Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
that they may run after strong drink,
who tarry late into the evening
as wine inflames them!
They have lyre and harp,
tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD,
or see the work of his hands. | Isaiah 5:11-12
This Sunday, I preached about Jesus first sign: turning water into wine. While the big issue in this text is: that the Savior has come to replace the means of ritual cleansing with His own life in order that His people may celebrate, too often the conversation becomes about the wine. While I made it clear in my sermon: it’s NOT about the wine, I thought that it may be wise to address the lingering concerns people have in relation to alcohol.
Let’s start by addressing the issue of grape juice. The argument that the wine mentioned in the Bible does not contain alcohol makes no sense in reference to the accusations against Jesus for being a drunkard (Matthew 11.19) and similar accusations against the disciples (Acts 2.15). It also would make the OT laws against drunkenness unnecessary. The Biblical treatment of wine only makes sense if it contains alcohol. If Jesus madewine and was without sin, then we need to rethink how we approach the idea of alcohol; we need a theology of alcohol.
This starts by having an understanding of the nature of alcohol. God created the grapes and directs the fermentation process that creates wine, so we can say that wine is part of God’s GOOD creation. I had someone tell me that grapes were part of the original creation and that wine only became possible after death entered the world through the Fall (an argument I find interesting!). In this description, the grapes are pure and good and wine is a sinful twisting of what God created.
If wine is a sinful result of good grapes, than Jesus making of wine and offering it to His disciples at the Last Supper (not to mention his own partaking) would be an act of sin. Additionally, Jesus mentions drinking wine in heaven (Matthew 26.29), which seems to imply that it will pass through into the New Heavens and the New Earth. Wine is a part of God’s good plan for His people; it has a proper place in the process of glorifying God and enjoying Him. Like anything else in creation, it can be abused; alcohol can go from God-glorifying to sinful more quickly than other aspects of God’s creation. Christians need to be aware of this: alcohol is a tool of Satan to lure people into sin. We need a practical theology of alcohol to pair with the nature of alcohol.
The Bible is very clear than drunkenness is a sin (Proverbs 23.20-21, Romans 13.13, Galatians 5:19-21), so we can draw one line there. That line often leads to nit-picky questions about what blood-alcohol level (or how many drinks) constitute drunkenness. A better way to look at this issue is to think about the good that alcohol may hinder. Ephesians 5 tells us:
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. | 18–21
In this, drunkenness is set as a hindrance to:
- Being filled with the Spirit
- Addressing one another in psalms
- Making melody to the Lord
- Giving thanks
- Submitting to one another
The implication is that as drunkenness controls you, it pulls you away from the things of God. You think about God less, you talk about God less, you act in obedience to God less, you give thanks less, and you are less able to see the needs of others. Can you fail to do all of these things without alcohol? Of course. The point here is not to ask: what can I get away with, but what would most glorify God and help me to enjoy Him? If alcohol gets in the way of our worship, we must be willing to cut it out or limit it, for the glory of God.
This goes beyond, how much can I drink before it is a sin to the very heart of what we worship. Wine can be a healthy part of a robust life of celebrating Jesus, or it can pull you away from God by convincing you that it is the answer/distraction that you need. We need to be willing to look very honestly at our relationship with alcohol and ask: is this increasing my love for Christ? If it isn’t, it is something that is competing with God for your allegiance. It needs to go.