Is a New Year’s Eve party biblical? What about the alcohol?

Celebrating the new year is biblical, but how you celebrate might not be.  The nation of Israel celebrated the advent of the new year, and they did so in the way God prescribed. 

As we all know, many of today’s New Year’s Eve parties are far from biblical, God-honoring celebrations.  We’ll address the unbiblical parties, but before we do, let’s look at God’s prescription for how His people were to celebrate the first day of a new year.

New Year’s Day in the Bible

Our new year begins on January 1, but for the nation of Israel, it began in the autumn. It began in the month of Tishri, the first month of the civil calendar, and the seventh month of the religious calendar.  

Leviticus 23:24-25  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation…

Jewish tradition says this is the anniversary of Adam and Eve’s creation (remember, that is not biblically supported; it’s just tradition).  

The biblical name for the Jewish New Year is Yom Teruah, which means a day of shouting or raising a noise.  Yom Teruah begins the fall festival of the Feast of Trumpets, a high holy day.  This day is more commonly called Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of the year.”  You won’t find “Rosh Hashanah” in the biblical account of the fall feast because it derives from the Mishna, Rabbinic writings of oral traditions, often called the Oral Torah.  

The Book of Leviticus clearly states that the first day of the new year is to be a day of rest and a day of sounding the trumpet. As a High Holy Day, it would have been a time to rest in the Lord and remember all He had done for them. 

Sadly, most of our New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations have little to do with resting in or remembering Jesus.  They center around friends, fun, food, and partying.  From New Year’s Eve “bashes” of food and often excessive drink to New Year’s Day unending football parties of more food and more drink, most people aren’t thinking about Jesus. 

Biblical or Unbiblical?

So, while most of our New Year’s festivities are not biblically based, that does not necessarily mean they are unbiblical.  The Jews were told to celebrate special events, and we have liberty in Christ to do the same.  The bottom line is that we should always attempt to have fun parties and celebrations, but they should only include God-honoring activities.  In other words, our gatherings should be such that they do not promote or generate sinful thoughts, words, or actions.  It all comes down to how we celebrate the New Year and how we behave at the parties.

That raises the question, is it okay to drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve?  The answer to that question must be personally discerned.  The Bible does not say that drinking alcohol is a sin.  The Bible does say that drunkenness is a sin.  (see a more in-depth discussion on this:  Is It a Sin to Drink Alcohol?) 

While it might be okay to have one drink, it is never okay to allow alcohol to control your thinking or behavior. For some people, even one drink can do that.  Let me repeat it: any level of drunkenness is a sin. (Read: Is It a Sin to Drink Alcohol? and What Does the Bible Say About Alcohol?)   It is well known that alcohol, even in small amounts, can impede judgment and reasoning and can produce behavior that is not God-honoring.  Therefore, caution must be exercised if one chooses to have even one alcoholic beverage.  For some, it might be possible to partake of alcohol and not become drunk in the same way that filling your plate from the buffet table and partaking does not always mean one is gluttonous. Remember, just like drunkenness, gluttony is also a sin. (Read: What are the Seven Deadly Sins?). 

Whether or not to drink at a holiday party is a personal decision, and most importantly, the decision should be made before attending the party.

Start the New Year Off Right

We implore you to celebrate the close of one year and the beginning of another with your mind focused on the One who has brought you through the past year and opened another year of life to you. Keep Him in the forefront of your thoughts, and it will be much easier to participate in and enjoy the celebrations in a God-honoring way.  

With the Holy Spirit as your Guide, be responsible as you celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  It is a well-documented fact that the winter holidays have a higher number of alcohol-related deaths and injuries than other times of the year.  Thanksgiving has the highest number of deaths, and New Year’s Eve is second.

Plan Your Celebration Checklist

If you are attending a New Year’s Eve party that offers alcohol:

1. Determine beforehand what you will drink. 
2. Decide to limit how much you drink if you choose to drink alcohol. Remain sober and in control of your mind, words, and actions. 
3. If you choose to drink, travel with a designated driver who will not drink. Or better yet, offer to be that driver and avoid any chance of alcohol-induced sin. 
4. Don’t let others drive drunk and endanger their lives or the lives of others.  Be bold and take the keys from anyone who should not drive.’
5. Call for a cab or an Uber if needed. 

If you are hosting a party that offers alcohol, you are responsible for the safety of those you invite—both while they are in your home and when they leave. 

1. If you offer alcoholic beverages, take your responsibility seriously and monitor and limit all consumption.
2. Offer non-alcoholic beverages throughout the evening, and make it the only choice later in the evening and before departure. 
3. Be ready to stop anyone who is even slightly impaired from driving under the influence and causing possible harm to self or others.  

REMEMBER:  While drinking alcohol is not a sin, drunkenness is.  And the words and actions of drunk people often cause great harm.  As Christians, we can’t “hide our heads in the sand” and pretend excessive alcohol consumption is not a problem.  We must be willing to be a friend to sinners and stop them from potentially hurting themselves or others.

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

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Inspiration for the New Year:

For Days of Auld Lang Syne
What are “The 70 New Year’s Resolutions?”
A New Year’s Meditation by Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
A New Year, A New Hope, It’s My Year – Guaranteed to Make You Smile! (video)
How Do I Change My Life? Two New Year’s Resolutions that will work!
Is a New Year’s Eve party biblical? What about the alcohol?  
At the Gate of the Year: A Message to a Troubled Nation
I Resolve To….(video)
A New Year, A New Start. . .Another Resolution? 
A New Year, A New Beginning   
Good Reminders for the New Year  
Ways to Glorify God - Bookmark
70 New Year's Resolution by Jonathan Edwards  
A New Year Lesson from the Book of Job, by Ray Stedman (1917-1992)
Daily Directions for Holy Living, by Richard Baxter

Not feeling in a celebratory mood?  Remember, you are not alone.  Read: Distressed and Despairing? You’re not alone!

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