From Amazing Facts - Media Ministry

Christian & Alcohol

Matthew 27:34
by Doug Batchelor
An Amazing Fact: Tests show that after drinking three bottles of
beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After
taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested
and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol
increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent;
hinders muscular reaction by 17 percent; increases errors due to
lack of attention by 35 percent by and 60 percent due to lack of
muscular coordination. -Paul Harvey
Is it biblically permissible for a Christian to drink alcohol?
If so, how much? This controversial subject has evoked many
passionate opinions among Christians. Why? Is God's Word silent or
in anyway unclear about alcohol?
I submit that the Bible is in no way ambiguous when it speaks on
alcohol and how it relates to God's followers. I hope the following
study will assist you in forming your own biblically based
conclusions on this important subject.
Two Opposing Camps
There are two primary camps of thought on this sensitive topic. The
first group argues that Jesus Himself drank wine, and since a
Christian is a follower of Christ, how can it be forbidden? And
generally, they add with a moderate air: "but even so, drinking
should not be done to excess."
Then there is the other position: Alcohol is an addictive and
destructive drug that no sincere Christian should use in any degree.

Of course, between these two diametrically opposed poles, there are
countless variations of opinions. In this short time, I cannot
possibly address the whole spectrum of perspectives-so using the
Scripture and common sense, I will attempt to stay within the core
principles.
In fairness, I will state from the beginning that I am firmly in the
unfermented camp! I believe that scriptural references to Jesus' use
of wine are of the grape juice variety.
But before the wine connoisseurs toss this magazine aside, you owe
it to yourself to hear me out. I come from the perspective of one
who grew up frequently drinking wine or beer with dinner-I once even
brewed my own beer and made wine. But I have never been an
alcoholic, so my position is not the result of overreacting from a
"clean and sober" victory.
What Is Alcohol?
Let's begin with a definition.
There are many forms of this compound called alcohol. However, there
is no mistaking that all of them are classified as poisons-toxins to
the human body. The alcohol found in beverages such as beer, wine,
and brandy is ethanol (C2H5OH), a clear, highly flammable liquid
that has a burning taste and a characteristic ethereal odor.
What happens when one consumes this type of alcohol? Well, death
usually occurs if the concentration of ethanol in the bloodstream
exceeds about five percent! But even for those who use it sparingly,
immediate behavioral changes, impairment of vision and judgment, and
unconsciousness can occur at lower concentrations.
That's interesting, isn't it? That's exactly the same effect that
other illicit drugs, such as heroin and marijuana, have on those who
use those substances. I doubt there are any Christian churches that
would condone the use of these drugs in even a casual social
setting-or to even "calm the nerves" before bedtime. Is there any
reason that alcohol should not be included in this list of drugs to
avoid?
Two Types of Wine-Biblically Speaking
The word "wine" in the Bible sometimes refers to the new, or fresh,
juice of the grape; other times it is used to describe the aged or
fermented product containing the drug alcohol. The translators never
used the term "grape juice." In the Hebrew text, the writers use
different words to distinguish between the two. The word t������is used
for new unfermented wine, and yayin is generally used for fermented
wine, but there are some exceptions (Isaiah 16:10). However, in the
New Testament, only one Greek word is used to describe both
fermented and fresh grape juice: oinis. But this shouldn't be a
problem. By simply understanding the context of the word in a
passage, the appropriate meaning will usually surface. So unless the
passage says old or new wine (as in Luke 5:37-39), the context will
often tell us what kind of grape juice is being described.
One simple example occurs in Mark 2:22: "And no one puts new wine
into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the
wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be
put into new wineskins." Obviously, the new wine would be the fresh
unfermented variety.
Additionally, from the Old Testament, in Isaiah 65:8, we read, "As
the new wine is found in the cluster ... one says, 'Do not destroy
it, For a blessing is in it' " It is clear in both these passages
that the new wine is simply grape juice.
Weak Reasoning; Poor Judgment
The whole of Scripture is clearly and adamantly against the
consumption of alcohol, but human nature will look upon any textual
ambiguity as a "loophole" to justify drinking alcohol.
An example of this reasoning is the wedding in Cana, where Jesus
turned water into wine. Those who support the intake of alcohol
suggest this must have been alcoholic wine-after all, it was a
wedding, and every wedding has wine-right? But let's pause to
consider the implications. There were six pots for Jesus to fill,
and each of those would hold 20 to 30 gallons. That's up to 180
gallons of beverage!
Are we to believe that Jesus made 180 gallons of a destructive
drug-enough to get every guest drunk and launch this new marriage
with slurring lips and staggering feet? Indeed, He would have been
acting against His own Word (Habakkuk 2:15; Luke 12:45; Ephesians
5:18)! If we approach this passage relying on the whole of
Scripture, we must surely come to the conclusion that Jesus made
unfermented wine-and the governor of the feast complimented the
groom on its pure quality (John 2:4-10).
What about that Last Supper?
Some argue that if Jesus partook of wine at the Last Supper, and
even employed it as a symbol of His purifying blood, then how can
drinking a little wine-even just casually-be wrong? There is no
arguing that Jesus used wine at the Last Supper, but it is a mistake
to assume that the wine was of the fermented variety. But the
passage in Matthew is very clear.
"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins. 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" (Matthew 26:28-29, emphasis
mine). Indeed, here Jesus uses the new wine as a symbol of His new
covenant with His people. Jesus also calls wine the "fruit of the
vine." However, after wine goes through the process of fermentation,
it is no more the fruit of the vine than yogurt is the fruit of a
cow.
Furthermore, we also know that the Passover meal was to be free from
all forms of leaven (Exodus 12:19). Fermentation is the identical
process of leavening! If the bread was to be free from leaven, which
is a type of sin, then we can be sure that the wine, a symbol of
Jesus' blood, used at the Last Supper would also be free from the
poison of alcohol. The perfect, sinless blood of Jesus would never
be symbolized by corrupt and putrefying old wine.
Jesus compared His pure teachings to wholesome new wine (Matthew
9:17). Indeed, all corrupted doctrines are likened to the fermented
wine of Babylon! Babylon was identified as a place "with whom the
kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the
earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation
17:2).
Another example: "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with
the wine [of Babylon] which he drank" (Daniel 1:8).
An Amazing Fact: In 1869, Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch, a
physician and dentist, successfully pasteurized Concord grape
juice to produce an "unfermented sacramental wine" for fellow
parishioners at his church in Vineland, New Jersey. He was
inspired to do this after a visitor became drunk and unruly
following a communion service in which fermented wine was
used. Since antiquity, there have been several methods of
preserving wine from fermenting, but they always sacrificed
much in the way of taste. Dr. Welch's process preserved both.
Today, Welch's Grape Juice is an international food company.

Was Jesus a Drunkard?
Pharisees frequently accused Jesus of being a winebibber, drunkard,
and a glutton. They also said He had a devil and blasphemed God,
among other things. We know He wasn't a glutton or demon-possessed
blasphemer! So if these things are not true, why should we assume
that our Lord was a drinker as indicated by the Pharisees, a group
of Jesus' most-outward adversaries well known for their suspect
sincerity?
They were merely contrasting His lifestyle with the austerity of
John the Baptist, a practicing Nazarite, who abstained from anything
of the vine and ate locusts and wild honey (Numbers 6:3; Matthew
3:4; Mark 2:7; Luke 7:33-34, 1:15; John 8:48-52).
When Jesus hung parched on the cross, Roman soldiers offered him
fermented wine mingled with myrrh. But as soon as Jesus tasted it
and recognized it was fermented, He refused it. If Jesus refused
this beverage even as His body was tormented with extraordinary
thirst, why would He have drunk wine normally (Matthew 27:34)? And
more to the point, why then should we?
Alcohol: The Bible Hall of Shame
The first reference to wine is found in Genesis when Noah, after the
Flood, created the original fermented grape juice. "Then he drank of
the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent" (Genesis
9:21). The sad record is that Noah drank and stumbled around naked
and shamefully exposed himself to his sons. This first experiment
with a new drug ended with a scathing curse falling on Noah's
posterity.
Lot also drank, and he was therefore easily seduced into having
incestuous relations with his daughters. "So they made their father
drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her
father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose"
(Genesis 19:33). The offspring of this relationship became the
nations of Moab and Amnon, the mortal enemies of God's people. And
there is no shortage of evidence today that alcohol often leads to
sexual immorality, such as adultery, rape, and incest.
Then there is the infamous experience when the children of Israel
drank alcohol, stripped themselves naked, and worshiped a golden
calf (Exodus 32:6, 25). This fermented "church social" ended in a
horrible massacre.
Amnon, another drinker and the son of David, raped his half-sister
Tamar. Because of this insidious act, he lost his life at the hands
of his enraged brother while intoxicated (2 Samuel 13:28).
These are only a few examples. Truly, when one considers the
biblical record of fermented drink, you have to wonder why any
genuine Christian would argue in its defense!
Fermented Wine Brings Woe
The word "woe" is not used commonly today in the English vernacular.
The word means deep distress or misery-as from grief and/or
wretchedness. The Bible is found using the word in many different
places. Not surprisingly, the use of alcohol is often the reason why
the word is used!
"Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow
intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames
them!" (Isaiah 5:11).
"Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who hath
complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed
wine" (Proverbs 23:29-30).
"Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your
bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his
nakedness!" (Habakkuk 2:15).
Does the Christian need any more condemnation of alcohol consumption
than this?
A Matter of Health
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV). From
liver disease to ulcers to dementia, an almost endless list of
health problems have been linked to the drinking of alcohol.
Alcohol (also grain alcohol) is a toxin that severely affects the
central nervous system when ingested. Most people know that even
moderate "social drinking" destroys brain cells.
If a person holds a small swig of whiskey in his or her mouth for
about 10 minutes, various parts of the mouth's interior will
blister. If you then blindfold them and have them taste various
beverages-for instance, water, vinegar, or milk-you will find that
they are incapable of distinguishing one from another. This
experiment proves to a certainty that alcohol is not only a violent
irritant, but also a narcotic.
I think even the strongest advocates of alcohol must honestly admit
that its consumption certainly does not glorify God in their body;
instead, it slowly destroys body and mind, which is a clear
violation of the sixth commandment.
Just as cigarette smoking is suicide on the installment plan, so is
the use of alcohol-which is a leading killer in the United States.
Also consider that there is an almost endless selection of other
good things to drink that nourishes the body and mind. So why would
any Christians want to gamble like this-risking their health,
witness, family, and eternal life to argue in defense of this
destructive substance? A very safe and simple rule for these issues
is: When in doubt, leave it out!
An Amazing Fact: Alexander the Great was ruler of Macedonia at
age 16, a victorious general at 18, and king at 20-he then
died from alcohol before age 33. The story: After Alexander
began a second night of carousing in Babylon with 20 guests,
he drank to the health of every person at the table. For
Proteas, a Macedonian in his company, Alexander called for
Hercules' cup, which had a huge capacity. After filling it, he
drank it all down. Soon he fell to the floor, was fever
stricken, and a few days later, dead. He had conquered the
then-known world, but not himself.

The Most Deadly Substance on Earth
Abraham Lincoln said, "Drink is a cancer in human society, eating
out its vitals and threatening its destruction." So much devastation
is caused by alcohol in our community, on the roads and in homes,
that this is hardly a bold or surprising statement. Indeed, even if
the Bible were silent on the subject, the object lessons of
devastation from a thousand years of history would still be crystal
clear. But the Scriptures say plenty.
"Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the
cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a
serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one
who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the
top of the mast, saying: 'They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that
I may seek another drink?' " (Proverbs 23:31-35).
And Jeremiah said God would make "bottles of wine" freely available
to destroy the nation (Jeremiah 13:12-15). How true is this in our
own country, with advertising directed at our youngest and most
vulnerable citizens!
Is it a wonder that with a nation consumed by the false merriment of
alcohol, it encourages consumption even to our youngest? There is
strong evidence supporting widespread alcohol use and the surge of
crime committed by young adults-and even children. (Did you know
there are 3.3 million problem drinkers in America's high schools
alone?)
Micah also warned of lying and false prophets who condone wine and
strong drink (Micah 2:11). Today, they still teach "moderation" with
alcohol, but history has shown that moderation with an addictive
drug is impossible.
An Amazing Fact: Two fatal drinks changed history. On the last
day of Lincoln's life, the great emancipator said, "We have
cleared up a colossal job. Slavery is abolished. After
reconstruction, the next great question will be the overthrow
and suppression of the legalized liquor traffic." That
evening, John Wilkes Booth stopped in a saloon to fill himself
with liquor to nerve himself for his evil plan. That same
night, Lincoln's bodyguard left the theater for a drink of
liquor at the same saloon! While he was away, Booth shot
Lincoln. These two drinks were among the most costly in
American history.

An Issue of Love
"It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by
which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak" (Romans
14:21). Because one out of seven people who drink wine will become a
problem drinker, or alcoholic, how can a Christian support an
industry that encourages more people to stumble than any other legal
substance?
According to Zig Ziglar, authorities know that approximately one in
sixteen people who ever take a social drink will become an
alcoholic! Would you even step one foot on an airplane if you knew
there was a one in sixteen chance that it would crash and end your
life? (Actually, the odds for a commercial airliner crashing are
closer to one in a million-but even with those odds, some people
will not fly. Yet many of these same people will take a drink!)
Consider this other well-known fact. In the next 24 hours, alcohol
will be responsible for nearly half of all

the homicides,
the people who will die on the highway,
the people who will be admitted to the hospital,
the people who will incarcerated in jail or prison,
the people who will be arrested for domestic violence,
and the people who will be born with birth defects.

In addition, alcohol deserves a special mention for being
responsible for a quarter of all suicides.
It's clear enough from these appalling statistics that any thinking
citizen, especially a Christian, would feel profound conviction to
avoid a drug that accounts for a veritable tsunami of misery to
every culture it touches. If we truly love our brother and God, how
can we defend drinking alcohol in any degree? Paul said he would
neither eat flesh or drink wine or do anything that caused offense
to a brother. With so many alcoholics struggling to be saved from
their addictions, we must never cause them to stumble again by being
even slightly inconsistent in our example.
Inviting Temptation
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you" (James 4:7). It is also a well-documented fact that drinking
even the smallest quantity of alcohol impairs reactions and weakens
normal inhibitions.
Put simply, it lowers a Christian's resolve to resist temptation.
Why would any Christian want to make it easier for the devil to
snare them? Many men and women have awakened after a night baptized
by a few glasses of wine or bottles of beer to discover they have
violated the seventh commandment and forever scarred their lives and
reputations.
This is why Peter charges us to be "sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is already bent on getting us!
Let's not make it any easier for him by diluting with alcohol our
God-given resistance!
Remember, even when Jesus was hanging on the cross, with acute
thirst, He refused to drink the wine they offered Him (Matthew
27:34). With the redemption of the planet hanging in the balance, He
would not risk His judgment being impaired by receiving even a
mouthful of wine, which might have made His suffering for us a
little more bearable. Does He expect less of us?
Tarnished Testimonies
The great Canadian physician Sir William Osler was lecturing one day
on alcohol. "Is it true," asked a student, "that alcohol makes
people do some things better?"
"No," replied Sir William. "It just makes them less ashamed of doing
them badly."
Christians who drink alcohol have tarnished their testimonies to the
outside world-as well as to those in the church. And the ones who
are hurt the most by these compromised testimonies are the children.

Surely, it must be confusing to children to see their mothers or
fathers praying-and then have a few beers. Jesus condemned this
hypocrisy with the very strongest language: "But whoever causes one
of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better
for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were
drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
An anxious father approached his pastor and said, "Preacher, talk to
my boy about drinking. He came home last night and fell sprawling on
the floor-too drunk to get up. His mother cried the rest of the
night."
"Why don't you talk to your own boy yourself?" the preacher
questioned.
But the father said, "Pastor, I can't talk to my son about it,
because I am to blame. I wanted him to be a man, so I gave him his
first glass of liquor. I didn't dream that he'd ever become a
drunkard. Please speak to my boy. I can't talk to him."
It is a sad fact that, all over this nation, many fathers and
mothers are reliving this exact same scenario.
We are commanded to "Come out from among them And be separate. Do
not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you" (2 Corinthians
6:17). But when Christians begins to drink alcohol, they show that
they are not separated from worldly things.
Many Christians then wonder why God does not use them more to do
great things. God will not use a compromised Christian for any great
work. God uses only clean vessels for the filling of His Spirit.
Wine and the Spirit
On Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit,
onlookers said, "They are [drunk] with new wine" (Acts 2:13). The
Greek word here is gleukos, which was either new unfermented wine or
"must," a sweet, boiled non-alcoholic grape juice. These onlookers
were mocking the devoted disciples by saying, "They are drunk on
grape juice." This indicates that the disciples were known for their
abstinence of alcohol! How is it that we should not follow their
pointed examples?
Paul also tells Timothy, "Drink no longer water, but use a little
wine for thy stomach's sake" (1 Timothy 5:23). Timothy must have
been living as a Nazarite, drinking only water. Paul was telling him
to use a little grape juice, which has a very soothing effect on the
body, indicating that Timothy abstained and needed to be urged to
take even a little new wine. Drinking fermented wine can contribute
to stomach ulcers. Paul would never recommend old wine for stomach
therapy.
When Paul says "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit," some have thought this verse says just
don't drink too much (Ephesians 5:18). But the word "excess" in
Greek is asotia, which is translated as riot and riotous living
(Luke 15:13; 1 Peter 4:4). Darby's version translates it this way:
"And be not drunk with wine, in which is debauchery; but be filled
with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). We are called to be sacred
vessels filled with God's Spirit.
Summary
It is sobering to realize that even 4,300 years later, the sin of
Noah is still wrecking families today. Have we learned nothing?
Moderate drinking is not God's answer-abstinence is. Every alcoholic
begins his or her downward path with a "moderate" drink. The church
should never condone or allow that first step by teaching it's
permissible to drink a little wine. Rather, it should uphold the
clear position of the Word of God, knowing that Jesus is the Word
made flesh and come to dwell among us.
God's issue with alcohol is clear, and it always has been. Alcohol
is unholy and unclean. Partaking in the worldly drink can only
compromise God's high standards.
If you have a problem with drinking, I invite you to contact Amazing
Facts and request our free literature concerning alcohol and the
Christian. We have seen thousands freed from alcohol and other
addictions by the power of God!
"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed"
(John 8:36).
For clarity, this study quotes the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

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