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In this article we are going to look at some of the arguments against alcohol and see how they stand under scrutiny in light of truth. Before we go much further I do not oppose a stand against drinking alcohol, I oppose how it is taught. I do not condone the abuse of alcohol. It is a sin to drink to excess. If you ever get drunk, or find your self looking forward to your next drink stop and practice a life of abstinence. Alcohol is a dangerous substance that has ruined the lives of people that drink to excess, and causes un repairable damage to the lives of many innocent people. Alcohol does not just affect you. In all cases it is better to never start drinking. You will never spend one minute in heaven saying I wish I had drank liquor back on earth.
A common teaching in the Baptist church is that it is a sin to drink alcohol. They back up their stand with verses like
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Pro 20:1 or
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:"
Pro 31:4. With
"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
Gal 4:7
to tie it all together. To strengthen the stand, arguments like the body is a temple and wine pollutes it, or The wine referenced in the bible is not the same thing as wine today as they did not have the necessary technology to make the stronger drinks. Thus the words wine and grape juice are interchangeable. Finally there is the stand that wine is acceptable for medicinal uses.
First we need to have a clear understanding of the word sin. Noah Webster said that sin is
"The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity".
Sin is an act of rebellion against Gods law. In order for something to be considered a sin, it has to be in violation of Gods law. This does not mean that the Bible has to have a spelled out punishment, or just because something is not wise does not mean it is a sin. So the question is did God specifically tell us not to drink alcohol.
No technology argument.
This argument is first because I hear it the most. Claiming that there was not sufficient technology to make wine is one of the most preposterous statements I have ever heard. The bible even references wine making techniques that are irrelevant to making grape juice. "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. " Mat 9:17 The old bottles break because the fermentation process causes a lot of pressure to build up inside of the bottle. Because of all the co2 that is created during this process new bottle are used to make new wine. The biblical term new wine is actually referring to a specific stage in the wine making process. New wine is the point at which the fermentation process has been completed and before clarification has started. New wine has full alcohol content the liquid is still murky as the solids have not settled yet, it takes a process called racking to make a good clear wine. They had strong drink in the old testament days Lev 10:9. "Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations: " So this argument implies that the Jews were divinely given strong drink because they obviously didn't make it them selves. Noah and Lot getting drunk on grape juice should be classified as a small miracle as well. Jesus was given vinegar on the cross. Vinegar according to Merriam- Webster is "a sour liquid obtained by fermentation of dilute alcoholic liquids and used as a condiment or preservative".
How much technology does it take to make wine? I am glad you asked. Buy a 5 gallon bucket of grape juice. Leave it in a spot between 70°F and 80°F for a month or two. The more sophisticated way would be to make some Must (which is the grape juice with the pulp, skin, seeds and stems) after some time the juice is drained off yeast is added then it is bottled to begin the fermentation process. They had yeast. They made bread with it, and they had to use the yeast to make vinegar. The Chinese were distilling rice wine and have samples perfectly preserved dating back 2000 years. This rice wine was described as "its bouquet was still strong enough to perk up the nose". Distilling is obviously more complicated then making wine.
The technology was obviously available and put to use during the new and old testament times. Wine making was a common practice at the time so it was referenced to help people understand a concept. An illustration does no good if people can not relate to it. Jesus turned water into wine and it was called the best wine. In the wine making industry that indicates that the wine had a very high alcohol content. Best wine does not refer to flavor.
The body is a temple argument.
The body is a temple and we are to keep it pure. Lets look at our role model and see how Jesus handled it. In Luke 7:34 "The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! " it is documented that Jesus drank wine. Considering the wine that he made was the best wine we don't have to wonder about the alcohol content. It is often taught that Melchizedek was Christ, in Gen 14:18 " And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. " he Gave wine to Abram
Hermeneutics is the theory of the interpretation and understanding of a text through empirical means. In other words there are standard rules that are used when trying to understand scriptures. For this argument we are going to use the hermeneutic of harmony of the scriptures. This means that no single verse makes a doctrine however a single verse can disprove a doctrine. In order for a doctrine to be valid there can not be any contradictions in the Bible. In 1Tim 5:23 " Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. " Timothy (a pastor) was told to quit drinking water and to drink a little wine. This verse is important because Timothy was being told to drink alcohol. If drinking alcohol is a sin then Timothy was being told to commit a sin, wouldn't drinking wine contradict 1 Tim 3:2-3 ". A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; " If Pro 31:4 " It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: " does apply to Christians Paul was instructing Timothy to sin.
The only way to have harmony of these scriptures is to say that drinking wine to excess is a sin. You don't want a drunk pastor or a drunk king. When a person is in a position of authority you need them to be mentally in control at all times. A drunk Christian sets a bad example to the rest of the world . Drunkenness is the sin
The Medicinal argument.
The last attempt to hold ground is the wine was a medicine argument. "Wine was used for medicinal purposes back then. We don't use wine for medicine now so there is no reason for a Christian to drink wine". In the old testament days the Egyptians used wine as an emulsion to suspend the medicine in, in the case of the lotus blossom the alcohol was needed to leach out the medicinal ingredients. So yes it was used medicinally and it still is now days. Wine helps with digestion and is high in antioxidants. Another misconception is that a glass of grape juice has all of the benefits of drinking a glass of wine with a meal. This is not quite so it's not just drinking any grape juice but it is only in purple grape juice. However purple grape juice does not have all of the benefits of drinking one glass of wine with each meal. Wine was not used just medicinally in the bible it was also used for worship, and celebration. The bible uses wine as a sign of blessing Gen 49:11-12 ".Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. " In fact the bible references the word wine in 208 verses. 159 of which are not in a negative context. In 83 of these verses wine is used to signify blessing, provision, or taken away as part of judgment.
The teaching of alcohol as a sin is a new doctrine that was introduced in the late 1700's by John Wesley. He taught temperance, and sacraments as part of Christian perfection. This was the belief that the Christian could come to a state where perfect love, reigned supreme in one's heart. The concept of temperance started gaining acceptance in the early 1800 in America. The general Baptist's started by John Smyth did not hold alcohol as a sin. In fact this teaching was not taught by the Baptists until the early 1800's. The doctrine of temperance was one of the reasons the primitive Baptist split. Teaching that alcohol is a sin has placed the church in the awkward position of having Mormons, Muslims, and the teaching of sacraments as allies. The church has found them selves denying the truth and stretching to defend a new doctrine. I remember reading a story where a guy saw his friend reading some old theology books and asked Why would anyone study theology by reading a bunch of dead people? Shouldn't you focus mostly on current works? The friend replied the truth about God is timeless. In theology, if it's new, it probably isn't true.
The danger is how churches are standing on this doctrine. They are spewing obstinate lies and assume that the listener is either uneducated or not going to verify the facts. If the people being taught these doctrinal statements have any knowledge of history, chemistry, food, or Bible they will know these statements are false. An unsaved person will be placed in a position to ask them selves "If the preacher is lying to me about alcohol, how do I know he is not lying about salvation?" The fact of the matter is that drinking alcohol in its self is not sin. Its the abuse of alcohol that is the sin. for example Eph 5:18 " And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;, " 1 Peter 5:8 " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: , " Romans 13:13 " Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. , " Titus 2:4-6 " That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. , " 1Thes 5:8 " But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. , " 1Peter 1:13 " Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; . " But for most churches it seems easier to preach against alcohol then all you can eat buffets. 1Ti 3:15 " But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. "
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