“I Only Drink in Private”

Genesis 9:21; Romans 14:21

Allen Webster

It is a common defense of drinking:

 

• “I don’t drink around the children.”
• “I only drink at home.”
• “No one from church is affected.”

 

At first, that sounds like an attempt at caution—perhaps even responsibility. But is this God’s standard?

 

The Question Is Not “Can I Hide It?” but “May I Do It?”

 

Scripture does not measure conduct by what is seen—it measures it by what is right (Prov. 21:2; Mt. 23:27–28; Lk. 16:15; Jn. 7:24; Heb. 4:13) as defined by God’s Word (Psa. 33:4; 2 Tim. 3:16). While some approach liberty with this mindset: “As long as nobody knows, it is not a problem,” the Bible emphasizes the heart—what is thought and done privately matters (1 Sam. 16:7). While public behavior is important (cf. Mt. 5:14-16; Rm. 14:21), the question is not, “Who sees it?” The question is, “Is it right?” (See Webster Is One Drink a Sin?)

 

Another Question Is, “Why the Secrecy?”

 

Drinking alone is frowned upon even among secular people. In fact, drinking alone is one of seven tell-tale signs that one is alcohol dependent.[1] It may point to secrecy, shame, or addiction. Jesus said, “Everyone who does wicked things hates the light . . . lest his works should be exposed” (Jn. 3:20). When something is deliberately hidden, it can indicate a guilty conscience or a desire to avoid accountability.

Drinking alone is often associated with drunkenness or excess. Paul wrote, “Those who get drunk, are drunk at night” (1 Thes. 5:7). It is easy to lose control and perspective when drinking alone. Since alcohol is an addictive drug (Prov. 23:29-35), self-control can be easy to lose and hard to regain (Gal. 5:23). Privacy may make it easier to be brought under its power (1 Cor. 6:12).

This raises the question of conscience and integrity. Paul taught, “Whether you eat or drink . . . do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself (Rm. 14:22). If an action cannot be done openly, with a clear conscience, and before God and man, one must consider why.

 

A Third Question Is, “Will It Stay Hidden?”

 

Hidden things rarely stay private. David tried to hide his sin with Bathsheba, but the servants knew already, and now the whole world reads about it every generation (2 Sam. 11). Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and deceived their father, but their guilt eventually came to light (Gen. 37; 42:21). Moses killed and buried an Egyptian, but by the next day, Moses realized, “the thing is known” (Ex. 2:11-14). Achan took devoted things from Jericho and hid them in his tent, but he was found out (Jos. 7:1, 16-21). Gehazi secretly took gifts from Naaman, but Elisha knew (2 Kgs. 5:20–27). Ananias and Sapphira lied about the amount given, but they were found out (Acts 5:1-11).

How many affairs start out hidden but eventually everyone knows? Most of them. How many “foolproof” dishonest schemes proved not to be? Many of them. How many times did what “happened in Vegas” not “stay in Vegas”? Often. The Bible says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23; cf. 2 Cor. 4:2). Jesus said, “Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known” (Lk. 8:17; cf. 12:1-2). Actions have a way of becoming suspected, assumed, found out, and spread.

How does drinking “privately” at home become known?

 

• The purchase must be made—someone at a store checks out the alcohol purchase or a driver delivers it. Someone may see it in the cart, backseat, or front porch.
• The item must be brought home and taken in. Will a neighbor, spouse, roommate, or child never see it?
• A child or friend may see it in the refrigerator, in a cabinet, or the empties in the garbage.

 

Sooner or later, the question will come: “Do you drink?” What will the answer be? An admission, “yes” (Mt. 5:37; Jas. 5:12) and a blown cover; a lie, “no” and a sin (Col. 3:9); or an evasion, which is easy to interpret as a “yes.” If one’s personal conduct must be hidden, could be misunderstood, or might encourage another to sin, then the question of drinking in private answers itself.

 

A Fourth Question Is, “Will It Have Negative Consequences?”

 

Noah drank in his tent and was abused (Gen. 9:20-21). Most physical and sexual abuse occurs in private and often after either the victim or the perpetrator or both have been drinking. “Alcohol use is a risk factor for both perpetration and victimization of intimate partner violence” (CDC, “Risk and Protective Factors for Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence”). “About 37 percent of offenders of violence against intimate partners were perceived by victims to be under the influence of alcohol” (Bureau of Justice Statistics). Scripture repeatedly urges foresight and self-control: “The prudent man sees danger and hides himself (Prov. 22:3), and “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls . . . seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

Will it have health consequences? Alcohol consumption causes over 200 diseases and injury types, including cancer, liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and weakening the immune system. Even moderate drinking increases risks (see the long list from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body). Taking care of the body is important: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit . . . ? So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Wise living includes caring for what God has entrusted to us (1 Cor. 4:2) and avoiding what harms it (2 Cor. 7:1).

Will it impact my personality and have negative social effects? Alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant that disrupts brain chemistry, often leading to significant, temporary, or long-term changes in personality and behavior. It primarily impacts the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for inhibition, judgment, and emotional control—allowing underlying, often negative, emotional states to amplify resulting in increased aggression/hostility, instability, isolation, strained relationships, and job loss. (See the National Institutes for Health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3981386/.) Scripture warns of this effect: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). Instead, Christians are to walk honestly “not in orgies and drunkenness” (Rm. 13:13), and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, which includes self-control (Gal. 5:23).

 

A Final Question Is, “Do I Really Have the Right?”

 

The argument for private use often rests on a misunderstanding of personal liberty (my right). Paul wrote, “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or anything that causes your brother to stumble” (Rm. 14:21). Some take his words to mean that drinking is permissible unless it offends someone.

Is drinking alcohol only a matter of opinion? Suppose we apply the restoration motto—”in essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love”—to drinking wine. It would look like this:

 

• If wine = opinion → tolerate differences.
• If wine = sin → no liberty allowed.

 

This leads to two possible views:

 

• Abstention view: Alcohol = sinful or dangerous → Romans 14 does NOT apply.
• Moderation view: Alcohol = lawful → Romans 14 applies, but must not offend.

 

The abstention view is correct. Why?

The flaw in the “my right” argument is assuming that the Bible permits drinking alcoholic beverages recreationally or casually. Romans 14 cannot be used to justify something that is forbidden elsewhere. Could one say, “If a person wants to commit adultery in the privacy of the home, then Romans 14 gives them that liberty”? No, for we do not have liberty to practice any sin privately. Paul had said earlier, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rm. 6:1-2). Liberty is not a license to sin.

All the examples Paul uses in Romans 14 are permissible. God grants personal liberty in indifferent matters like eating meat, celebrating days, or, today, wearing masks in services, but where does God give authority to drink alcohol recreationally?[2] He does not. In fact, Scripture forbids drinking it many times (e.g., Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35; Eph. 5:18).

Someone says, “But Romans 14:21 mentions drinking ‘wine.’” That word (oinos) can refer either to fermented alcohol or unfermented grape juice. See Webster Did Jesus Make Wine? See Dave Miller Wine Is Sometimes a Symbol of Joy The context determines which. What does it mean in Romans 14?

The immediate context is about “meat.” Many commentators connect Romans 14 to the broader New Testament issue of food offered to idols sold in food markets (cf. 1 Cor. 8–10). Since idol worship involved both meat sacrifices and wine libations (ritual pouring of liquid to a deity), it fits that Paul would include both flesh and wine in Romans 14:21. Albert Barnes noted that wine was “used in libations in pagan worship, and perhaps the Jewish converts might be scrupulous about its use.” McGarvey/Pendleton mention that the Roman church had a controversy over meat and wine usage, connecting 1 Corinthians 8–10. John Gill noted that some interpreters treat abstinence in Romans 14 as referring to “wine of libation.”[3] David Lipscomb ties Romans 14 to Jewish scruples and uncertain or questionable food sources which historically included idol-contaminated food markets.

What were those “Jewish scruples?” By the first century, the Jews had well-developed rules about “suspect wine.” Wine connected to idolatry (yayin nesekh—wine of libation and stam yeinam—wine handled by Gentiles) was forbidden. (This was later codified—reflecting earlier practice—in the Mishnah/Talmud [Avodah Zarah]). Wine produced or handled by idolaters was avoided and wine of uncertain origin was treated cautiously. This created a daily-life problem for the Diaspora because in Roman cities, most commodities came through pagan systems. The Jewish response was generally either total abstinence or using only trusted (Jewish) wine and avoiding mixed social settings.

Jewish Christians had to navigate their new freedom in Christ versus consciences trained by the law. Romans 14:21 shows that some Christians abstained entirely from wine offered to idols (what they had practiced before as Jews). Paul’s instruction (1 Cor. 8–10) differed from the Jewish approach. He counseled that pagan markets were acceptable but instructed Christians not to investigate origins (ask no questions, 10:25). While he mentions only meat explicitly (10:20-21), the same logic applies to wine used in pagan temples. Romans 14 shows what this looked like in practice. The weak (whose conscience did not allow eating meat) were not allowed to demand that everyone must be a vegetarian and the strong (who had no conscience issue) could not try to make vegetarians eat meat. The strong must avoid parading their liberty before the weak; the weak were to mind their own business.

Nothing requires oinos in Romans 14:21 to be fermented wine, and that interpretation is hard to defend in light of the Bible’s prohibitions elsewhere regarding beverage alcohol. On the other hand, unfermented oinos harmonizes easily. (Both fermented and unfermented libations were offered to idols. Fermented was most common, but pagans had “sober offerings” called nephalia. In these, fermented wine was not offered or was explicitly forbidden. Liquids such as juice [especially in season], water, milk, honey, or oil were used.)

Wine connected to idol worship could end up in the marketplace (cf. 1 Cor. 10:25). Some wine was poured out as offerings (libations generally); some was consumed in temple banquets; but leftover goods (food, drink) could circulate commercially. In that world, temples functioned as economic centers and surplus goods entered local markets.

It is also possible that Christians bought fermented wine and diluted it to the point it was not intoxicating. Even pagans in the Roman Empire diluted wine before drinking—typically at ratios of 3:1 to 4:1—resulting in a beverage of roughly 2–4 percent alcohol content (Encyclopedia Britannica; McGovern, “Ancient Wine”; Pliny the Elder). Put yourself in the place of a Christian in that world. You had to buy commodities at pagan markets; you knew God forbade intoxication. What would you do? Most likely you would buy unfermented if available and if not, dilute fermented wine to the point it did not intoxicate. Christians obviously had the option to use as much water as they wanted. Athenaeus, in summarizing earlier writers, records that Homer listed dilatation at 20:1 (water to wine). Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (vol. 2) says, “A single drink in the U.S. is not the same as wine in the first century that could be watered as much as 1 part alcohol to 20 parts water.”[4] Heavily diluting wine would amount to flavored water and would purify unhealthy water (cf. 1 Timothy 5:23), and intoxication was avoided.

Typical wine concentration of that period was about 10 percent (ABV). The result of 20:1 dilution would be a concentration of .48 percent ABV, less then non-alcoholic beer today (≤0.5 percent).[5] To reach a BAC of 0.02 (where the mind is impacted), with a 20:1 dilution would require one to drink over 3 liters (108-120 oz); a 10:1 dilution would require over 2 liters (60-72 oz). (This is general as gender, weight, food, toleration, and timeframe affect this.)

In summary, Romans 14 is teaching that Christians were permitted to purchase and drink unfermented oinos even if it had been offered to idols (or dilute fermented oinos), provided it did not offend other Christians. Romans 14 applies in similar situations so long as sin is not involved (Eph. 5:11). It does not apply to beverage alcohol because it falls into the “sin” category (Prov. 20:1).

If abstaining applied to unfermented oinos in Paul’s day, then it applies more forcefully to alcoholic beverages today. It is “good not to drink wine if it offends” is not, “I will be careful” or “I will keep it private” but “I will not do it.” All agree that foregoing casual drinking of alcohol is acceptable to God. The sacred fellowship of Christians must never be broken over differences of opinion regarding things indifferent or secondary.[6] Love aims to avoid all harm, negative influence, and spiritual risk.

The moral question of Romans 14 is not, “Do I have the right?” but “Does this build others up?” Paul warns: “By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died” (14:15). Paul’s point is that liberty must yield to love (the last part of the motto: “In all things, love”). Let us “let us pursue for peace and mutual upbuilding” (14:19).

We all will go to judgment day to give an account for how we live (2 Cor. 5:10).  Whether we drank alcohol or not will certainly be asked—as will whether we acted with love. The stakes are high.

[1] Dr. Larry Swaim, p. 78

[2] https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/does-romans-14-give-the-liberty-to-drinking-alcoholic-beverages/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[3] See Meyer also (Bible Hub).

[4] Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J. Beitzel. “Wine.” Baker Book House, 1988, p. 2147.

[5] Sánchez, Francisco, et al. “Spontaneous Fermentation of Fruit Sugars by Wild Yeasts in Natural Environments.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 109, no. 26, 2012, pp. 10370–10375.

[6] James Burton Coffman