📌 QUESTION OF THE WEEK — AUGUST 8, 2026

❓ SHOULD CHRISTIANS DRINK ALCOHOL—EVEN SOCIALLY OR IN MODERATION?

Alfonso (31), Newark, New Jersey, writes:

“Pastor James, thank you for choosing my question for your Question of the Week segment. I also thank you for your stand to call sin, sin. You’ll probably get some flack not only from my question, but your response. I look forward to reading it. To God be the glory.”

Alfonso, thank you for asking a question Christians have debated for generations.

Some believers maintain that drinking alcohol socially or in moderation is permissible as long as it never becomes drunkenness. Others believe Christians should abstain completely because of alcohol's dangers and the believer's responsibility to maintain a clear testimony.

So, what does the Bible actually say?

Scripture's condemnation of drunkenness is unmistakable.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18

Proverbs gives another sobering warning:

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” — Proverbs 20:1

The Bible repeatedly calls believers to be sober, vigilant, self-controlled, holy, and spiritually alert (1 Peter 5:8; Titus 2:11–12).

That raises a more searching question than simply:

“Can a Christian drink?”

Perhaps we should be asking:

“Does drinking help me glorify Jesus Christ?”

Does it strengthen my testimony?

Does it sharpen my spiritual discernment?

Could my example become a stumbling block to someone struggling with alcohol?

Could something I consider harmless encourage another person toward bondage?

Paul gives us an important principle:

“It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” — Romans 14:21

Christian liberty should never become more important than Christian love.

🍷 “BUT WHAT ABOUT MODERATION?”

This is where careful biblical interpretation matters.

Scripture explicitly condemns drunkenness and repeatedly warns about alcohol's deceptive power and destructive consequences. Christians nevertheless disagree over whether Scripture prohibits every use of wine or permits limited use under certain circumstances.

But even where something may be argued as permissible, Paul gives us another standard:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.” — 1 Corinthians 6:12

In other words:

Permissible does not automatically mean profitable.

The mature Christian does not spend life searching for the boundary between obedience and sin so that he can stand as close to it as possible.

He asks:

“What choice most clearly honors my Lord?”

⚠️ THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE WE CANNOT IGNORE

Alcohol has contributed to addiction, destroyed marriages, fractured families, impaired judgment, violence, preventable accidents, financial hardship, and countless broken lives.

The person casually holding a drink today cannot always know whether the person watching them is fighting desperately to put one down.

That matters.

Our testimony matters.

Other people matter.

And sometimes love willingly surrenders a liberty for the sake of another person's soul.

✝️ THE HIGHER QUESTION

For me, therefore, the issue has never simply been:

“How much can I drink without becoming drunk?”

The better question is:

“What choice best reflects my consecration to Jesus Christ?”

My pastoral counsel is abstinence.

Not because avoiding alcohol earns salvation.

It does not.

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Rather, abstinence removes the uncertainty, eliminates the possibility of alcohol controlling us, protects our testimony, and prevents our example from encouraging someone else toward something that may ultimately destroy them.

You never have to wonder whether zero drinks was one too many.

🙏 ONE FINAL QUESTION

Christian, before asking:

“Am I allowed to do this?”

Ask:

“Will this glorify God?”

“Will this strengthen my testimony?”

“Could this cause another believer to stumble?”

“Would I be completely comfortable doing this if Jesus were physically sitting beside me?”

The Christian life is about much more than avoiding drunkenness.

It is about surrender.

Holiness.

Love.

Self-control.

And becoming increasingly like Jesus Christ.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31

That should settle many questions before the first glass is ever poured.

📚 From Real Answers to Life's Tough Questions (2nd Edition)
https://tinyurl.com/4wh7b4x8

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