Does the Bible Condemn
the Use of Alcohol?
Dear Larry Wilson:
My girlfriend and I
are having a conflict over the use of
a “little” alcohol. I
believe the Bible permits the use of
a little alcohol. After all, Jesus
turned water into wine at a
wedding feast. (John 2:9) She
disagrees. She believes the wine at
the wedding feast was not alcoholic,
but she cannot prove this. She says
the Bible does not approve the use of
alcohol except for medical reasons.
Please help me resolve this thorny
issue. Here are three texts that keep
us from resolving this issue into a
“yes” or “no.”
(1) 1 Timothy 5:23: “Stop
drinking only water, and use a little
wine because of your stomach and your
frequent illnesses.” (2)
Deuteronomy 14:26: “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 in the presence of the Lord
your God and rejoice.” (3)
Ephesians 5:18: “Do not get
drunk on wine, which leads to
debauchery. Instead, be filled with
the Spirit.”
Sincerely,
James
________________________________________________________
Hello James:
Thank you for the
e-mail. I am happy to learn that the
Bible is important to you and your
girlfriend. Much has been written on
this topic and I cannot present every
aspect of this subject in this short
response. However, I will try to give
you a summery statement. First, I
want you to know that I agree with
your girlfriend. Paul did encourage
Timothy to use a “little
alcohol” for his illnesses
because it was widely known in
ancient times that alcohol had
medicinal value, but Paul also told
the believers in Ephesians that
Christians are not to get drunk on
wine. Some Christians see some wiggle
room in Ephesians 5:18 arguing that
they can drink a “little”
without getting drunk.
To those who use this
argument, consider this: In the
United States, a person is determined
to be legally impaired with a Blood
Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08%.
This means that if are a female
weighing approximately 100 pounds,
impairment from wine begins with 4
oz. drink and your BAC exceeds .08%
after a second drink. So, for a woman
this size, two 4 oz. drinks of wine
makes you legally impaired. If you
are a male weighing approximately 180
pounds, impairment begins with the
second drink and your BAC exceeds
.08% after a third drink. So, three
drinks make you legally impaired.
(One drink is 1.4 oz. of 80 proof
liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 4oz. of
table wine.) For what it’s
worth, commercial drivers are limited
to a BAC of only .04%. This is half
of the .08 % BAC permitted for
non-commercial drivers! It does not
take very much alcohol to legally
impair a person.
God’s Generous
Forbearance
When God delivered
Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He
permitted the Jews to us “a
little alcohol” at special
occasions. For example, speaking of
their compulsory attendance at three
annual feasts that would be held in
various places, God said, “[If
you live a great distance from the
place of the festival, convert the
title of your harvest into silver for
the trip and when you get to the
place I have designated] Use the
silver to buy whatever you like:
cattle, sheep, wine or other
fermented drink, or anything else you
wish. Then you and your household
shall eat there in the presence of
the Lord your God and rejoice.” (Deuteronomy
14:26, insertion mine) Some people
use this verse inappropriately to
justify the use of alcohol. When God
delivered Israel from slavery in
Egypt, He permitted Israel to keep
slaves (Leviticus 25:44), permitted
men to have multiple wives
(Deuteronomy 17:17 – in fact,
the sons of Jacob originated from
four women. See Genesis 29:23, 29:30,
30:4,30:9.), and permitted divorce
for reasons other than adultery
(Deuteronomy 24:1 -4). When Israel
first came out of Egyptian bondage,
God permitted Israel to do things
that were not ideal. Israel was a
backward nation consisting of poorly
educated slaves with a lot of bad
habits and customs. Initially, God
dealt patiently with Israel’s
illiteracy and degeneracy, but over
time, it was God’s intention to
transform the nation of Israel into a
great nation with a high degree of
literacy, a marvelous theocracy, a
judiciary system that was second to
none, and the highest living
standards. God did everything He
could to transform Israel into a
great nation that would be the envy
of all nations. Tragically, Israel
could not stay away from repetitious
bouts of apostasy and ruin.
When Jesus was on
Earth, He noted Israel’s
corporate failure in a conversation
about divorce. “Jesus
replied, ‘Moses permitted you to
divorce your wives because your
hearts were hard. But it was not this
way from the beginning [of
marriage]. I tell you that anyone
who divorces his wife, except for
marital unfaithfulness, and marries
another woman commits
adultery.’” (Matthew
19:8,9, insertion mine) This verse
clearly reveals what was permissible
at the time of Moses was not ideal. I
am sure that if God had imposed His
ideals on Israel at the time of the
Exodus, no one would have wanted to
leave Egypt. As terrible as Pharaoh
and his taskmasters were,
Israel’s carnal nature, with its
degenerate passions and appetites,
was rather content in Egypt. This
explains why after leaving Egypt,
many of the Hebrews wanted to return.
(Exodus 16:3, Numbers 11:4-6)
Leading by Example
To get the nation of
Israel going in the right direction,
God started with Israel’s
leaders. For example, those who were
called to serve God as priests were
forbidden to use alcohol. “You
[Aaron, as High Priest] and
your sons are not to drink wine or
other fermented drink whenever you go
into the Tent of Meeting, or you will
die [I will kill you]. This is
a lasting ordinance for the
generations to come. You must
distinguish between the holy and the
common, between the unclean and the
clean [and you cannot do this
when your reasoning is impaired],
and you must teach the Israelites all
the decrees the Lord has given them
through Moses [and how you can
teach others and demonstrate the holy
ways of the Lord if you are impaired
with alcohol?]”
(Leviticus 10:9-11, insertions mine)
You may recall how Aaron’s sons,
Nadab and Abihu, entered the Tent of
Meeting while in an inebriated state.
They used unholy fire in an atonement
service and upon seeing their
impudence God killed them. (Leviticus
10:1,2) The point here
is that alcohol interferes with
reason and self-control. Stupid
choices always produce painful
consequences.
Wine is a Mocker
When people drink,
more often than not, they say things
and do things they regret later on
– sometimes for a lifetime.
Solomon noticed this phenomenon. He
wrote, “Wine is a mocker
[it will make a fool out of you],
strong drink is raging
[intoxication is maddening – it
leads to abuse, conflict, and
assault]: and whosoever is
deceived [by a mind numbing
intoxication] thereby is not
wise.” (Proverbs 20:1,
insertions mine)
The Bible records an
incident after the flood when Noah
got drunk and took off his clothes.
Almost always, nudity, sexual
immorality, and drinking go together.
“Noah, a man of the soil,
proceeded to plant a vineyard. When
he drank some of its wine, he became
drunk and lay uncovered [stoned
and naked] inside his tent. Ham,
the father of Canaan, [accidentally]
his father’s nakedness and
told his two brothers outside. But
Shem and Japheth took a garment and
laid it across their shoulders, and
then they walked in backward and
covered their father’s
nakedness. Their faces were turned
the other way so that they would not
see their father’s nakedness.
When Noah awoke from the wine
[stupor] and found out what his
youngest son had done to him, he
said, ‘Cursed be [my
grandson] Canaan! The lowest of
slaves will he be to his
brothers.’” (Genesis
9:20-25, insertions mine) Wine caused
Noah to lose his dignity. The great
patriarch who built the ark and
“saved the world” was
highly embarrassed after he learned
that he had been naked and he cursed
his grandson for Ham’s
offense! It was considered a most
grievous offense in ancient times for
a patriarch or tribal king to be seen
naked. (Note: Noah may have cursed
his grandson because he may have been
responsible for guarding his
grandfather’s tent. Contrary to
what some have claimed, there is no
evidence that Noah’s curse had
any effect on Canaan. This curse did
not originate from God or through
God. Noah was indignant that his
nakedness had been exposed, and in
reality, he should have cursed
himself for getting drunk.)
If You Really Want to
Draw Near to God
Throughout human
history, there are times when people
desire divine intervention. These
moments are usually characterized by
a desperate situation of some kind
that would have a fatal or
catastrophic outcome. Historically,
the pagans would petition their gods
by bringing expensive gifts to the
temple of their god. Of course, the
priests were delighted to receive
these expensive gifts and they
assured the worshipers that their
petition would be heard.
However, God gave the
Jews a very different approach. If
someone wanted to petition God or
seek His favor, they could
temporarily become a
“Nazirite.” Everyone
partaking in a Nazirite vow belonged
to a “tribe” which was
temporarily, but wholeheartedly
dedicated to the service and will of
God. “[Moses] Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: ‘If
a man or woman wants to make a
special vow, a vow of separation to
the Lord as a Nazirite, he must
abstain from wine and other fermented
drink and must not drink vinegar made
from wine or from other fermented
drink. He must not drink grape juice
or eat grapes or raisons [because
of the possibility of fermentation].’”
(Numbers 6:2,3, insertion mine) A
Nazirite vow could last for days or
weeks, depending upon the desire of
the petitioner. During this time, the
petitioner sometimes fasted while
devoting much time to prayer, study,
and meditation. If a person wished to
draw near to God by becoming a
Nazirite, God required a clear mind.
Hence, the use of grapes or anything
fermented was forbidden!
The Wedding Miracle
As soon as a grape is
crushed and the juice makes contact
with the air, fermentation begins.
Depending on the type of grape, the
storage temperature, the yeast
involved, and other factors, pure
grape juice can deteriorate into an
awful tasting liquid a week or two
because of fermentation. Making a
good tasting wine or vinegar is not a
casual endeavor. The process involves
separating the grape skins, adding
the right type of yeast to the juice
just at the right time, and then
aging the wine in specially prepared
containers. The process is lengthy
and it involves considerable effort
and attention. I mention these facts
because Jesus instantly turned 150
gallons of water into wine at a
wedding party in Cana of Galilee.
(John 2) When the master of the
banquet tasted the wine that Jesus
made, he was astonished at its
quality! (He did not know that the
wine was the result of a miracle when
he made the remark to the bridegroom:
“… Everyone brings out
the choice wine [the most
expensive wine] first and then the
cheaper wine after the guests have
had too much to drink; but you have
saved the best till now.” (John
2:10, insertions mine) It is clear
from these remarks that alcohol was
served at some Jewish weddings in
Christ’s time because the master
of the banquet mentions cheaper wines
were usually served after the guests
“has to much to drink.”
Three points should be
considered: First, nonalcoholic grape
juice was not readily available in
Bible times unless it was harvest
time. Grape juice begins fermenting
as soon as it is expressed from the
grape; so grape juice quickly
acquires some level of alcoholic
content depending on how it is
treated. Second, the Jews often
served alcohol at weddings in Bible
times. (Many Jews still do this
today.) A fine wine today will have
an alcoholic content ranging from 12%
to 17% and I assume the same would
hold true in Bible times. So,
depending on the weight of a person,
two or three 4 oz. drinks of
“fine wine” would render a
person legally impaired. Third, there
has been much debate through the
centuries on whether the miracle wine
produced by Jesus was pure
grape juice or a fine wine
having alcoholic content.
Personally, I think
there is a fourth choice. I am
persuaded that Jesus created an
exquisite wine that was free of
alcohol. Nonalcoholic wine has been
around for a long time, although it
never has been very popular. My
reason for believing Jesus created
nonalcoholic wine is simple. A
miracle is a miracle. Instantly, 150
gallons of ordinary water became a
“better tasting wine.” The
technology that Jesus used to make
this wine does not exist. His wine
has not been replicated. It was not
manmade. This wine came from God.
Knowing the ministry and mission of
Jesus as we now do, I do not think He
would give the wedding guests an
intoxicating beverage. We know what
happened when Noah got drunk, we know
what Solomon says about wine, we know
what God required of His priests, we
know that Paul told the Ephesians not
to get drunk on wine, and we know
what God required in the Nazirite
vow. Therefore, it is incongruous to
think that Jesus created a wine that
would people drunk. The Author of
Life came to draw sinners to God. If
the manna in the desert was the food
of angels, perhaps the wine created
at the wedding was a sample of what
angels drink!
James, there is one
more aspect to this topic that I hope
you will consider. The use of alcohol
for recreational purposes has created
nine million alcoholics and another
nine million people with chronic
drinking problems. Additive
substances have compelling power over
human beings and this is why the use
of alcohol and tobacco (and other
addictive substances) is regulated by
our government. The Bible does not
explicitly address the use of
addictive substances because God gave
mankind the ability to reason from
cause to effect. For example, a
person can argue that the Bible does
not condemn cigarette smoking, the
use of marijuana, cocaine, or
methamphetamine and they would be technically
correct. This silence does not
support the recreational use of these
substances! God had given us the
ability to reason and it does not
take a great deal of research to see
the harmful effects of these drugs.
The facts are crystal clear. Once a
person begins experimenting with
additive drugs, the likelihood of
addition is so great and the addition
is so permanent that there is no such
thing as moderation after the
addition begins.
Any argument used
to support the recreational use of
alcohol can be used for recreational
smoking. Consider the addictive
nature of cigarette smoking for a
moment. Most people begin smoking
before they turn 18. Today, some
82,000,000 people in the USA are
addicted to cigarettes. Of course,
nicotine does not impair the brain
like alcohol, yet according to the
Center for Disease Control, almost a
half million people die prematurely
each year from smoke-related
diseases. (The life span of smokers
is reduced by an average of 15
years.) Given the addictive nature of
smoking (one in four is addicted) and
the harmful effects on health that
follow, what position should a
Christian take on smoking? Should we
take the position of approval as long
as smoking is done in moderation
because the Bible does not explicitly
condemn the habit? Of course not!
As I wrote earlier, 18
million people are either addicted to
alcohol or they have a chronic
drinking problem. If each person
belongs to a family of four, the
number of people affected by the
demon of alcohol approaches 70
million! Even more, about 100,000
deaths are associated with alcohol in
the USA each year; 5% of all deaths
from diseases of the circulatory
system are attributed to alcohol; 15%
of all deaths from diseases of the
respiratory system are attributed to
alcohol; 30% of all deaths from
accidents caused by fire and flames
are attributed to alcohol; 30% of all
accidental drowning are attributed to
alcohol; 30% of all suicides are
attributed to alcohol; 40% of all
deaths due to accidental falls are
attributed to alcohol; 45% of all
deaths in automobile accidents are
attributed to alcohol; and 60% of all
homicides are attributed to alcohol.
Given these stats on alcohol, should
Christians take the position that
recreational drinking is OK? No!
James, the facts tell
us that the recreational use of any
addictive substance is foolish for
two reasons. First, 82 million
smokers and 18 million drinkers prove
how easy it is to become addicted.
Science now knows that a single
cigarette, drink, snort of cocaine or
meth rock can produce a life-long
addict. Second, Christians
should be clear and unequivocal about
anything that has an addictive
potential. Total abstinence from
these substances, just like the total
abstinence from premarital sex,
aligns the divine wisdom and the Word
of God. Anything that impairs
our ability to resist temptation
should be treated with contempt. The
devil is a roaring lion, and he works
every angle to bring people down into
the pit of hopelessness or at least,
life-long regret. Alcohol causes
people to do things they would not
ordinarily do. Alcohol is a demon in
a bottle, if it conquers you –
your life and the lives of those who
love you will be full of suffering
and heartache. Being spiritual
impaired is far worse than being
legally impaired.
Jesus came to Earth to
show us how to live, how to love God
and each other, and how to overcome
sin. Even though He was tempted in
all points as we are, Jesus did not
sin and neither would He want us to
impair the power and the work of the
Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds
with a substance that causes us to
diminish the seriousness of sin. “So
whether you eat or drink or whatever
you do, do it all for the glory of
God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)
Your girlfriend is
correct! Seems to me, she has a good
head on her shoulders.
I hope this helps!
Larry Wilson
