Getting in the Spirit with Alcohol?
by Harry Osborne
December 21, 2008

About this time of year, many people turn to the bottle to liven their spirits and bring their eternal spirit under bondage to sin. Regretfully, they try to get others to participate in such. Those in the house of folly always want others to come in as well. Thus, Christian continually face the temptations to drink alcoholic beverages. Is it right for a Christian to drink intoxicants or not? Of course, the only way for the Christian to properly determine the answer to this question is on the basis of "what saith the Scriptures." Let us go to those Scriptures and see what God would have us to know about this subject.

First, let us deal with how we will approach a solution. The Scriptures say, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thess. 5:21-22). As Christians, our place is to prove things correct before we participate. We cannot justify our practice by saying, "It doesn't say not to." Instead, we must show divine approval for what we are doing. This will assure that we "abstain from every form (or kind) of evil." Therefore, if the Christian is to participate in drinking intoxicants, he must first prove that it is good.

Surely no one would seek to prove that the use of alcohol to the point of drunkenness is "good." Clear Bible passages show such to be wrong (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:21; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:10). In describing the state of "drunkenness" or the "drunkard," the Bible uses words from two different roots in the original language. Habitual intoxication is condemned by each, but so is the state of being intoxicated on a single occasion. One of the words goes further than that to describe the process of becoming intoxicated. Obviously, if the end state of intoxication is sinful (and it is), the process of getting there cannot be "good." We cannot "prove" intoxication "good," so we cannot hold fast to the practice.

Normally, the question with Christians regarding the use of intoxicants is not in the area of being fully intoxicated, but of the so-called "moderate consumption" of these beverages. Is it right for Christians to drink intoxicating beverages as long as they do not get fully "drunk"? That is the question we want to consider for the remainder of this article. Remember, we cannot say, "It must be acceptable because no passage condemns it." We must "prove all things, hold fast that which is good."

One might suggest that 1 Timothy 5:23 would approve the practice. Paul told Timothy, "Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine for they stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." We will talk about the problem of determining whether "wine" always meant an intoxicating drink later. Yet, the very best that this passage can do is suggest that it may be "good" to use in a medicinal sense if we could assume this "wine" of a level of fermentation that could cause intoxication. However, it does not establish that it would be "good" in a general use. A parallel could be seen with the fact that sexual relations are good in the marriage relationship (1 Cor. 7:3 and Heb. 13:4). However, such does not establish that it would be "good" in any occasion outside of marriage. Therefore, we must conclude this passage does not prove the practice of the social or recreational use of intoxicants to be "good."

Another passage appealed to by some seeking to justify "moderate consumption" of alcohol is the case of Jesus turning the water into wine in John 2. The volume of the six containers was given in verse 6 as two or three firkins. The total volume in our terms would, therefore, have been about 138 gallons. Verse 10 says that the guests had already "drunk freely" before this "wine" came out. If this had all been intoxicating "wine" as we think of it, Jesus would have helped these people to drink in excess, not in moderation. In short, He would have helped them sin! Surely no one calling himself a Christian would desire to take that position. A little bit of reasoning quickly leads us to understand that we must be missing something in our terminology as compared with the way the Bible uses the same words.

In order to get to the heart of this matter, it is necessary that we do a little word study dealing with the Bible words. In the Old Testament, three words are of significance to our study. One word rendered "wine" is tirosh, used 38 times. It refers to "grape juice." It is used of the juice in the grape while still on the vine (Isa. 65:8) and of the juice flowing from the press, freshly squeezed from the grapes (Joel 2:24; Hos. 9:2; Prov. 3:10). Examples of those drinking this substance would show it to be approved. Isaac says God would bless Esau with much tirosh (Gen. 27:28). The word yanin, used 135 times, is also rendered "wine." It clearly has reference to wine that is fermented to some degree. About half of the times this word is used, it is clearly forbidden. When used for purposes other than drinking, it is sometimes clearly approved. No reference can be sighted showing the clear approval of one drinking such socially or recreationally. The word shekar, used 22 times, means "strong drink." It refers to any intoxicating drink from products other than the grape or grape wine in which the sugar content is boosted resulting in higher than normal alcoholic content. Shekar is always condemned in the Old Testament. It is interesting to note that every alcoholic beverage commonly sold in the U.S. would be in this category - beer, whiskey, liquors, wines, etc. Even though these words vary widely in meaning, they are all translated "wine" in some passages.

In the New Testament, the words translated "wine" are also quite varied in meaning. The word normally used is oinos and may refer to either an intoxicant (Eph. 5:18) or grape juice (Rev. 19:13-15). The other word is gleukos which refers to "sweet wine whether fresh (unfermented) or highly intoxicating." Therefore, we may not assume that the word "wine" signifies an intoxicating beverage in the New Testament just because the word "wine" signifies such today.

Another fact that needs to be taken into account is the way in which the ancients used the word "wine" to refer to the mixture of wine (whether fermented or unfermented) with water. When one referred to "wine" in New Testament times, he meant water mixed with wine. To refer to straight wine, it was necessary to add the words "uncut," "unmixed," or "unmingled." It was considered a barbaric action to drink uncut wine. The mixtures of water to wine varied from 20 parts water to 1 of wine (given by Homer as ideal) to 3 parts water to 1 of wine (given in the Talmud regarding the Passover cups of wine). The standard mixture appears to be from 4 to 6 parts water to 1 of wine. Remember, this mixture was done whether the wine was fermented or not (See Everett Ferguson, Restoration Quarterly, 1970, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 141-153).

Now, let us assume for a moment that the "uncut wine" is fermented before mixing. Let us further assume that it is fermented to the maximum possible without enhancing. The generally acknowledged maximum was 5 to 6% given the grapes of Palestine. If that "wine" is cut at a rate of 4 to 1, one would have to drink at the rate of 2 1/2 to 3 gallons an hour to be intoxicated. That is why the Bible associates the word "glutton" with "drunkard" and condemns such (Deut. 21:20-21; Prov. 23:21). One drinking like this would have grave problems in the stomach and bladder long before the mind was affected! However, researchers tell us that one drinking two beers, two cocktails, or two glasses of wine in even two hours would be more intoxicated than the one drinking the mixture above. You see, the practice some seek to approve today does not have the faintest resemblance to what happened in New Testament times, even with the most liberal interpretation of possible events (See R.H. Stein, Christianity Today, 20 June 1975, pp. 9-11).

Modern alcoholic drinks would be condemned automatically by Bible standards. In the first place, most of them are made from something other than the juice of the grape. Second, their alcoholic content ranges from 12 to 16% in alcohol by volume! (Enhanced wines are even higher in alcohol percentages.) Third, the drinks are not cut after the fashion of Bible "wine." The only drinks that are commonly cut are the cocktails that still have much higher alcoholic content by volume, even after cutting! No one that I know really wants to follow the practice in New Testament times even if we assumed the "wine" to come from the highest fermentation then possible (See J. Free, Archaeology & Bible History, pp. 351-365).

When one reads the admonitions of Proverbs 23:29-35 and 20:1, the nature of our conduct in this area ought to be clear: Stay away from it! Many have not heeded that admonition and have paid dearly. When the boss or a fellow-worker invites you to step into the house of folly at an office party, decline. Young people, when a friend from school wants you to "have a drink," remember your God and His statements regarding this evil -- say "no." Drinking intoxicants is not "good," so abstain from it.

< Back to Article List