Quick answer
Peter puts excess of wine inside the old life Christians have already had enough of. That is why this verse is so important when readers ask whether drinking alcohol is biblical.
1 Peter 4:3 (KJV)
“For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:”
In the broader wine survey, this passage belongs on the warning side.
Why this verse matters
This verse matters because it does not praise drinking skill, drinking desire, or drinking culture. It belongs to the same moral atmosphere as other warning-side texts about deception, stumbling, and impaired judgment.
Read it alongside Is drinking a sin?, Is drinking alcohol biblical?, and Sober-minded verses.
Frequently asked questions
Is this only about pagan excess, not ordinary drinking?
Peter is certainly condemning excess, but he is also teaching readers what belongs to the old Gentile life and what belongs to holy Christian life.
Why is banqueting mentioned with excess of wine?
Because the verse shows the social environment that often gathers around intoxicating excess.