Should Christian Drinking Alcohol?                                                                     Pastor Scott Snyder

Let me say from the start that I grow up around alcohol.  I was drunk for the first time at the age of 12; and
drank many more times in my life until the age of 29.  On September 27, 1989 I was saved by grace through
faith and the shed blood of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.  I have not been drunk or drank from that day.

Please do not stop reading this article because my personal view is that Christian should not drink alcohol of
any kind.  I did not come to this view for personal reasons; I came to this view because I believe the Bible
teaches “TOTAL ABSTINENCE FROM ALCOHOL.”   

There are two opposing thoughts on “Christians drinking alcohol.”  The first group said, “Jesus drank and
made wine” so we should be able to also, but in moderation.  Moderation is the key to their view.  The second
group said alcohol is an addictive and destructive drug that no sincere Christ should use in any degree.  
Unfermented wine is the key to this view.  

Sad 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  and 60
percent due to lack of muscular coordination” Paul Harvey

The word “wine” in both Hebrew and Greek can and is used for both “fresh grape juice (unfermented) and wine
(fermented) in fact the Greek has only one word for wine.  But this should not be a problem for the student of
Scripture.  By understanding the context of the passage; and any other principles that would apply to the use
of this word we can come to an understanding of the use of the word.    

Many Christian today say that there is no command to abstain from wine (Alcohol).  And that our Lord Jesus
Christ the Son of God drank and made wine.  This is hard to defend from the whole of Scripture.  The
command not to drink alcohol is found in the concept of “not being drunk.”  The word “drunk;” which shows up
over 80 times in different forms (drunk, drunkard (s), drunken, and drunkenness); many of these are
commands against the drinking of alcohol.  (Is. 5:11, Pro. 23:29-30, Hab. 2:15, Rom 13:13, 1 Cor. 5:11 & 6:10,
Gal. 5:21, Eph. 5:18)  

Now I can just hear you, you are saying, “Drunkenness is not the same as drinking alcohol, Pastor.”  “Only a
fool would say drinking alcohol and drunkenness are the same.”  

Let me ask you a question than, how does one become drunk?  As only a “fool” would say “drunkenness only
comes from drinking alcohol.”  This should give that student of Scripture a real dilemma, for if Scripture forbids
the believer from becoming drunk and alcohol makes one drunk, how can I truly justify drinking alcohol even in
moderation.  And sense the word “wine” can be used for both “fermented” and unfermented.”  Is it not possible
that when the Lord was speaking about making and drinking wine He was speaking about unfermented wine?  

Question of Holiness of Christ:  Know true Christian will ever question the Holiness of Christ or else they cannot
be a true Christian.  The holiness of Christ means separate from evil or in Christ case “sinless.”  The Apostle
Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:21said  that Christ “knew no sin;” or “Christ who never sinned.”  The idea here is that
Christ never sinned or else He could not be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Thank God for that truth!

There is a second principle found in James 1:13 about the “holiness of God (Christ) that we should address
before discussing passages used to support Christian drinking alcohol.  Notice the last phrase of verse 13, the
Bible said, “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man;” If both of these principles are truth,
and they are true, and even the small amount of alcohol can effect ones memory and actions, it seem
impossible for a Christian to be able to say, Scripture support there drinking any degree of alcohol.  

Since Jesus Christ our Lord is sinless and cannot tempt man to sin how could we possible believe that in John
2 (The Wedding in Cana) He turn water into “Fermented Wine” which could lead to drunkenness which is
condemned in the Bible.  Are we truly to believe that Jesus made 180 gallons of temptation, which could lead
anyone of these guests into drunkenness?  If we believe the two principles stated, we must conclude that Jesus
made “unfermented wine” with no alcohol content.  

What about the Lord’s Supper?  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.  Beside the two stated principles above, there
are two other good reasons.  First, the Last Supper was also Passover we know that the Passover meal was to
be free from all forms of leaven (Ex 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
Christ would never be symbolized with something that can corrupt and destroy.  Second, we are told in 1
Corinthians 11:25 that we partake of the Lord Supper in “remembrance of Jesus.”  Can we honesty believe that
Jesus would have us use something that can hurt our memories.  

Interesting 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 ancient times, 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.   

Many want to say Christian can use alcohol for health reasons.  They use the Apostle Paul speaking to
Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23; “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often
infirmities.” There seem to be conflict with what Paul is saying here with 1 Timothy 3:3 about the qualification of
the pastor, which states “not given to wine.”  The ideal here is that a Pastor must not be a drunkard.  Is it not
possible that Paul is saying, the Pastor should not drink “fermented wine;” and than telling Timothy to drink
“unfermented wine for his stomach sake.  You are probably saying “Pastor you are making a very big leap
here.”  Based on the two principles we have learned about Christ, and Paul worked to be Christlike, do you
honesty belief Paul would tell Timothy to drink something that Christ would not drink.  

Interesting Fact:  In the early 1970s the Canadian medical researchers sought to determine the comparative
potency of several different beverages against organisms which caused gastroenteritis.  Their results showed
fresh orange juice most effective, with unfermented grape juice a close second, and fermented wine trailing
behind.  It was established that grapes contain a substance which is highly effective against stomach
organisms, but that this substance is diminished and eventually destroyed by fermentation.

There is one place that Alcohol or “strong drink” is commanded to be given to a person in Scripture.  Proverb
31:6 states to “give strong drink to them that are about to perish.”  The idea here is the same as when we give
people who are in a great pain “morphine.”  It is to relieve their pain, make them forget that they are in pain,
which is what alcohol can do.  

What does drinking even in moderation say about our Christian testimony?  If no person can become drunk
without drinking alcohol, it must say something about our testimony to the world if we drink.  But what does it
say.  The Bible is clear the Christian is to be Holy (1 Peter 1:16), we are to separate from worldly practices
(Rom. 12:2, Titus 2:12, James 1:27), even the appears of evil (1 Thess. 5:22).  To drink even in moderation
say that the world is more important than being “salt and light” in the world (Matt 5:13-16)

Does alcohol cause evil or good?  A Canadian physician Sir William Osler was lecturing one day on alcohol.  “It
is 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.”  

Sad Fact:  Consider in the next 24 hours, alcohol will be responsible for nearly half of all, homicides, dead on
the highway, domestic violence, and birth defects.  It is clear enough from these appalling statistics that any
thinking Christian, would feel a profound conviction to avoid a drug that accounts for this kind of misery on our
country.  

Illustration:  Human Hall of Shame:  Two fatal drinks changed history.  On the last day of President Lincoln’s
life, the great man 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.  

Illustration:  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” (Gen 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 family.    

Conclusion:        It is sobering to realize that even over 4,000 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 some never condone or allow
that first step by teaching it’s permissible to drink a little wine.  Rather, if should uphold the clear position of the
Word of God.  

I know that some of you will blow off every thing that has been said, and that is your choice.  I have been one
question left to ask you.  Do you feel strong enough about your position to tell the Lord?  Because you will
some day (Phil 2:10)