38 Bible Verses about Abstinence

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them who believe and know the truth.

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from defilements of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Deprive not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your lack of self-control.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me, and not have set sail from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations: And that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

Now therefore beware, I pray you, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may not eat of any thing that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had ordered all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.

Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of meat:

Look not you upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it moves itself aright. At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons forever: Neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: yet I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but you hearkened not unto me.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink: that you might know that I am the LORD your God.

That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There has not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, {} Behold now, you are barren, and bear not: but you shall conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray you, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Test your servants, I beseech you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink.

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons forever: Neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;read more.
Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem. Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction to hearken to my words? says the LORD. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: yet I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but you hearkened not unto me.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon.

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and you say, He has a demon.

Do not drink wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations:

He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

Look not you upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it moves itself aright.

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons forever:

I ate no pleasant food, neither came meat nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

It is good neither to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.

Therefore, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat while the world stands, lest I make my brother to stumble.

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink wine. But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons forever: Neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.read more.
Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

That you abstain from anything offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Farewell.

But if you shall abstain to vow, it shall be no sin to you.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication:

And to knowledge self control; and to self control patience; and to patience godliness;