There are many churches, ministers and believers who say that drinking anything alcoholic is wrong, even going so far as to call it a sin. It’s not uncommon for the same people to interpret scripture to back up their viewpoint, saying things like when Jesus turned water to wine, it was actually grape juice, not alcoholic wine.
Such interpretations of the Bible are not uncommon. People who want the Bible to say something they believe will often ignore things that the Bible says or find ways of interpreting passages in the Bible which support their beliefs. Sadly, they often do this without any regard for correct biblical interpretation or support for their interpretation.
Hermeneutics – the Science of Interpretation
There are many who think that hermeneutics, the science of interpreting ancient texts, applies only to the Bible; but in fact, the same rules are used to interpret all types of ancient texts. Those rules have merely been adapted to biblical interpretation, with the idea of making interpretations consistent. The basic rules are actually rather simple and logical, although there is much about writing style that can be included in the study of hermeneutics.
- Definition – What does the word mean? Many times, the Bible gives us its own definition of a word. When more than one definition is available for a word, the most common is the one that should be used. Keep in mind that no two languages translate exactly, as there are always words in one, which don’t exist in the other and are often one of the options possible for a word in the other language.
- Context – Everything must be taken in context. Taking a word, phrase, sentence or even paragraph and ignoring everything around it is a sure way of misinterpreting. The interpretation used must fit in with what is said before and after the passage being interpreted.
- Usage – The Old Testament was written to the nation of Israel and the New Testament was written primarily to the Jewish people living in the Mediterranean area. As such, it is filled with cultural references that affect the understanding of what is said. Applying our cultural context to scripture can cause misinterpretations, as well as missing the intended meaning of the text.
- Historical Background – Knowledge of the people, their customs and their history helps us to understand how a passage would have been interpreted by the people who it was originally spoken or written to. There were events happening in the world around them, which affected their understanding.
- Logic – Does the interpretation make sense as stated? If the average person cannot understand the interpretation, it is likely flawed. We are logical people and language is the expression of that logic.
- Precedent – We cannot create new meanings for words, terms, or the way things are said. The common understanding that is most often used is likely the correct one. Any other use still has to have provable precedent, we can’t just invent one.
- Unity – Any interpretation of scripture must fit into our whole understanding of the Bible. To create an interpretation which puts a passage at odds with the whole of the Bible doesn’t make sense.
- Inference – We can infer that passages of scripture say things that are not obviously stated; but this must be done with extreme caution, basing our inferences on precedent and the overall message of scripture. Even inferences should have evidence to back them up.
Turning Water into Wine
With these rules as our basis, let us look at the story of Jesus’ first miracle, that of turning water into wine. This happened early on in Jesus’ ministry, as shown by the fact that Jesus had disciples, who went to the wedding with Him (John 2:2). Jesus’ mother was also there and being a mother, was concerned when they ran out of wine. Perhaps there’s a bit more to it than that, as we know that Mary had been keeping the happenings of Jesus’ life in her heart. So, it is understandable that she told Jesus when they ran out of wine, expecting Him to do something about it.
And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” – John 2:3-5
This little interaction is so like a typical mother and son, which I seriously doubt has changed in the last 2,000 years. The mother tells her son to do something and he basically says, “It’s not my job.” She totally ignores that and tells others, “He’ll do it. Just follow His instructions,” leaving the Son stuck doing what the mother wanted Him to. It appears from this, that Jesus’ relationship with his mother was no different than any other.
But there was one thing. We are told in Luke 2:51 that Jesus was subject to his parents in everything. Had he not been, He would have broken the fifth commandment, about honoring your father and mother (Exodus 20:12). So, Jesus did as His mother had asked.
Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” – John 2:7-10
On the surface, it appears that Jesus turned the water into wine; not only wine, but really good wine. But this isn’t enough to disprove those who say that Jesus turned that water into grape juice. We need to dig a bit deeper to do that.
If we look at the word “wine” in verse 9 above, we find that it is the Greek word “oinos,” number G3631 in Strong’s dictionary. This word appears 33 times in the New Testament, in a total of 25 separate verses. In all 33 cases, the word is translated in our Bibles as “wine,” although in some cases it is a figurative use of the word wine, such as “the wine of God’s wrath.” This clearly isn’t a figurative case, because it isn’t talking about God’s wrath, but rather about a drink. Of the 33 times, there are zero cases where the word is translated as “grape juice.” Therefore, it is clear that this is talking about wine, specifically wine that contains alcohol.
As further proof, we have the testimony of the master of the feast, who said, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” It is probably safe to say that this man knew wine and would not have made the mistake of referring to grape juice as wine. Therefore, we can clearly understand that Jesus did, in fact, turn water into wine, regardless of our personal theology.
But wouldn’t that mean that Jesus was encouraging people to sin, drinking wine that contained alcohol and getting drunk on it? That would only be the case if you believed that drinking wine was sin, regardless of what the Bible says about it. But there is no reason to fear that, as Jesus would never encourage anyone to sin. People sin all the time, using things that God created; but that doesn’t mean that God created those things to encourage them to sin.
So, What Does the Bible Say?
Perhaps one of the most startling verses about alcohol, specifically wine, to be found in the Bille occurs in the book of Psalms.
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, 15 and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart. – Psalms 104:14-15
God created the grape vine and all the other plants which are used for making alcoholic beverages when he created plants as part of His work of creation, as recorded in the first two chapters of Genesis. He called that “good.” We can also say that He created the process of fermentation, knowing that it would both cause our hearts to be glad and be misused by some to get drunk. All sin comes from people misusing things that God created for good, so why should we single this one out, saying that any use of it is sinful?
Just in case anyone would think of throwing out that verse, because it is in Psalms and not in the Law, let’s go to the Old Testament Law. There, it gives instructions for those who cannot bring their tithes to the Temple.
Then you shall exchange it (the animals and/or produce for the tithe) for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses (the Temple)2. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires; for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. – Deuteronomy 14:25-26
Then there’s the verse where Paul instructed Timothy, his son in the faith, to drink wine.
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities. – 1 Timothy 5:23
Medical science has proven this to be true, at least in the case of red wine. It has medicinal properties, not just for settling the stomach, but it is good for overall heart health as well.
Wine at the Last Supper
Probably the most famous use of wine in the New Testament is the Last Supper, which Jesus celebrated with His disciples. During the meal, he took a cup of wine, blessed it, and shared it with His disciples, telling them to drink it, as the symbolic blood of the new covenant (Mathew 26:27-29). This has become a part of the Communion celebration that is practiced by all Christian denominations.
What Jesus did, which we refer to as the Communion Supper, was actually a part of the regular Jewish Passover celebration, that He was celebrating with His disciples. They broke bread and shared it, as He did. He just gave that new significance, calling it His body. Likewise, they drank wine together at certain times during the meal. Actually, they drank wine four separate times.
Before you worry about whether they got drunk off that wine, the Passover supper, called the “Seder” was a celebration that lasted 3-1/2 to 4 hours. So those four cups were spread out. Not only that, but they would drink four parts water to one part wine. There’s no way that anyone could get drunk off of that.
In the time of Jesus, drinking wine was an important part of the diet. They didn’t have our modern methods of purifying water, so wine was mixed with their water, allowing the alcohol in the wine to kill bacteria in the water, thereby purifying it, so that they would not get sick from parasites in the water. It wasn’t about getting drunk; but rather about drinking safely.
One other thing that we need to realize here is that the Passover celebration was in the spring, but the grape harvest is in late summer. What that means is that if they were to use grape juice, rather than wine, they would have had to keep that grape juice fresh all that time. That’s not possible with the means of preservation they had available to them in that time. They would either have to make wine, vinegar or raisins out of those grapes. Otherwise, they would just go bad. Making wine out of grapes is a way of preserving their juice.
I mentioned a moment ago that they drank four cups of wine. Each of these had a specific purpose in the celebration:
- The first cup was the Cup of Consecration, dedicating the time to Jehovah God. It was drunk at the beginning of the celebration.
- The second cup was the Cup of Thanksgiving and Praise, recognizing the importance of giving thanks and praising God in the life of a believer. It was drunk before the meal.
- The third cup was the Cup of Yeshua, or Salvation, literally bearing the name of Christ. It was drunk after the meal.
- The fourth cup was the Cup of Completion, taken at the end of the celebration, as the ceremony was brought to a close.
We know that Jesus took the third cup, because Paul recorded that in his first letter to the Corinthian church.
In the same manner He also took the cup after super, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:25
Jesus literally took the cup that bore His own name, the Cup of Salvation and shared that with His disciples, beginning a tradition which has remained in the church until today. He did it with wine, showing that wine can actually be a blessing from God.
So, Can We Drink as We Desire?
Reading what I’ve written, it might seem that I am saying that we can drink all we want to; but that’s not what I’m saying at all. I am saying that we can drink wine and other alcoholic beverages; but that doesn’t mean that we can do so to excess. There are limits.
The Bible makes it clear in many different verses, that drinking in excess is not acceptable to God. What is excess? It is drinking to the point of being drunk. When we are drunk, we lose the ability to control our thoughts and our actions, leading us to sin. Being a drunkard, defined as one who customarily drinks to get drunk, is even worse, to the point where God says that such people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, not covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. – 1 Corinthians 6:10
So, what exactly does it mean to be “drunk?” Different people will define this in different ways; but the basic idea is to lose our mental capacity due to drinking. Alcohol takes the place of oxygen in the bloodstream, making it so that the brain receives less oxygen than normal. This clearly affects our ability to think, as well as opening ourselves up to demonic influence. Based on that, any level of drinking which begins to corrupt our ability to think would qualify as drunkenness. In other words, copping a buzz is being drunk.
Proverbs sums up well what drinking can do to us, when we don’t do it in moderation.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. – Proverbs 20:1
Paul spells it out perhaps a bit more clearly, saying:
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. – Ephesians 5:81
Other translations of the Bible replace the word “dissipation” with “debauchery.” In either case, the message is clear, in this and many other verses; drinking to excess leads us to doing things that we should not do, things which are sin. It is clear that the teachings of the Bible are against drinking to the point of it affecting us, even while it does give us permission to drink and even recommends it in some cases (such as what Paul wrote to Timothy).
So, why do Some Churches Condemn Any Drinking?
What I’ve written here may seem to contradict what some churches teach, with them saying that any drinking of alcoholic beverages is sin. The root of their attitude comes from the problem of people lacking self-control. Many people can’t stop when they’ve had a drink or two, before the alcohol starts to affect their cognitive ability. Once they start, they will get drunk.
To combat this problem, what these churches (or more correctly, their leadership) have done, is take the stance that any drinking is wrong. That way, their congregants won’t cross that line into drinking in excess. Put another way, they are trying to protect their people from themselves.
This is much like what the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus. One of the things they are known for is creating “fences” around the Law, so that people wouldn’t accidentally break God’s Law. They actually did it to honor God, but in doing so, their “rules of men” became more important than the Law. Jesus rebuked them for this, as He would likely rebuke these churches today, saying that they had replaced the teachings of God, with rules of men.