Is Drinking Alcohol A Sin?

A preacher was completing a temperance sermon.

With great expression he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river!" The congregation nodded their approval.

With even greater emphasis he added, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river, too!" . The people clapped and were saying "Amen."

And then finally, he concluded, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river!"

As he sat down, the song leader then stood up quite cautiously and announced, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: "Shall We Gather at the River."

Drinking alcohol ... is it a sin???

The Bible says that "wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling" (Proverbs 20:1). The Bible also says, "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pressing him to your bottle, even to make him drunk" (Habakkuk 2:15).

The Bible does not say that drinking a glass of wine or beer, or a cocktail with dinner, is a sin. Drunkenness is a sin, forbidden by the Bible, but having one drink may not be wrong.

Throughout my life, I have drank alcohol, yet rarely in excess. I would drink one glass or can of Bud Lite while watching a football game, perhaps. A twelve pack of alcohol in my refrigerator would usually last me about six months. I usually preferred an ice cold glass of Coke or Mountain Dew!  In my younger days, I drank to the point of being completely drunk several times.  After one of the occasions, a neighbor brought me my clothes a few days afterwards, telling me that I was dancing during an ice storm in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and stripped naked.

But when Jeremy moved in my house when he was 18 years old, I decided to no longer purchase any alcohol, and I will not drink when I'm in his presence. And since that seems to be just about all the time, I no longer drink any alcohol period. Why? Because the apostle Paul established a rule of conduct that I think is very good. He said he would not eat meat or drink wine or do anything else which would cause a weaker brother to stumble. 

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 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. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall." ... Romans 14:19-21

Although I have made the decision to not consume alcohol, it is because that is right for me at this point in my life. I do not see it as being a sin. My conduct should be governed by the law of love. If I love my brother, I will not cause him to stumble and be offended. I personally refrain from drinking alcohol for that reason.

So at what point does consuming alcohol become a sin?

• If you are not of legal age. (Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:21)
• If you fail to do so in moderation – meaning you should not get drunk or even “buzzed.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, Galatians 5:21, Romans 12:1-3; 13:13)
• If your consumption leads you to dependence upon it. (1 Timothy 3:8, Titus 2:3, Luke 21:34)
• If doing so – in any way – leads others into sin. (Romans 14:21, 2 Corinthians 6:3, Matthew 13:41)