Can Christians Drink?

At its 36th Bi-Annual National Conference held on April 23-24, 2007, the Assemblies of God in Australia introduced a new code allowing AG pastors to consume alcohol. However it also urged extreme caution when drinking, and highlighted that drunkenness is prohibited.

According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, throughout the first 1,800 years of church history, Christians consumed alcoholic beverages as a common part of everyday life and nearly always used wine (fermented grape juice) in the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper. Many of the early church fathers allowed wine drinking in moderation. The Catholic Church requires properly fermented wine in their Eucharist. The Reformers from Luther and Calvin to Zwingli and Knox strongly supported the enjoyment of wine as a biblical blessing. It was said that Calvin’s annual salary in Geneva included seven barrels of wine. Even the conservative and strict English Puritans were temperate partakers of wine and ale, which they considered as “God’s good gifts.” It was in the mid-1800s when some Protestant Christians moved from this historic position of allowing moderate use of alcohol to the total prohibiting of all drinking.

Are Christians allowed to drink wine and beverages that contain alcohol? Let us look at some standard objections against drinking of alcoholic beverages:

1. Word Study: Those who argue against drinking seek to use “word study” as a pretext to prove that scripturally-approved wine is non-alcoholic in nature. However, their contention is tenuous and doesn’t stand up to close rigorous examination. There are 12 Hebrew words used to denote “wine.” The three most common ones are:

• Yayin (H3196), used 113 times in the Old Testament. Opponents of drinking often claim that, depending on the context, this could mean non-fermented alcohol. Not true. According to the authoritative Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionary, yayin is definitely fermented, alcoholic wine.

• Tirosh (H8492), used 40 times in the Old Testament and translated as “new wine” (Prov. 3:10) or “sweet wine” (Micah 6:15). Opponents of drinking claim this is fresh grape juice with no alcohol content. Again, not true. The Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionary says that although it is freshly squeezed grapes, it is nonetheless fermented. Easton’s Bible Dictionary says that tirosh has the root meaning “to take possession of,” implying that it can intoxicate the brain (Hosea 4:11).

• Shekar (H7941), used 20 times in the Old Testament. It means strong drink, intense alcoholic liquor. No dispute here.

In the New Testament, the two main Greek words for wine are:

• Oinos (G3631), used 25 times. Since it is the counterpart to the Old Testament word yayin, opponents of drinking again claim that it was often unfermented and non-alcoholic; and even if it was alcoholic, oinos was so diluted with water that it had become virtually non-alcoholic. Not true. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, the fact that Jesus mentions that oinos was capable of bursting wine skins (Matt. 9:17) implies strong fermentation.

• Gleukos (G1098), used once in Acts 2:13, and is the counterpart to the Old Testament tirosh. Opponents of drinking claim this is totally non-alcoholic, just like the English glucose, which is dextrose or grape-sugar. Others claim this is nothing more than freshly squeezed grape juice. Not true again. The Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionary says it is a highly intoxicating, fermented drink. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that when “Peter replies (Acts 2:15), ‘These men are not drunk, as you suppose.’ If the wine was not intoxicating, the accusation could only have been ironical. From the explanations of the ancient lexicographers we may infer that the luscious qualities of this wine were due not to its being recently made but to its being produced from the purest juice of the grape.”

Upon close examination, to say that the wine in the Bible was unfermented grape juice or some form of sub-alcoholic, purified water is extremely speculative. In fact, the Bible clearly makes a clear distinction between wine and grape juice. In the Nazirite vow of Numbers 6:3, God instructed that “he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.” In other words, when the Scriptures talk about wine, they are not referring to grape juice and vice versa.

A thorough word study of wine will bring us to the same conclusion as the Dictionary of Jesus & the Gospel: “All wine mentioned in the Bible is fermented grape juice with an alcohol content. No non-fermented drink was called wine.”

2. Holy Communion: When the Lord’s Supper was instituted, the wine and the unleavened bread on the table were set apart as the body and blood of Christ. Jesus says, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). Opponents of drinking take the fruit of the vine to mean grape juice. But when Paul rebuked the Corinthians for their abuse of the Lord’s Supper, he blasted them for abusing the wine to get drunk (1 Cor. 11:20-21). Obviously, one must conclude that the beverage used for the Lord’s Supper could not be grape juice but real alcoholic wine.

3. Qualification of a Bishop: Opponents of drinking often quote 1 Timothy 3:2-3 when Paul says that a bishop must be a man “not given to wine.” The word “given” (Gr. paroinos) means “drunken.” The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament says, “The word does not include the responsible and temperate usage of alcohol, rather, it has in view the abuse or incessant use of it. The word-picture is that of an individual who always has a bottle (or wineskin) on the table and so signifies addiction.”

4. Drunkenness. Without a doubt, drunkenness is a sin. Scripturally, it is portrayed negatively with characteristics such as staggering, reeling, vomiting, loss of mental control, and possible addiction. Poverty, immorality and sexual perversion are commonly mentioned in the Bible as results of drunkenness. Priests and prophets are judged for drunkenness, which prevents them from performing their duties (Is. 28:7). No bishop or church leader can be a drunkard (Titus 1:7; 2:2-5). Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:21). Opponents of drinking posit that since drinking potentially causes drunkenness, we should never pick up the first drink. If that argument is true, then the same must be said of food, money, work and sex since they could also lead to gluttony, greed, workaholism and sex addiction. Should one abstain from them all because of potential danger? Of course, not.

5. Health: Opponents of drinking claim that alcohol impairs and destroys our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Not all true. Studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption has health benefits like lowering the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, it actually increases longevity. Paul instructed Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Tim. 5:23). But drunkenness or alcoholic intoxication affects the brain, causes slurred speech, clumsiness, and delayed reflexes. Long-term excessive consumption can permanently damage the liver and brain, and cause some forms of cancer. As such, moderation is the key.

What then is the Bible’s general attitude toward wine and drinking? One cannot deny that both the Old and New Testament view wine drinking favorably:

• Sign of God’s blessing: Abundant wine was considered a sign of blessing and prosperity from God, not something to be shunned (Gen. 49:11-12; Deut. 7:13; Prov. 31:6; Joel 2:24; 3:18; Amos 9:13-14; Is. 55:1; Zech. 10:7). Isaac blessed Jacob by saying, “Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine” (Gen. 27:28). Conversely, the lack of wine was a symbol of judgment and calamity (Deut. 28:30; Is. 16:10; 24:11; 65:21; Jer. 48:33; Joel 1:5; Amos 5:11; Micah 6:15; Zeph. 1:13).

• Righteous offering to God: Starting back in Genesis, Melchizedek the priest of God Most High used wine in religious ceremonial offering (Gen. 14:18). Wine was used as offerings to God ever since.

• Enjoyment: Psalms 104:15 says that God gives His people “wine that makes glad the heart of man.” Ecclesiastes 9:7 says, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.” Wine was always considered a source of joy, one of the good things created for people (Judges 9:13; 2 Sam. 13:28; Esther 1:10; Eccl. 2:3; 10:19; Is. 24:11; Zech. 10:7). Until today, Jews use wine on Sabbath for Kiddush as well as in the Passover ceremony and in other religious ceremonies, and allow the use of alcohol, such as kosher wine. Many ancient Jewish texts such as the Talmud even encourage moderate amounts of drinking on holidays such as Purim, in order to make the occasion more joyous.

• Normal: Like fasting, abstinence from wine was the exception and not the norm for God’s people. We see that in Daniel (Dan. 1:8-16), the Rechabites (Jer. 35:1-19), and the Nazirites (Num. 6:1-4).

• Jesus Himself drank wine: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Matt. 11:18-19). To be accused of being a winebibber, Jesus obviously drank alcoholic wine. And He permitted the use of wine in festivities like the wedding of Cana (John 2:1-11). In fact, His first miracle was to turn water into wine. Jesus even used the imagery of fermented wine to describe His teaching as “new wine” (Matt. 9:17).

With alcoholism an increasing problem in society, it is understandable why some may want to caution against drinking. But to twist Scriptures in order to prove wine as unfermented grape juice is certainly not an honest way to go.

Abstinence was never an issue in the Old Testament, New Testament, early church or the Reformation. There is never any direct prohibition of the use of wine in the Bible. But anything done in excess is wrong. Moderation is the watchword (Phil. 4:5 KJV). In this case, the Bible permits drinking but at the same time, discourages drunkenness. Besides, the use of wine is dependent upon the conscience and the sensitivities of others. It is not to be indulged in if it will lead others to drink against their conscience (Rom. 14:19-21).