Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin?
Scripture does not condemn the consumption of alcohol in and of itself. Therefore, a Christian may freely partake of alcoholic beverages with a clear conscious. However, as any good thing we enjoy, the usage of alcohol is easily corruptible, and we would do well to heed Paul’s warning: Not everything that is permissible is beneficial (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). Scripture goes beyond this simple warning by placing certain restrictions upon alcohol consumption, outside of which we do not honor our own bodies and, more importantly, we do not honor God. We must remember that human flourishing lies within God-ordained boundaries in which true freedom occurs.
Categorical and Circumstantial Sin
In Scripture, a distinction between categorical and circumstantial sins exists. Categorical sins are those behaviors and dispositions that Scripture categorically condemns for all people, most clearly evident in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). In the case of alcohol, drunkenness is always considered in this division. It is expressly forbidden (Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3). Such a divine command should suffice as justification for avoiding drunkenness, but Scripture also explains that drunken behavior leads to shame (Genesis 9:20-23), allows others to take advantage of you (1 Kings 16:9-10), can ruin you financially (Proverbs 23:21), and all in all, is not conducive to wise decision-making.
Scripture also teaches that we should not be dominated or enslaved by any created thing, such as money (Matthew 6:24) or sex (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). Addiction to alcohol constitutes such an enslavement. More broadly, Christians are called into free life apart from slavery to sin (Romans 6:15-16; 8:2-8).
Circumstantial sins are those behaviors and dispositions that are condemnable to only some in certain occasions. Paul tells us in Romans 14:23 that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” That is, if your conscience does not allow you to participate in a certain action, you ought to abstain. If you think something is wrong, to engage in that activity counts as sin for you.
And for those who are convinced of the liberty they have to partake of alcohol, they ought to remember that “if your brother [or sister] is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.” If drinking alcohol might cause a fellow brother or sister to stumble, you are destroying the one for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:23:30), certainly an occasion of sinful behavior. Prudence and respect must be offered in those instances when not only another believer disagrees with your views on alcohol, but especially when a believer has had a history of alcohol abuse.
Christian Witness
As in all our behavioral choices, we must determine whether our decision to drink alcoholic beverages can glorify God by biblical standards and whether our decision upholds or hurts our Christian witness. In a society prone to temporary but excessive pleasures, Christians must take seriously whether to consume alcohol or not, in what manner they drink if they so choose, and how those choices demonstrate, or fail to demonstrate, the gospel of Christ.
