Saint Patrick’s Day is quite the enticer and tempter for society, especially for people in Christianity. This particular holiday promotes 24-hour drinking of alcohol. However, what does the God we love and cherish have to say about alcohol?
In the Bible, God warns us against altering our minds polluting our temples with hard drinks, and living like drunkards. A drunkard is someone who habitually drinks alcohol to excess.
Instead, we are called to be sober-minded and practice self-control which is a fruit of God’s Spirit. While enjoying a glass of wine occasionally is not considered a drunkard, using a day or any day whether set aside or habitual to get drunk. It’s not pleasing to God! But a sin.
Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:18, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
As a body of believers, we must love our brothers and sisters and edify the church to enlighten through scripture and the prophecy that comes from God. To build disciples, we teach because God calls us by name. The same people who used to do all the things we don’t do anymore because of the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own. Therefore, we obey according to the calling of Christ and share the gospel and God’s word that leads to Heaven for those who believe.
The Gospel of John opens with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, NIV). This passage refers to Jesus, the embodiment of God the Father, who came to earth to share His message with humanity. Thus, as Christians, we believe Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14).
Those who deny Jesus as the Son of God are rejecting the truth of the Gospel. In John 14:6, Jesus Himself says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Additionally, 1 John 2:22-23 states, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?
This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”
Furthermore, believers must pray for those who deny Jesus and share the severity of His loving words to lead others toward the narrow path that leads home to the Father, which arrives through the only mediation, Jesus Christ.
Now, speaking about wine, the Bible does indeed mention it in several scriptures, and many people often discuss how Jesus turned water into wine. However, it is important to discern between truth and mere opinion.
In 1 Timothy 5:23, some people may mistakenly interpret it as God condoning the overconsumption of wine. However, this is not the case, and it can be extremely dangerous for many people. The issue lies in the fact that they may not have a solid understanding of scripture, and some may not be saved or indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We currently live in deceptive times, where many are already deceived and may be unwilling to listen to reasons that could potentially prevent them from backsliding or falling into absolute deception.
Titus 2:3 says, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or enslaved to much wine. They are to teach what is good.” This verse implies not being a slave to much wine; it does not say to abstain entirely from a glass of wine occasionally, perhaps at a wedding or a dinner out on occasion. However, it seems wise for people not to drink at all if they have an issue, thus eliminating the temptation for more. But the Bible doesn’t say that we, as Christians, cannot have an occasional glass of wine. I would say no hard liquor because those drinks are better left out of the life of a Christian. Honestly, those who are heavily filled with the Holy Spirit and walking with Christ in the word don’t have a particular desire for those things.
In Timothy 5:23, Paul says, “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and often infirmities.” The Bible mentions wine and beer in various places, primarily in the Old Testament. Many people think the mention of wine is associated with joy and celebration, as seen in Psalm 104:14-15, which states, “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.” However, I see the wine as a symbolic mention that it is a spiritual wine, the oil is the Lord, and the bread is the bread of life. Even though Jesus doesn’t come into the picture until the New Testament, He is prophesied about from the beginning of Genesis throughout the New Testament.
Wine is also used as a symbol of God’s blessing in Genesis 27:28, where Isaac blesses his son Jacob with the words, “May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine.” Father does not like alcohol for many reasons, while at the same time, the wine that people drank in ancient times was also diluted with water; it’s different.
If we look at Hosea 4:10-11, the prophet warns, “For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declares unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.” This verse shows that wine led God’s people away from Him to sin.
Therefore, I do not encourage anyone to drink alcohol. Yet, simultaneously, the Bible does not say anywhere to abstain from wine entirely. Just like anything else, balance and moderation are healthy in everything we do. Nevertheless, many people on earth are not balanced and healthy spiritually or physically.
Honestly, the Christians that bash another Christian for drinking a glass of wine on occasion are more self-righteous because these types of people are the same lovers of money and greed, judgmental with contempt and hateful in their hearts. The scriptures condemn all those things, so who is the one sinning?
However, the Bible does warn against the dangers of excessive drinking, as I mentioned before. Proverbs 20:1 cautions, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Similarly, Ephesians 5:18 advises, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
I hope this helps you. God bless you. I encourage you to have a healthy scriptural life. The more time you spend with God in the word, the more you will awaken to the truth.
God Bless You,
Sister Christine
C. Brejcha ©️