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.
Israel and the Church: Israel at Kadesh-Barnea
53-0328 §18
I asked someone the other night, I said, "Are you a Christian, brother?" Said, "I'm a pretty good Christian." I said, "No, you're not." There is no pretty good Christian. How many ever seen a drunk-sober man? Nobody. How many ever seen a black-white bird? Nobody. You never seen a sinner-saint. You're either born again or you're not born again. You're either on one side of the fence. And now if you are born again, you have everlasting life, and there's nothing within you... All the old things has passed away, and it...
We would see Jesus
62-0727 §64
...e He stood doing exactly the Messiahic sign, and just one now and then of the Jews would believe Him. Now there were those there who would not believe Him, and you couldn't say they wasn't good men. No, sir. They were good men. They had to live good. You couldn't say they wasn't honest, and upright, and wouldn't cheat, or steal. No, sir. But them things don't save you. It's not by good works are we saved. If good works would've done it, Christ wouldn't have had to die. You see, it's a birth. You've got to be borned...
Show us the Father
61-0521 §63
Now, what do you do with the tree? You set it out, put it down in the ground and plant it, and then you water it. Now what's the little tree do? The little tree has to draw water from the earth. And it has to drink and drink and drink, has to drink over its portion. And as it drinks, it begins to push out. And after awhile it pushes out limbs, then it pushes out leaves, then pushes out blossoms, then it pushes out apples. It's just drinking and pushing. And that's the way that a Christian is. We are planted in Chri...
Redemption in completeness, in joy
54-0330 §46
Look, they were full of new wine (That's right.), the wine that come from God out of Heaven. Did you ever see a drunk man? He's just in love with everybody, see. He don't care. That's the way a man is when he gets drunk on the Spirit. The Bible said, "Be not drunk on strong drink, with excess, but to be drunk on the Spirit." The Spirit of God makes you so drunk, you forget all your enemies, and everything. Everybody's in love with you. You don't care about who's standing around you. You're the biggest man in the co...
The reaction to an action
59-0810 §15
But today, we want to be modern like they were. And the government endorsed it. So does the government endorse it today. Why, a few years ago, twenty-five years ago, fifty years, if women walked on the street then dressed like they're dressed now, they'd put them in jail. But the government endorses it, and we want to be modern. I will say this with all respects to our government and our land: it is a work of the devil. It's the devil at work. I just believe in the old-fashioned, unadulterated Gospel truth of the B...