Some Christians Should Never Drink — Here’s Why

Let me say something that might surprise you.

Not every Christian should drink.

Yes, I know. The Bible doesn’t explicitly forbid alcohol. Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1–11). Paul 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, NKJV). So this isn’t about legalism. It’s not about pretending Scripture says something it doesn’t.

But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

Just because something is permissible doesn’t mean it is profitable.

The apostle Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12, NKJV).

That last line is the heart of this conversation.

“I will not be brought under the power of any.”

Some Christians should never drink — not because wine is evil, but because they know themselves.

If you have an addictive personality…
If alcohol has a history in your family of destruction…
If one drink never feels like just one drink…
If you’re using it to escape stress, numb pain, or silence conviction…

Then for you, alcohol isn’t neutral. It’s a doorway.

And wisdom sometimes means never touching the handle.

Proverbs doesn’t romanticize alcohol. It gives a sober warning:

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1, NKJV).

Notice that phrase — led astray.

That’s the danger. Not the sip. The direction.

Let’s be honest. Some believers can drink occasionally and never lose control. But others? For them, it slowly tightens its grip. It starts socially. Then privately. Then secretly.

And by the time anyone notices, it already owns them.

Paul also says in Romans, “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).

Read that again.

Love limits liberty.

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If your freedom becomes someone else’s stumbling block — a weaker brother trying to overcome addiction, a new believer coming out of a destructive lifestyle — then your “right” to drink is no longer the highest good. Love is.

Here’s the deeper issue: identity.

You and I were not saved to flirt with the edge of compromise. We were called out of darkness into light (1 Peter 2:9). We were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

So the question isn’t, “Can I drink and still go to heaven?”

The question is, “Does this glorify the God who redeemed me?”

For some Christians, the most powerful testimony they will ever have is the quiet decision to abstain — not because they’re judging others, but because they know their calling is higher than their cravings.

And here’s something tender but true: if alcohol has already hurt you… if it has damaged relationships, dulled your spiritual sensitivity, or pulled you further from prayer and the Word… you don’t need another theological debate.

You need freedom.

And freedom sometimes begins with the courage to say, “Not me. Not anymore.”

Psalm 119:45 says, “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts” (NKJV).

Real liberty isn’t found at the bottom of a glass. It’s found in obedience.

So no, this isn’t about creating a new rule. It’s about guarding your soul.

Some Christians can drink and remain in control.

Some cannot.

And if you know you’re in the second group, there is no shame in abstaining. There is strength. There is wisdom. There is love. There is maturity.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can say is one simple word:

“No.”

And that “no” might just protect your calling, your witness, your family, and your future.

Choose wisely.