by Harry Osborne
The Scriptures instruct, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). As Christians, we must 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 all we do. This assures that we "abstain from every form (or kind) of evil." Thus, if a Christian drinks intoxicating beverages, he must first prove it is good.
Surely no Christian would affirm that the use intoxicating drink to the point of drunkenness is "good." The Bible clearly show such to be false (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:21; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 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 must not be "good." We cannot "prove" intoxication to be "good," therefore, we cannot hold fast to the practice.
Normally, the question with Christians regarding the use of alcoholic beverages is not in the area of intoxication, 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 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 there tells 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 knowing whether "wine" always meant an intoxicating drink in a moment. 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" was intoxicating. But it does not establish the practice as "good" in a general use. A parallel could be seen with the fact that sexual relations are good in the marriage relationship (1 Corinthians 7:3; Hebrews 13:4). However, such does not establish that it would be "good" in any occasion outside of marriage. We must conclude this passage does not prove the social or recreational use of intoxicants to be "good."
Another passage used by some seeking to justify "moderate consumption" of intoxicating drink is Jesus turning the water into wine in John 2. The volume of the six containers is 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 "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 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 regarding this subject. 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 (Isaiah 65:8) and of the juice flowing from the press, freshly squeezed from the grapes (Joel 2:24; Hosea 9:2; Proverbs 3:10). Examples of those drinking this substance would show it to be approved. Isaac says God would bless Esau with much tirosh (Genesis 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 some non-drinking purposes (like sacrifice), it is sometimes clearly approved. No clear pattern exists to show approval of those drinking such. The word shekar, used 22 times, means "strong drink." It refers to any alcoholic drink from products other than grapes 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. Even though these words vary widely in meaning, they are all translated "wine" in some passages. It is interesting to note that every alcoholic beverage commonly sold in the U.S. would be in this category - beer, whiskey, liquors, enhanced wines, etc.
In the New Testament, the words translated "wine" also vary in meaning. The word normally used is oinos which may refer to either fermented wine (Ephesians 5:18) or unfermented grape juice (Revelation 19:13-15). The other word is gleukos which refers to "sweet wine whether fresh (unfermented) or highly intoxicating." Thus, we cannot assume the word "wine" means an intoxicating beverage in the New Testament just because "wine" signifies such today.
Another fact to be considered is the way in which the ancients used the word "wine" to refer to the mixture of wine (fermented or unfermented) with water. When one referred to "wine" in that time, 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 for the Passover cups). The standard mixture was from 4 - 6 parts water to 1 of wine. Remember, this was the mixture whether wine was fermented or not (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 which was about 6% given the grapes of Palestine. If one cut that mixture at a rate of 4 to 1, one would have to drink at the rate of 2 ½ - 3 gallons an hour to be intoxicated. That is why the Bible associates the word "glutton" with "drunkard" and condemns such (Deuteronomy 21:20-21; Proverbs 23:21). It may be noted that the one so drinking would have grave problems in the stomach and bladder long before affecting the mind. However, it is a fact that drinking 2 beers, 2 cocktails, or 2 glasses of wine in even 2 hours would be twice as intoxicated as drinking the mixture above. You see, the practice some seek to approve today has not 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 has been enhanced. U.S. wines commonly range from 12 to 16% in alcohol by volume! Third, the drinks are not cut after the fashion of Bible "wine." The only drinks that are commonly cut are the cocktails which still contain 20 - 25% alcohol by volume 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 a substance containing alcohol (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 do the same, remember your God and His statements regarding this evil and say "NO!" Drinking alcohol simply is not "good" so we must abstain from it.