Drinking and intoxication
Any Greek or Hebrew translations are quoted from
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.
Thomas Nelson Publishers 1990 edition
Many Christians believe that Jesus drank fermented wine. They even use fermented wine in some churches when they partake of the Lord’s Supper (communion). But, scripture says that Jesus himself drank what He called the “fruit of the vine”. Jesus speaking: Matthew 26:29: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Luke 22:18: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. When you look up ‘fruit’ of the vine in the Greek translation it says exactly what it is – fruit. The unfermented juice from fruit – fruit juice! The Greek word for ‘fruit’ in Matthew 26:29 is “gennema or genema, ghen’-nay-mah; …fruit”. In this portion of scripture it says nothing in its Greek form about any fermentation. I cannot even find a scripture that specifically says Jesus drank what people call wine. The only thing I could find that even comes close is the following scripture when Jesus disproved what the Pharisees were trying to say about him, when they lied and called him a winebibber. Luke 7:34 and Matthew 11:19: The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! If anything this scripture proves that what Jesus drank was not fermented – Jesus was not a winebibber, nor was he a glutton; as the Pharisees tried to call him! People cannot use Jesus as their excuse to drink, saying; well Jesus drank wine. Scripture does not say that Jesus drank fermented wine. Some Christians will even say that it is alright to drink wine because Jesus turned the water into wine in John 2:3: And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Notice the scripture says; “they wanted wine”. It says nothing about Jesus wanting it, nor does it say that Jesus drank any of it. Also, how long does it take for wine (grape juice) to ferment? I seriously doubt that Jesus made them fermented wine. Besides, the focus in this scripture should not be whether Jesus made fermented wine for the people to drink – but the focus should be on the miracle that Jesus changed plain water into something else! If it was fermented wine, all I can say is that sometimes Jesus will give us our desires or our requests even when He knows they may not necessarily be good for us, because He knows that sometimes we must see this for ourselves. I Corinthians 10:23: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Many times we go through problems caused by our own desires or requests and later see that we should have never made the requests in the first place! Deuteronomy 32:12-15: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. The Greek word for ‘pure’ in Deuteronomy 32:14 is “chemer; wine (as fermenting)… red wine: chamar khaw-mar’; …to boil up; hence, to ferment (with scum); to glow (with redness)… trouble”. Sometimes having our wants or desires fulfilled will cause us to turn away from the rock of our salvation! Drinking alcoholic beverages (which scripture above calls the blood of the grape) can cause a person’s ruin! Or, as the Greek says; cause them “trouble”! The following scripture confirms this. Ephesians 5:18: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. Many Christians have used this scripture to say that they can drink as long as they do not drink in excess. The word ‘excess’ in Ephesians 5:18 in the Greek means “unsavedness, i.e (by impl.) profligacy”. The definition for profligacy according to the Encarta Dictionary means: “with low morals, having or showing extremely low moral standards”. This is a serious scripture! The very scripture that people try and use to validate their drinking is the very scripture that also judges their drinking. When they are drinking how do they know whether they are a drink away from what the Greek calls unsavedness, or not! It is not a chance that I would want to take. When a person becomes a drunkard it is too late to find out that they should have never started drinking in the first place! I Corinthians 6:9-10: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Scripture does not tell us that Jesus ever drank fermented wine, in fact Jesus did not call what he drank wine, he called what he drank in Matthew 26:29 the “fruit of the vine”; telling us that He did not drink fermented wine, but He drank fruit juice. In scripture the only time fermented wine ever came to the lips of Jesus is when he was on the cross and they offered him wine mixed with myrrh – but He received it not! Mark 15:23: And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. The next time anyone (Christian or not) tells you it is alright to drink wine because Jesus drank it then tell them to show you scripture proving this. Nowhere in scripture does it specifically say that Jesus drank wine. Jesus did not drink wine but drank the fruit of the vine. It was fruit juice and the Greek translation backs this up in Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; and Luke 22:18.
Drunkenness and lust go hand in hand. Scripture warns of the dangers of drinking and intoxication – and the sin(s) it can, and does, lead to. Proverbs 23:27-33: For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. who hath woe? who hath sorrow: who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Proverbs 20:1: WINE is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. I Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. I Peter 1:13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians 5:6-8: Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. Proverbs 31:5-6: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. According to the Thomas Nelson KJV reference Bible 1989 edition “of heavy hearts” in Proverbs 31:6 is “bitter of heart”. Psalm 101:3: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. Proverbs 28:18: Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. Many people who drink will try to tell you they do not get drunk; however, if they were drunk how would they know it? It is too late to find out you have a problem with drinking after it has gotten a hold on you. I Corinthians 10:23: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Not all things are good for us; not all things edify God. It certainly is not good to try to preach to a person who is a drunkard when you yourself drink! I Corinthians 6:9-10: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Something for you to think about: isn’t it amazing that references to liquor, and even some signs above liquor stores refer to alcohol as ‘spirits’? Many people have shared with me that while they were drinking (or on drugs) they felt as if they had some sort of spiritual experience. Micah 2:11: If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink… Notice here scripture uses a small ‘s’ for spirit so we know it is not referring to the Holy Spirit. A person’s mind is not clear when they are drinking and the messages or experiences they have are falsehood. Why do you think God tells us in I Peter to be sober! I Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. This is a powerful scripture! The Greek word for ‘sober’ is “Nepho, nay’-fo; to abstain from wine (keep sober)…watch”. Notice the Greek translation does not tell us to drink a little wine – it tells us to abstain from wine! What many people do not realize is that when they are drinking they are easily deceived by Satan. In essence, they are playing in Satan’s spiritual playground of deception. The Holy Spirit (the Only True Spirit) cannot be found through a bottle – and the True Spirit of God will not leave you with a hang over the next morning!
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Additional comment: A lot of people who drink wine regularly will give the following scripture to try and validate their daily consumption, saying they are only drinking it for medicinal purposes. I Timothy 5:23: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. I wonder if they have ever considered that the drinking water back then was not always safe, it caused many infirmities and in some cases even death. This scripture is not telling people to never drink water again. It is also not telling people to drink wine in place of water. People would die without water! The fact is that some people cannot drink only a little wine. When a person who starts drinking gets hooked it is too late for them to realize that they never should have started drinking in the first place. Today we have too much good safe drinking water that is healthy for our body, and water is something our body needs to survive. If a person wants to drink something that is healthy for them they should drink juice. Juice has the same ingredients, fermented or not. It is not the fermentation that a person needs, but it is the ingredients in the juice itself that is healthy for them. Besides, juice is not addicting! And juice does not destroy families!
(See my document on ‘Satan’s playground’)