personal decision to make for yourself. Below are some Bible verses that should help guide you toward the right decision for yourself. For example, Romans 14:21 tells us: "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."

The Bible mentions wine in several passages and even mentions it being part of heaven. However, it also cautions against drunkenness, which can cloud judgment and lead to harmful behavior. The Bible speaks out against excessive drinking, warning that it can lead to trouble. Christians are encouraged to be guided by the Spirit, rather than substances.

This issue of alcohol use comes up often. On one hand, Jesus turned water into wine, and Paul even recommended wine for health reasons. On the other hand, the Bible also contains warnings about overindulgence. The Holy Spirit plays a role in guiding individual decisions on this matter.

The Bible offers numerous warnings against drunkenness, often linking it with other vices. Christians should be mindful of not leading others into temptation, especially those who struggle with alcohol. Pastors, who serve as shepherds to their congregation, have a particular duty to guide their flock without causing them to stumble.

Encouraging others to drink excessively is criticized in Habakkuk. It's important for Christians to reflect on whether alcohol enhances their spiritual life. The Bible notes that while many things may be permissible, not all are beneficial. Jesus offers freedom from all kinds of bondage, including addiction, and He provides a path to healing and forgiveness for those who seek it. Below are some Bible verses that should help guide you toward the right decision for yourself.

Read more: What Does the Bible Say about Drinking Alcohol and Drunkenness?

Photo credit: Unsplash/Alasdair Elmes

Ephesians 5:18

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
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1 Timothy 5:23

23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
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Proverbs 20:1

1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
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Proverbs 23:20-21

20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
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Proverbs 23:31

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
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Romans 14:15-21

Romans 14:19
15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.
16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
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Isaiah 5:11

11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.
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Psalms 104:14-15

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.
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Ecclesiastes 9:7

7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
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Romans 13:13

13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
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Proverbs 31:4-5

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
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1 Corinthians 10:23-24

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
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Isaiah 62:8-9

8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”
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Titus 2:3

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
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Galatians 5:19-21

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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1 Corinthians 9:19-23

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
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John 2:3-11

3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”They did so,
9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
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Luke 21:34

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
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1 Peter 5:8

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
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1 Peter 4:3

3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
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1 Timothy 3:8

8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
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