Wine, Beer, Cannabis, Medicine, and Hard Drugs: Use or Misuse?
A while ago I received a question that I actually get frequently:
“Is it okay for a Christian to drink wine or beer, or use cannabis, or take medicine?”
Often, there’s a lot more to such a question than you’d think at first glance, and it almost seems like a trick question. (Perhaps it is…)
So, you have to be very careful about what you say. If you say that X is okay, people quickly think, “Then Y must be okay too,” and you slowly slide down a slippery slope. Ultimately, someone might think, “You said this was good…” and then you’re done for. It’s a subject that requires extra careful and deliberate thought.
We’ve noticed that this topic keeps coming up. Because it’s asked so frequently, I wanted to take a good look at it and see what the Bible itself says about it, apart from the culture or traditions of the church we grew up in.
1. As Christians, we are called to look not at what our tradition, church, or culture says, but at what the Bible says.
This is especially important for subjects that can be culturally sensitive or controversial, such as alcohol, cannabis, hard drugs, or modern medicine. In different countries and churches, opinions on these are very diverse, but the Bible is always our guide.
This specific topic can challenge us and make us think about what we truly believe. It can be healthy for our minds to examine it thoroughly, especially for topics that are extreme or emotionally charged for us.
Questions we want to examine are:
- Is it okay for a Christian to drink wine or beer?
- Is cannabis comparable to wine or medicine?
- How should we think about hard drugs?
- Why do we accept modern medicines that aren’t in the Bible, but often reject wine, beer, or cannabis based on culture or tradition?
The core question is: what does the Bible itself say about substances that influence mood, pain, or health, apart from cultural beliefs?
2. Personal Reflection: Love and Wisdom
It can be wise to avoid a substance, even if the Bible allows it, out of love for others or to prevent someone from stumbling.
- In Poland, we didn’t have alcohol or beer in our home. For Christians there, alcohol was often a NO GO, “the devil,” “people get addicted to it,” and so on.
- In Germany, alcohol is often very normal. Even at a church barbecue we attended, people were drinking beer. The Bible may even permit it (we’ll come back to this later in this study), but we still don’t have alcohol or beer in our house. An important reason is practical: we regularly have people over who are struggling with addiction, including homeless people who are in therapy. Having alcohol or beer in the house, even if it’s culturally acceptable, can tempt them and is not an expression of love or care.
This illustrates an important biblical principle:
Romans 14:13, 15, 21 “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. For if because of food your brother is grieved, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.”
Even if something is permissible, we must look at its effect on others. Love, wisdom, and care for the vulnerable determine practical choices.
3. The Goodness of God’s Creation
Before we elaborate on specific substances, it’s important to remember that God created everything good:
Genesis 1:29 “Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit with seed in it; they shall be food for you.'”
1 Timothy 4:4–5 “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
However, after the Fall, creation changed. Some plants can now be painful or harmful, and the world contains dangers that were not originally there:
Genesis 3:17–18 “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; with pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.'”
Everything is still made by God, but some natural things can now be dangerous or addictive if used improperly. Wine, beer, cannabis, and medicine are part of God’s creation, but their use must be wise.
4. Wine and Beer in the Bible: A Gift and a Danger
The Bible shows that wine (and beer) can be a blessing from God:
Psalm 104:14–15 “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 which makes man’s heart glad; oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.”
Ecclesiastes 9:7 “Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works.”
John 2:1–11 “…Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And so they filled them to the brim. The master of the feast tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew). The master of the feast called the bridegroom. This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and He manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”
1 Timothy 5:23 “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”
Wine and beer are therefore a good gift from God for joy, healing, and fellowship. But……
Warnings
Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”
Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.”
This is about misuse such as drunkenness, loss of control, or addiction. The line between use and misuse… is (unfortunately) often very thin… be warned.
5. Cannabis and Modern Medicine: Not Mentioned, but Applicable
The argument that “cannabis is not in the Bible, so it is forbidden” is not valid. If we were to apply that, we would also have to reject antibiotics, paracetamol, insulin, or other modern medicines, because they are also not explicitly mentioned anywhere in Scripture. The correct starting point is not: “Is the substance in the Bible?” but:
“Can I use this substance for God’s glory, with thanksgiving, without it controlling me or taking away my sobriety?”
Cannabis and modern medicines are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, but the same principles apply to both:
- Use must be done with thanksgiving.
- It must not control you or be addictive.
- You must maintain your sobriety and vigilance so that you can serve God and love others.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
1 Timothy 4:4–5 “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
The same reasoning applies in reverse: medication is also not mentioned, but it is permitted if used for healing, pain relief, or recovery. By the same logic, cannabis, if used responsibly and moderately, should also be judged on the basis of biblical principles, and not just on the basis of culture or tradition.
The core question remains: “Does this substance bring blessing or misuse? Does it serve God and my neighbor, or does it undermine my body, mind, and relationships?”
Cannabis and medicine, just like wine and beer, can be used well or misused. And…. let’s not forget…..
The Addiction Aspect
- Cannabis can be psychologically addictive.
- Misuse of cannabis is a sin, just like the misuse of wine, beer, or medicine…..
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
6a. Hard Drugs: Inherently Harmful and Forbidden
Hard drugs are substances that are directly harmful to the body and mind. The Bible provides clear principles that help us understand why such substances are never appropriate for a Christian:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
Hard drugs destroy this temple principle: they harm your health, your brain, your emotions, and your ability to serve God.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Addiction to hard drugs causes you to lose sobriety and vigilance. It opens the door to sin and dangerous situations.
Hard drugs lead to slavery under the power of the substance. This makes it impossible to serve God or maintain healthy relationships. Hard drugs quickly cause physical damage, mental problems, social isolation, and loss of work ability. In our practice, we see that people often start with something small like alcohol, cannabis, or recreational use, and through the “Small Choices, Big Consequences principle” (which we will come back to) they eventually end up in hard drugs.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Hard drugs are in direct opposition to this call: they make our bodies and minds unfit to honor God.
Conclusion:
Hard drugs are inherently harmful and also forbidden on a biblical basis because they:
- destroy the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit
- undermine sobriety and spiritual vigilance
- lead to addiction and slavery
- cause practical damage and chaos
Therefore, hard drugs are not merely a matter of culture or personal preference: biblically, hard drug use is never permissible. But… there is also cannabis that is so potent that it should actually be considered a hard drug… oops.
6b. Recreational Drugs and Parties
But what about recreational drugs at a party? The same biblical principles apply here as well.
Ecclesiastes 9:7-8 “Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. See that your clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of oil on your head.”
God allows us to celebrate and rejoice, but always with Him in the center. Recreational drugs, however, take away that sobriety.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
Romans 14:21 “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles.”
Recreational drugs do not fit within this framework. They do not make you sober, they often control you, and they can put others at risk.
7. Healing and Pain Relief
The Bible permits the use of substances for healing and pain. Natural remedies or medicines fit within God’s creation.
Luke 10:34 “…and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
1 Timothy 5:23 “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”
8. Love and Conscience
And now we’re going to talk about it again: Even if the Bible permits something, our actions must not harm others.
Romans 14:13, 15, 21 “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. For if because of food your brother is grieved, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.”
1 Corinthians 8:9–12 “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge the one who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”
9. Conclusion and Personal Reflection
The Bible never says that alcohol is the devil.
Wine and beer are a gift from God; cannabis and (natural) medicines can also be part of God’s creation if used correctly.
Hard drugs are inherently harmful and forbidden.
The Bible does not set the boundary at the substance itself, but at gratitude versus misuse, health versus loss of sobriety, and freedom versus addiction.
Use is possible. Misuse is a sin. Love for God and others is always the highest commandment.
10. Small Choices, Big Consequences
And then we come to something we often encounter on our side…
An important point that we often see in practice is the “Small Choices, Big Consequences principle.” This principle is about how small choices can lead to greater temptations and ultimately to misuse or sin. What starts as a substance that is in itself permissible or neutral can, in combination with circumstances or bad habits, lead to dangerous situations.
Personally and in our practice, we notice this daily: homeless people, people with addictions, and people with severe psychological problems often start with something small. For example: someone starts with a glass of alcohol or using cannabis a few times, and slowly this slides into more frequent and destructive use. At that point, the underlying problems (such as trauma, depression, or social pressure) become even more difficult to address.
The Bible warns about these dangers:
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
The idea is that it’s better to avoid what can lead to temptation, even if it is not in itself forbidden.
This calls for caution, self-control, and love for yourself and others, because there is now alcohol that is so potent it could be a drug, and there is also cannabis that is so potent it is essentially a hard drug…
11. Our Personal Guideline:
In our practice, we see countless examples of how something small can grow into major problems. People who initially just drank a few beers, had a can of energy drink like Red Bull each day, smoked cigarettes during the week, or used cannabis “to relax,” too often end up in a place that’s very hard to get out of. Their health, ability to work, and relationships suffer, and the underlying issues that led them to start become far more complex and persistent.
So it’s not only about classic addictions, but also about subtle dependencies that undermine your functioning and clarity of mind. That’s why we choose, in most cases, not to keep such substances in our homes—out of love for ourselves and especially for the vulnerable people around us. This isn’t because the Bible absolutely forbids it, but out of practical wisdom and love for those who are vulnerable. In this way, we prevent small choices from becoming big problems.
And for the groups we work with, we use the principle of “Small choices, big consequences.” In many cases, it is simply wiser not to start at all with substances like alcohol or cannabis. Because cleaning up the mess when things go wrong… that’s what we’re dealing with almost every day on this side.
Thank you for this resume! This is so urgent to talk about “smal choices, big consequences”. I guess our kids could use this post in their youth’s meetings 🤔. God bless you in your service ❤️
Yeah, kids… “ah, it’s nothing, what could happen?”… We’ve all been there; we all know what the consequences of “small choices” are…