December 2008
Throughout the history of the church there are many things which have come under confusion. One such area is drinking alcoholic beverages. Various groups throughout time have striven to appropriately use the teachings of Jesus, a phenomenally charismatic figure. As they have done so certain views have been fastened upon and some are now looked at as typical of Christianity or even representative of biblical teaching. As not everyone is a biblical scholar these views are taken to represent God's view. I hope to clear up misconceptions on biblical teaching towards alcohol.
The view that drinking any alcoholic beverage is unspiritual is a common one today. It is felt that drinking too much has been the cause of many problems. The best practice therefore to avoid issues of violence, immorality, abuse, and insobriety is to withhold from drinking completely. This often results in pressuring other to withhold from drinking as well and the feeling that even being around drinking is spiritually dangerous. Scripture is often reinterpreted to support this view.
It is impossible to keep a reasonable view of the bible and maintain the theology that drinking is completely forbidden to the lengths given above. Alcohol itself is not cast in a negative light in the bible.
Jesus' first miraculous sign was to turn over 120 gallons of water into 120 gallons of wine for people to drink (John 2:1-11, 4:46). It has been theorized that this is not wine but some sort of unfermented grape juice. First, this is not what the Greek word in John means; it literally means "wine". Second, it infers that the master of the banquet is mistaken when he identifies it as wine (2:9) even going so far as to say it is the best wine of the party yet (2:10). As it is his job to be in charge of the food and drink it is more reasonable to assume that he can tell the difference as most people can. Third, it should be noted that wine was already at this party, which Jesus and his disciples were attending, as the miracle is prompted by them running out (2:2-3). The fact that Jesus was present at such a party is also of note. He often was present at such events (see Matthew 9:10) and below.
Psalm 104 discusses the great provision that God has given mankind. It is a Psalm of praise to God. One of the provisions mentioned is "wine that gladdens the heart of man" (104:15). God provided the earth and many good things from the earth.
In Proverbs 9 one gets an allegorical picture of Wisdom and Folly calling in the streets for all who hear to listen to them. Interestingly, it is Wisdom who has mixed wine and calls out, "Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding" (9:5-6). While this is not literal wine being discussed, wine is being used in a positive analogy for the pleasant and valuable life one can live by following wisdom. It is not inherently evil, but wisdom should pervade all our actions.
Paul recommends a little wine to Timothy saying, "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23). It is hard to understand why an apostle would tell this to an elder in scripture were this morally wrong.
Jesus offers a cup of what appears to be "the fruit of the vine" to his disciples at the last supper (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22). In Luke we are commanded to "do this in remembrance of me" (22:19). This is the beginning of the practice of Communion, an event intended to be a remembrance of Jesus' personal sacrifice for humanity. This is typically done with bread and wine following the example of the last supper. While Communion has become a complicated ritual in many groups, it began as a simple time of prayer and thanks with food. This sentiment is reflected in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. While some celebrate this practice with grape juice, it is unlikely that Jesus' was done this way. Wine was easier to preserve in the ancient world by the very fact that it contains alcohol.
Jesus criticizes the people's fickleness by rejecting both him and John the Baptist for opposite reasons (Luke 7:29-35). He says, "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by all her children." (Luke 7:33-35). John the Baptist led a very strict life never drinking wine, and the people felt this was too strict. Yet Jesus ate and drank and was criticized wrongly as leading a wonton lifestyle. For him to be accused as a drunkard, and by his own words that he came "eating and drinking", shows that he drank alcohol.
Moses prescribes to the people to, "Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice" (Deuteronomy 14:26). This is in the Mosaic law not long after the 10 Commandments. God realizes that carrying their sacrificial animals long distances would be difficult, so he allows them to convert the sacrifice into cash and then the cash into enjoyable things for a feast before the Lord.
We see that a blanket rejection of drinking is extreme and beyond the biblical mandate. To do so is to draw lines where they are not drawn in scripture or by God. This overly strict view often comes across as judgmental and unnecessarily harsh. God is presented as a kill joy in areas in which He is actually flexible.
To stop there however would be giving less than half of the story. For each passage above there are dozens which warn about the over indulgence in alcohol.
Spiritual leaders are required to be temperate and not indulgent in much wine (1 Timothy 3).
Ephesians 5:17-18 clearly instructs, "do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
It is known that drink is often used to take advantage of people. This is condemned in the bible, "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies" (Habakkuk 2:15). A huge number of people have been disadvantaged by the evil desires of another leveraged by drunkenness.
Drunkenness often leads to violence and harm. "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine" (Proverbs 23:29-30).
Heavy drinking often leads to poverty. "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags" (Proverbs 23:19-21). Both the cost of alcohol and the state it leaves you in, with an inability to work, can strike against our financial means when indulged in too frequently.
Lack of sobriety puts us in a vulnerable state spiritually as we are more open to influence, including spiritual influence. "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Christians are to remain alert and self-controlled, not drunk and unwary (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8). (1)
While it is overly restrictive to ban all drinking and this promotes a view of God foreign to the bible, we see that complete liberality is not taught either. We must be wise and controlled with our drinking and its influence on us. We will save ourselves from unnecessary damage in the areas of spirituality, sexuality, and finances. God loves us very much and He has provided many great things for us, including alcohol. He does not want us use this gift for evil, whether this evil is self-inflicted or not. Let us use it to enjoy the things He has given rather than as an escape from the things He has given.
1. The main teaching of the bible in this area is sobriety. This is why the same argument is leveled against substances such as hard drugs. These substances cannot be used while maintaining sobriety, unlike alcohol. Hence, they should not be used as they leave us open to all of the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage that comes with a lack of alertness and sobriety. This is typically escapism. A believer's life has purpose and should not be wasted on meaningless things.
