What Does the Bible Say About Drinking Alcohol? Is It a Sin for a Christian to Drink Alcoholic Wine?
Direct answer:
The Bible does not call every drop of alcoholic wine a sin. But it clearly condemns drunkenness, impairment, addiction, and being ruled by drink as sin. The cleanest, safest walk for a Christian is abstinence—to keep a holy testimony, remain sober-minded, and be filled with the Spirit rather than influenced by wine.
Scriptural explanation:
- Real wine in Scripture:
- Jesus turned water into wine, and the ruler said, “when men have well drunk” (John 2:9-10). That is not mere juice.
- In Corinth some were drunken at the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:21). That shows literal wine could intoxicate.
- Sin and strict warnings:
- Drunkenness is a work of the flesh and those who practice it “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21; see also 1 Corinthians 6:10; Romans 13:13; 1 Peter 4:3).
- “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
- “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging” (Proverbs 20:1). Read the sober warning in Proverbs 23:29-35—its bite, its deceit, its addiction.
- Leaders must be “not given to wine… not given to much wine” (1 Timothy 3:3,8; Titus 1:7). God links spiritual responsibility with strict sobriety.
- Priests were forbidden drink when serving (Leviticus 10:9); kings warned not to drink lest they forget judgment (Proverbs 31:4-5). God ties holy service and clear judgment to abstaining.
- Limited, medicinal allowance:
- “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake” (1 Timothy 5:23). That is medicinal, not social drinking.
- Stumbling and testimony:
- “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth” (Romans 14:21). Love chooses the higher road.
Simple clarifying logic:
- If wine itself were inherently sinful, Jesus would not have made it, and Paul would not have allowed a little for health. But the same Bible commands constant sobriety. Alcohol’s very design is to influence; how much before your judgment is dulled, your testimony is clouded, or a weaker brother is emboldened to fall?
- You can be filled with the Holy Spirit, or you can be under the influence of drink—you can’t be full of both. The Scripture points to a higher life: stay sober, stay separate, stay Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8; 1 Peter 1:13).
- Ask yourself: Is this necessary for godliness? Does it edify? Could it open a door to bondage or cause another to stumble? If not, lay it aside.
Reinforcement:
- So, is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcoholic wine? The Bible shows wine existed and was used, but condemns drunkenness, impairment, and bondage as sin. The strongest Christian position is abstinence—a clean walk of holiness and a clear testimony. If you are bound by alcohol, repent and ask the Lord Jesus to deliver you; remove the access, seek prayer, and be filled with the Spirit. For Communion, Scripture shows literal wine was used, yet never for indulgence—only in reverence. The safest rule for daily life is simple: leave it alone and stay sober before God.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Jairus And Divine Healing
54-0216 §13
Well, what is sin? Drinking whiskey, and smoking cigarettes, and committing adultery is not sin. That's just the attributes of sin. You do that because you're a sinner. That's what your life bears. It's just like I say, "It's night outside." How much this is night? The whole thing's night. And you're a sinner, because you believe not. "He that believeth not is condemned already." You're a sinner, because you don't believe. That's what makes you do those is, because you do not believe, and yet you profess to believe...
The testimony of a true witness
61-1105 §58
...of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, and stumble in judgment. In other words, in "vision," they don't even believe in such a thing. And in "judgment," they say, "Oh, as long as you join the church, it's all right." What have we got? A bunch of drunks. Watch what the prophet said. Here's God's witness. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no clean place. No place is clean. The tables... Why, they go in, drunkards and harlots, and take a piece of light bread and cut it up...
The impersonation of Christianity
57-0120M §37
And when the new wine said, "That's the baptism of the Holy Spirit; I am the life of God that's working in you." The new skin will say, "Amen"---stretch out to it. When the new wine says that the Holy Ghost is sufficient for our healing today, the new wine will stretch itself out---the wine being the Word. And when it says that, then the new bottle will say, "Amen"---stretch out to it. But what will the old bottle do? "Days of miracles has passed, and gone." Then what are we doing? What are we accomplishing? We are...
Condemnation by Representation
60-1113 §53
One man entered called the man of sin. They forgive sins on earth. Taking the doctrine and giving out to the people and they drink it. The peoples of the earth, "the kings," the Bible said, "have been made drunk with the wine of her fornications." What is her fornications? Her untrueness. A woman commits fornications lives untrue to her husband. A church that commits fornications preaches something that's not God's Word! Hybreeds the church. What did she do? She bred in some daughters, too. Now, what is the daughte...
Be not afraid
63-0607 §41
You know, sin is unbelief. You know ... did you know lying is not sin? Committing adultery, that's not sin. Drinking whiskey, smoking cigarettes, cursing, using the Lord's name, that's not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief. You do that because you're not a believer. There's only one... I said that one night in a Methodist church. And an old sister standing there, you know, with her collar up high, she said "Rev. Branham, pray tell me, what is sin?" I said, "Unbelief." That's right. You do that because you're a...