The New Testament Teaching On Wine
by Johnny Ramsey

    In I Timothy 5:23 the apostle Paul told Timothy to quit drinking the polluted water of his region that had caused stomach pain. He then told his young friend to "use a little wine for thy stomach's sake." This was a medicinal remedy and not carte blanche for imbibers of alcoholic beverages through the centuries. In fact, it is specific instruction to one individual. No one but Timothy was so advised! Sometimes we are led to believe that the verse reads like this: "Everyone who wishes to drink socially may do so immediately." Even a casual look at the verse displays its exclusiveness to a certain individual at a particular time for a peculiar purpose.

    In Matthew 11:19 is another passage often abused by men who desire to engage in libertine practices. In this verse Jesus is quoting what evil men say about Him. They accuse the Lord of being a winebibber. First of all, how could anyone sustain any point by quoting what ungodly men say? The source is immediately suspect. Secondly, the contrast in the context of Matthew 11 is between Jesus and John the Baptist. John was a Nazarite (the vow of Numbers 6) and as such was forbidden to even drink grape juice or the fruit of the vine. Our Lord had not taken such a vow. In contrast with John's austere background Jesus seemed to be or was accused of being a winebibber.

    That brings us to the major point of our article. The word, wine, is certainly used in the Bible, in various texts, in a general way. For instance, the winepress, at the edge of the vineyards, was used to press out the juice of the fresh grape harvest. In the following verses one can easily discern this general usage of the word wine: Deut. 32:14; Judges 13:14; Isaiah 16:10; Isaiah 65:8 ("new wine in the cluster"); Jeremiah 48:33 and Matthew 21:33. There is also a very interesting comment by Josephus in Book II, Chapter 5, Section 2 of his work.

    Therefore when evil men claimed Jesus was a winebibber, in contradistinction with John the Immerser it could have meant only that He partook of the fresh fruit of the vine. To my mind, this is the key to John, chapter 2, and the miracle at the marriage feast of Cana. I could never believe that our Redeemer made alcoholic beverages for the consumption of it by the masses. He lived perfectly under the Law and one statement of that covenant forbade righteous men to give their neighbor drink (Habakkuk 2:15). It also warned of the intoxicating stupor of participants in such reveling (Proverbs 23:29ff).

    It is significant that when the Savior instituted the Lord's Supper that He purposely chose an expression that rules out fermented wine. He called it "fresh fruit of the vine." I have been told that Jesus began the Supper out of the Passover and that in the Passover they always had fermented liquid. This just is not so! There is no mention of any drink connected with the Passover but there is a principle that would forbid anything with leaven or fermentation, (Exodus 12)! Read carefully Mark 14:25.

    Certainly the safe and best practice for all of us today, in striving to be pure and holy and influential for righteousness, is to abstain from alcoholic beverages for they certainly not only appear evil (I Thessalonians 5:22) but they also are disruptive of peace, edification and often, even life (Romans 14:19)! In II Corinthians 10:5 we are told to "bring every thought into captivity unto Christ." Surely the Lord has not authorized us to partake of something that muddles our thinking and impairs our brains.

    For those who respect Bible preaching and intend to honor its precepts there are about three principles in the Scriptures that take care of imbibing alcoholic beverages. In I Thessalonians 5:22 we are admonished to "abstain from the appearance of evil." Ask the desk sergeant at any police station if drinking whiskey, beer or wine contributes to the ledger he keeps of entrants into the jail house. Ask the admitting nurse at any hospital, or the undertaker at the funeral parlor, or the statistician at highway patrol for the sad contribution liquor makes in their field of work. Did you know, for instance, that 500,000 fatalities upon the highway, since the advent of the automobile have been directly tied to the consumption of alcoholic drink? One out of every three deaths in auto accidents relate to this tragic dilemma. In Romans 14:19 we learn that Christians participate only in those matters that "edify and make for peace." Ask those in charge of widows and orphans if indulging in even "social drinking" has been a leading factor in broken homes and in the heartbreak that produces children bereft of parental guidance. Inquire of authorities at any penal institution as to the ratio of prisoners who pass through their portals who came that route in a path related directly to "the brewer's art." The finished product of that art is dereliction, sorrow and separation from humanity. Just ask Alcoholics Anonymous! Anyone desiring to glorify God would never use his liberty "as a cloak for sin" (Galatians 5:13). Christians are never at liberty to engage in anything that is a menace to society or a blot upon the Lord.

This item originally appeared at Brown Trail Church of Christ (online)