Posted By Aaron Marcelli on January 17, 2012
I had someone tell me that based on a passing comment I made in one of my first blog posts they assumed I had what they considered an unbiblical view of alcohol. They went on to say that my having this view of alcohol was part of the reason they no longer read my blog. Because some Christians consider this a serious and divisive issue, and because at least one person is making assumptions about my view on the subject, I want to take time to clearly lay out what I believe is the correct, biblical position regarding alcohol.
Let’s start with the Biblical words. The word wine in the Bible carries both literal and figurative meaning. In the Old Testament it was basically understood to be fermented grape juice. It was most likely naturally fermented, but alcoholic non-the-less, as evident by Noah getting drunk from it in Genesis 9.
In the New Testament the most common word translated as wine is the Greek word oinos, which means fermented grape juice. The fact that this word implies fermentation is accepted even by sources that oppose social drinking. It is also the word used for Jesus’ first miracle in John 2, again evident by the mention of wedding guests becoming drunk. There is also the Greek word sikera which is usually translated strong drink. A Bible dictionary defines sikera as intoxicating liquor, usually made of grain, fruit, and honey. Both oinos and sikera are used in Luke 1:15 where an angel predicted the birth of John the Baptist and commanded he abstain from all forms of alcoholic drinks.
A lot of misunderstanding and wrong teaching comes from confusion of these Biblical words. Most who hold the teetotaler position claim these words were not referring to actual wine, the drinks were not fermented, and these words were only used because there was no suitable words to describe the drink that was actually closer to modern day grape juice. This argument is simply inaccurate.
Why would there be a commonly used beverage with no word to describe it? And actually, there is a Greek word for unfermented grape juice. It’s the word truz and is used rarely in the New Testament but is not the word in any of the passages listed above. So, if there was a word for unfermented grape juice, and the “wine” used in the Bible was not actually wine, then why was the word truz not used? Common sense tells us this is because the wine and strong drink referred to in the Bible was actually a fermented, alcoholic drink.
That being said, how can passages such as Proverbs 31:4-6 and I Timothy 5:23, which encourage wine to be used for enjoyment and medicine, be so misunderstood? Claiming the Bible teaches alcoholic abstinence is poor Biblical hermeneutics.
The Bible clearly condemns drunkenness in passages such as Proverbs 23:29-35 and Ephesians 5:18. Alcoholism is even used a punishment in the books of Jeremiah and Revelations as others are “given over to” this sickness. But a moderate use of alcohol was considered normal and even encouraged for everyday Christians in Bible times. In Matthew 11:18-19 Jesus was even accused of being a drunkard. Because we know Jesus was sinless and the Bible condemns drunkenness, we can believe that Jesus was never actually drunk. It is unlikely though that Jesus’ enemies would have ever thought to accuse him of being a drunkard, or that anyone would listen to their accusation, had Jesus not at least been known to drink in moderation.
Any passages used to teach a complete avoidance of alcohol (mostly in Proverbs) are in the context of teaching for a drunkard who needs to avoid the temptation to relapse. Other passages that give warning about alcoholism also teach about partaking of too much food, a portion of the principle left out by most who teach alcohol is sin.
Based of this information, as well as deeper personal study I have done on this issue, I have to conclude that the Bible does not condemn social drinking for those whose conscience allow them to do so. Like our words and music, alcohol can be abused in a way that makes it wrong, but in and of itself is nothing to be condemned. For whatever reason though, some denominations within Christianity have drifted from the Biblical position on this issue and use their new, legalistic view as a source of condemnation for others who do not abstain. For more on this I would encourage you to read this article by Thomas Kidd that tracks the history of alcohol in relation to evangelicals and asks where this disconnect began. And as always, please feel free to share your thoughts, whether in agreement or opposition to the position I have laid out.
Category: Bible Study, Church Life / Denominations, My Life / Personal |
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