Can a Christian have a glass of wine with dinner? I believe Scripture allows it. Psalm 104 speaks of wine as one of God’s gifts, and Paul tells Christians plainly in Ephesians 5:18 that they must not get drunk.
For some families this question comes up the morning after a father has been drinking, when he has to face his children over something he said the night before. He might be able to show them from the Bible that God permits wine. What he still needs to answer for is what he said to his children. As we read these passages, let’s give as much attention to what God says about how we treat people as we give to what He permits us to drink.
Wine Is Not Sinful by Nature
Psalm 104 praises God for sustaining His creation. The animals depend on Him, the earth brings forth food under His care, and people receive what they need for their work and daily life. Wine appears within that description of His provision.
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
Psalm 104:14-15, NKJV
What catches my attention is where the psalmist puts wine. In the same breath he thanks God for the bread that gives a man strength and the wine that gladdens his heart. If every use of wine were a sin, how could the psalmist thank God for it here?
Deuteronomy 14:22–27 gives us an actual occasion when a family in Israel might drink wine together. An Israelite was to take a tenth of what his fields produced each year and eat before the LORD in the place He chose. If the journey was too far to carry his tithe, he could sell it and take the money instead. When he arrived, he could use that money to buy what his household would enjoy at the feast, including wine. God told the family to rejoice before Him and to remember the Levite, who had no land inheritance of his own. The instructions that follow also provide for those in need (Deuteronomy 14:28–29).
Some Christians understand every favorable mention of wine as a reference to unfermented grape juice. I do not think the biblical vocabulary supports that explanation. The Hebrew yayin regularly refers to fermented wine, and shekar describes strong or intoxicating drink. The ordinary New Testament word is oinos. These terms do not establish that someone became drunk, but they do not allow us to remove fermentation from every passage where wine is received with thanks. The surrounding passage tells us how it was used.
A psalm praising God’s provision and a proverb warning about drink have different purposes, and both deserve to be heard. We do not have to change wine into something else to reconcile them, any more than we need to deny that food is a gift because Scripture condemns gluttony.
At a wedding in Cana, the hosts ran out of wine. Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots with water, and when they drew some out and took it to the master of the feast, the water had become wine (John 2:1–10). Jesus also spoke about His own practice. John the Baptist abstained from wine, and people accused him of having a demon. Jesus ate and drank with people, and they called Him “a glutton and a winebibber” (Luke 7:33–34). Jesus was exposing the way His critics treated them both. Their charge of drunkenness against Him was slander.
Appealing to Jesus’ example means considering His conduct as well as what He drank. He never became drunk, neglected a responsibility, or pressured someone to act against conscience. If I quote His use of wine to defend my own recklessness, I am trying to justify conduct He never practiced.
Paul addressed a particular need when he told Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). Timothy had evidently been drinking only water, and Paul recommended a little wine because of his repeated illnesses. Paul was not authorizing excess, and he was not declaring that wine could only be used as medicine.
Drunkenness Leads to Deception and Bondage
What, then, does it look like when a man is led astray by drink? Proverbs gives us a chance to hear the warning first and then to listen to the man it describes.
Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1, NKJV
Alcohol can impair a person’s judgment and remove restraints he needs to keep. He may become quarrelsome or say something cruel, then blame the drink the next morning. Having chosen to drink does not absolve him of responsibility for what he did. The people who heard him still have to live with the words.
Proverbs 23:29–35 asks who has been fighting and who has wounds he need never have suffered. The answer is the man who stays a long time over his wine. The drink looks inviting in the cup, but “at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:32). After all that, listen to what the man wants when he wakes up. “When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” (Proverbs 23:35).
The man in this passage has suffered because of his drinking and is already thinking about the next drink. Proverbs describes a person returning to what hurts him, not simply regretting one embarrassing evening. That pattern can reach into a household, where his family may dread his coming home while he insists everything is under control. Pointing to someone who drinks more will not repair the damage in his own house.
Isaiah 5:11-12 confronts Judah’s preoccupation with the same pursuit. People sought intoxicating drink from early morning into the night, absorbed in feasting and music while disregarding the work of the LORD. Isaiah was rebuking lives organized around pleasure at the expense of obedience to God. The presence of a cup beside someone’s dinner was not the offense he described.
Habakkuk 2:15 exposes deliberate harm to another person. In the judgment against proud and violent Babylon, the prophet condemns giving a neighbor drink to expose that person’s nakedness. Using intoxication to humiliate someone or lower resistance for sexual exploitation is wicked. The person who devised the plan is responsible for it. We cannot excuse calculated abuse by speaking vaguely about people having had too much to drink.
Galatians 5 places drunkenness and revelry among the works of the flesh and warns that those who practice them will not inherit God’s kingdom. I do not understand this to mean that a genuinely born-again believer loses salvation every time he stumbles. Salvation is received by grace through faith, and the Holy Spirit indwells and seals the person God has made new. But we must not use that assurance to dismiss an unrepentant pattern of drunkenness. Regeneration means being born again, not merely calling oneself a Christian. There should be evidence of that new life in our conduct.
In Ephesians 5, Paul tells believers what must govern their lives instead of drunkenness.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18, NKJV
Dissipation means wasteful, unrestrained living. Drunkenness clouds judgment and makes consequences easier to disregard, while Paul calls believers to live under the Spirit’s influence. He follows the command to be filled with the Spirit by describing their worship, thanksgiving, and submission to one another in the fear of God. The Spirit’s work should be evident in how we treat people and fulfill our responsibilities.
Galatians 5:22-23 names self-control as part of the Spirit’s fruit, and 1 Peter 5:8 calls for sobriety and vigilance against the adversary. Neither passage makes every use of wine sinful, but both require us to take the loss of restraint seriously. Being Filled With the Spirit examines Paul’s command more fully.
Christian Liberty Must Serve Love
Suppose I have a clear conscience about drinking a glass of wine and I know I can stop at one. What if the man sharing my meal believes it would be wrong for him to drink? In Romans 14 the believers disagreed about what they could eat before the Lord. When Paul tells them how to treat one another at the table, he mentions wine by name.
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
Romans 14:21, NKJV
Stumbling means more than someone disliking my decision. Paul is concerned about influencing another person to do what he believes is wrong, violating his conscience before God. My confidence that drinking is permitted does not give me the right to coax a reluctant believer into taking a drink.
Romans 14 addresses the abstainer as well. He must not condemn someone whom God has not condemned, just as the one who drinks must not despise him. Choosing not to drink does not make a believer childish, and drinking does not automatically make another believer worldly. Both answer to the Lord, and fellowship should not depend on everyone adopting the same personal practice.
Suppose I am eating with someone who has struggled to escape alcohol’s control. If drinking in front of him makes that struggle harder, why would I insist on it? I would be putting my preference ahead of his effort to stay free of an old habit. A believer who abstains from conviction also deserves to eat without being teased or pressured to prove that he understands Christian freedom.
A similar question came up in Corinth about eating food that had been offered to idols. In 1 Corinthians 10:23–24, Paul explains that something may be lawful without being helpful or building others up. Knowing that I am permitted to drink does not tell me whether I should do so at this meal, with these people. I need to consider their circumstances and be willing to put their good ahead of what I might otherwise enjoy.
Paul also says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). A clear conscience and self-control are necessary if I am going to thank Him honestly for the choice. Concealing a habit, disregarding someone’s struggle, or letting an argument about liberty take over the table does not honor Him.
Sobriety, Leadership, and the Wisdom of Abstinence
Church leaders have particular responsibilities because other people rely on their judgment. In 1 Timothy 3:2-3 and Titus 1:7, an overseer must be temperate and sober-minded, not given to wine. Deacons must not be devoted to much wine (1 Timothy 3:8). Titus 2 also directs older men and younger believers toward disciplined, sober lives.
The qualities these leaders model belong in the lives of other believers too. A man whose drinking regularly leads to angry outbursts or careless speech gives the church reason to question his fitness to lead. Calling his behavior private does not remove what it reveals about his judgment.
A pastor also needs to be ready to serve when a family in distress calls without much warning. If drinking repeatedly leaves him unable to listen carefully or give sound counsel, it affects the people who need his help. The church should look for sober discipline, hospitality, gentleness, and a life above reproach. An appeal to freedom cannot answer a justified concern about his lack of restraint.
Proverbs 31:4-5 warns rulers that intoxicating drink can cause them to forget the law and pervert justice. Someone else pays for the ruler’s impaired decision. Parents, employers, and counselors should consider the same danger wherever others depend on their attention and fairness.
Whether I lead a church or not, I need to consider whether alcohol is mastering me. In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul refuses to be brought under the power of anything. He is answering Corinthian claims about liberty as he confronts sexual immorality, rather than directly discussing drinking or declaring every imaginable act lawful. His refusal to be mastered nevertheless applies to our use of alcohol.
Can I leave alcohol alone when wisdom or love calls for abstinence? If I resent the suggestion before considering the reason, I need to examine what I am defending. Someone may describe drinking as a way to unwind while finding that he cannot relax without it. Another may plan every social occasion around whether alcohol will be available. Neither person has to be falling down drunk before that dependence deserves attention.
The Lord is our refuge, and the Holy Spirit is our Comforter. Through Scripture and the help of fellow believers, God gives us somewhere to turn when life is difficult. Alcohol cannot cleanse a guilty conscience or resolve the hurt we may be trying to avoid. Numbing distress for an evening can leave the same problem waiting tomorrow, along with a growing expectation that another drink will help.
If you are hiding how much you drink or repeatedly breaking promises to stop, take those facts seriously. Ask someone who knows you well what they have noticed, and listen without immediately defending yourself. If your spouse tells you the children stay in their rooms when you come home drinking, let that sink in before you answer. You may have forgotten the very evening they remember. Tell the truth about what you’ve done and ask for help keeping the next promise you make.
A spouse or child in danger needs protection now. We should not leave them exposed to harm while waiting for the drinker to admit there is a problem. Threats, impaired driving, and neglect must be addressed, with lawful help where needed. Preserving someone’s reputation is no justification for keeping the harm hidden. The church can support the person seeking to change while protecting those harmed and requiring accountability. An apology does not instantly restore trust.
Abstinence can be a wise and faithful decision. A person may choose abstinence because drinking once controlled him, because his drinking has hurt his spouse, or because his health makes it unwise to drink. Another may abstain to support people recovering from addiction or because he is convinced before the Lord that he should not drink. Those reasons deserve respect without being turned into a command for every Christian.
For someone with a history of alcohol dependence, I would not recommend experimenting with moderation to prove that he is free. Returning to the old pattern can have serious consequences, and abstinence may be necessary. In Matthew 5:29–30 Jesus uses the examples of an eye and a hand to teach us to deal decisively with what leads us into sin. For someone who knows where that first drink has taken him before, leaving it alone is one way to take Jesus’ words seriously.
Getting help may also require medical care. A person who has been drinking heavily for a prolonged period should seek medical guidance before stopping abruptly, because withdrawal can be life-threatening. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism explains that danger and the need to plan a safe recovery. Prayer, confession, pastoral counsel, and practical accountability can accompany appropriate treatment; they do not replace it.
Recognizing alcohol use disorder does not excuse deception, neglect, or abuse. Naming drunkenness as sin must not become a reason to shame someone away from treatment either. We can hold someone responsible for harmful conduct and help him obtain care for bodily dependence at the same time.
Keeping Every Argument Under Scripture
Christians may have good reasons to recommend abstinence, especially when they have watched a family suffer because of drinking. I respect that concern, but recommending a precaution differs from saying that God forbids every Christian to drink. Psalm 104, Deuteronomy 14, John 2, and Paul’s instruction to Timothy prevent me from accepting a universal prohibition.
Abstinence itself is not legalism. A person may be obeying God by refusing something that would violate his conscience or harm someone else. He oversteps when he turns that conviction into a divine command for every believer, or treats keeping it as a way to earn God’s favor. The study on Legalism in and Outside the Church examines the difference between God’s commands and additional human requirements.
The drinker can be just as selective in his use of Scripture. If I quote permission while refusing to hear the passages about conscience, self-control, and my neighbor’s good, I am defending what I want rather than submitting to the whole counsel of God’s Word. The related study on Marijuana, THC, and the Christian considers similar questions about intoxication and mental clarity.
Neither drinking nor abstaining should become the center of Christian identity. Avoiding alcohol cannot make me righteous, and displaying my freedom cannot establish maturity. I belong to Christ, who calls me to reject sin and care for other people. His Spirit produces the self-control I need to act on that responsibility.
We can see how much this matters in the church at Corinth. When the believers gathered to eat, some went ahead with their own supper. One went hungry while another got drunk. Paul asked how they could shame those who had nothing, and then he reminded them what Jesus had done on the night He was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:20–26). Jesus gave His disciples bread to eat in remembrance of Him and spoke of the new covenant in His blood when He gave them the cup.
Consider what those believers had come together to remember. Christ had willingly given Himself as the perfect sacrifice for their sins. Wicked men put Him to death. The Father did not punish or abandon Him. Because Jesus was without sin, He could offer Himself for us, and when He shed His blood and died, His sacrifice was complete. He was buried and rose bodily from the dead. At the table we remember the sacrifice He has already made. We proclaim His death until He comes. How could I remember what Christ gave for the brother sitting beside me and be content to let him go hungry?
My Final Thoughts
If you drink, would the people who live with you say that you know when to leave the glass alone? Give them room to answer, especially if they remember an evening differently than you do. If you abstain because you believe that’s what obedience to Christ requires of you, honor that conviction. You can sit down to eat with a brother who has made a different choice. And if I’m that brother and I know a glass of wine would make it harder for you to be faithful to the Lord, I can gladly share the meal with you and leave the wine alone.