Is it a sin to drink coffee?

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:34:07 -0400

That's a good question! There are many different opinions about the answer, but in the end, it doesn't matter what people think. All that matters is what the Bible says. The Word of God is our only authority for what we should believe about God and how we should serve Him. (Cf. 2 Timothy 3:16,17) All sin is against God, and nothing is sin unless God says that it is!

The Principle of Food

At the time that the Bible was written, Christians struggled with questions about the sinfulness of eating certain foods. The Word of God says, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:” (1 Timothy 4:4) The things that God has created are good. Christians are told to receive them with thanksgiving. The Bible goes on to say that food, received in this manner, is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

The Word of God teaches that there would come a time when apostate teachers would tell believers that it was a sin to marry and command them to abstain from certain foods. “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:3) The Bible tells us that food was created to be received with thanksgiving by Christians who believe and know the truth. The truth is, the things that God has created have a purpose. They are not sinful, so long as they are not abused or misused.

The Principle of Drink

The same principles that apply to food apply to drink. The Word of God says, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (Colossians 2:16) There are religious people who would love to pass judgment on Christians who drink coffee or tea. We should not be bullied by these people. The Word of God says, "Let no man therefore judge you." Don't allow yourself to be judged by ignorant people because you choose to drink coffee or tea!

We should also remember to do whatever we do to God's glory. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) We can glorify God when we drink a cup of coffee or tea if we do so with thanksgiving. That is why we should be in the habit of praying before meals and before receiving any food or drink. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the example. “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” (John 6:11)

The Principle of the Stumbling Block

We should also keep in mind that Christians are not to be stumbling blocks to others. The Bible says, “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” (1 Corinthians 8:13) The Apostle Paul did not want to entice other believers to sin. If there are weak Christian brothers and sisters who believe that it is sinful to drink coffee, then I might cause them to sin by drinking it in front of them. If they look up to me as a good Christian, and see me doing something that isn't sinful, but that they THINK is sinful, then they might decide that it was okay for them to sin. The Bible says, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) A weak Christian who eats or drinks, believing that it is sinful, is destroying (damming) his own conscience. He is hurting himself and sinning against God. If a person chooses to do something that he thinks is wrong, even if it isn't, God looks on that as sin. The weak Christian thinks he is sinning, so he is sinning. “For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.” (Romans 14:2, 3) The Bible teaches that faith has a lot to do with what we are permitted to eat. "For one believeth that he may eat all things." Of course, real faith is based on the Bible. The weak brother who, in Romans 14:2, "eateth herbs" is ignorant of what the Bible teaches, so he has a lack of faith in the matter. Those who drink coffee should not despise those who do not. Those who do not are not to judge those who do! My basic way of dealing with these situations is, if I am with a person who thinks that a certain thing is sinful, I will not do that thing in front of him. “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” (Romans 14:22)

Caffein is a drug. Aren't drugs sinful?

The Word of God never says that caffein is sinful. The Bible condemns drunkenness and gluttony. “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.” (Proverbs 23:21) The Bible condemns the misuse of drugs. “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” (Revelation 9:21) The word sorceries, in this verse, is the Greek word, "pharmakeia" from which we get the English word, pharmacy. Drugs were used in witchcraft and occult practices. The Bible condemns this. However, caffein is not a harmful hallucinogenic or brain cell-destroying dope. Neither you, nor I are going to use coffee for occult practices. We use it for a drink in the morning, or for social get-togethers. Also, coffee and tea can have many health benefits. "But isn't caffein addictive?" Certainly some people become addicted to it just as some become addicted to food. A Christian should never let himself or herself allow these things to have power over them. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) Also, for some, coffee may aggravate medical conditions such as acid reflux or high blood pressure. A doctor's advise is always a good idea in these cases.

Benefits of Coffee and Tea

According to medical experts, there may be many health benefits to drinking a cup of coffee or tea.

Coffee is beneficial to health.

Tea is beneficial to health.

Coffee and Tea contain antioxidants.

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Café | Great Tracts

Is it a sin to drink coffee?

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