Does the Bible forbid the use of alcoholic beverages?

Question

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1. "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Proverbs 23:31, 32. "Neither fornicators ... nor drunkards ... shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

I think the Bible clearly forbids the use of alcoholic beverages.

What do u think?

Answer 1

In the past God allowed the consumption of alcohol. But "...in consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation— That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him." (Doctrine and Covenants 89:4-5 http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89/1-2,4#1)

Your body is a precious gift from God. To help keep your body and mind healthy and strong, God wants you to follow the law of health He gave to Joseph Smith in 1833. This law is known as the Word of Wisdom, and it teaches which foods and substances you should and should not use to maintain the health of your body and to keep you free from evil influences. The Lord promises blessings of health, strength, protection against evil, and greater receptiveness to spiritual truths as you treat your body with respect and reverence and obey the Word of Wisdom.

In addition to emphasizing the benefits of proper eating and physical and spiritual health, God has spoken against the use of:

Tobacco.
Alcohol.
Coffee and tea.
Harmful, habit-forming drugs.
Your body is instrumental in bringing you both pain and great joy. A healthy lifestyle promotes a sense of well-being. Exercise, eating and sleeping properly, and a cheerful attitude will all contribute to your happiness. Today, the scientific community promotes many of the same principles that a loving Heavenly Father gave to Joseph Smith nearly two centuries ago.

Answer 2

" wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise"
this is saying that if you drink too much you will will act like an idiot. And one who does not recognize that is not being wise.

"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."

All that is saying is not drink red wine or to "purchase" it, if you slap that on the translater it would come out into finance. See, they thought back then because Jesus drank Red wine it was holy so therefore the people, "normal" people were not to drink it. Which is why it then goes on to talk about the serpent. It would be a sin to drink Red Wine.

"Neither fornicators...nor drunkards...shall inherit the kingdom of God"

Well you know if we ask God's forgiveness in the end we are going to get to Heaven so... puh! But basically that is saying pretty much that okay God's Kingdom is right here on Earth and if your wasted all the time you aren't going to enjoy it.

Answer 3

not at all - Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine. There are many mentions of using alcohol in the Bible. The only thing forbidden is drunkeness.

Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

John 2 - Jesus' miracle

But - If our drinking causes others to stumble, those who maybe fall into drunkeness more easily, we are to abstain.
Romans 14:21
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

See, there are verses on both sides of this. The Bible warns us of the dangers of over indulgence, but does not prohibit it completely. Common sense says this is true.

Answer 4

I respectfully disagree.

The Bible forbids the abuse of alcohol not its use in moderation.

Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, ... (John 2:7-9)

Wine is used throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was to turn water in wine at the wedding in Cana.

It is true that we should not become drunk but used in moderation, wine is a biblically acceptable beverage.

Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because it is now that God favors your works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

What would Jesus do? Jesus had a cup of wine with dinner.

If some people wish to totally forego alcohol to eliminate the temptation to over indulge, that's fine. But I don't think they should force that unbiblical teaching onto others.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

My favorite answer to that question is Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana. Not only does the word mean "wine," no matter what evangelical apologists might say (oinos means "wine" everywhere else and "drunk" is "oinopleros"), but the people at the party certainly didn't think it was anything different than what they had already drunk. Again, we know this is *wine*. They didn't drink grape juice at these celebrations. A Jewish acquaintance of mine once remarked that at Jewish celebrations, everyone gets happier and happier as time goes on. If the Master gave men wine, I have a hard time believing that He would simultaneously forbid it.

However, I don't think I can put it better than the book of Sirach (quite natural for Scripture):

"Let not wine-drinking be proof of your strength, for wine has been th eruin of many. As the furnace probes the work of the smith, so does wine the hearts of the insolent. Wine is very life to man if taken in moderation. Does he really live who lacks the wine which was created for his joy? Joy of heart, good cheer, and merriment are wine drunk freely at the proper time." Sir. 31.25-18.

The passage goes on to say more about the dangers of wine, but what I quoted helps balance out th quotations given by the questioner. Wine, in immoderation, leads to sin, vice, and destruction. It is better not to look on it in that case, because it will deny the Kingdom of Heaven. In moderation, it can enhance life and help the drinker in a number of ways.

For myself, I do not drink, but I wouldn't dream of trying to show m preference there from Scripture, when I know it would not only be a twisting of Scripture, but a sort of Phariseeism. I would be imposing rules on men that God in no way deemed fit for all. "To those who are clean, all things are clean" Titus 1.15.

Answer 6

I truly believe that a couple glasses of wine or beer is totally fine.

I choose to "indulge" at home as there are some people that this would offend in public and we don't want to cause someone to stumble. If someone sees you drinking in public, they don't know you are only having 1 glass of wine. They may judge you or think "If they can drink - so can I" without knowing the whole story.

My doc told me that 1-2 glasses of wine or beer PER NIGHT is healthy and has certain beneficial properties.

Just don't be a drunkard.

Answer 7

nope; God forbids drunkenness

Jesus turned water into wine; John 2:10, 11

Jesus drank wine and used it as a symbol in the last supper; Luke 22:17, 18;

Paul recommended wine for upset stomach; 1 Timothy 5:23

agape!

.

Answer 8

The Bible does not forbid the use of alcoholic beverages.

The verses you quote are a warning against drinking in excess.

If the Bible forbade the use of alcoholic beverages, Jesus would not have turned water to wine, or give his disciples wine saying take and drink.

When the Bible forbids something it's very clear about it.
Do not Kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not eat pork.
Do not eat shell fish. etc. etc. etc..

Answer 9

No. the 1st miracle Jesus complete while in the international grew to become into to show water right into a win at a marriage feast in Cana. Later the Apostle Paul cautioned Timothy to drink "a touch wine for the sake of your abdomen." Reread a million Corinthians 6. It refers to drunkards. no longer drinkers of wine. there's a large difference. And in case you seem at that financial disaster in Proverbs you would be conscious that verse 30 refers to those staying "a protracted time with the wine". back pertaining to over-indulgence. At Psalm 104 King David refers to God's many presents, consisting of in verse 15 And wine that makes the heart of mortal guy have fun, ingesting wine isn't incorrect. Drunkedness is. only like eating isn't incorrect, yet gluttony is.

Answer 10

There is a big difference between having a glass of wine and being a drunkard. Jesus gave implicit approval of drinking wine by turning water into wine at the wedding. By the way, dont give me that old chestnut about it being grape juice. They didnt drink grape juice then.