The Bible is clearly against the drunkenness that is caused by drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages, with many scriptures to prove so. For example, the sin of drunkenness is listed among many works of the flesh that will prevent a person from making it to heaven (Galatians 5:19-21). In (Ephesians 5:18) the Bible plainly states not to get drunk on wine because it will ruin your life.
Other Scriptures Opposing Drunkenness
(Proverbs 20:1) Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
(Proverbs 23:20-21) Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
(Isaiah 5:11) What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk. NLT
(Romans 13:13) Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
While getting drunk is clearly condemned in the Bible, many people still like to quote the scriptures where Jesus turned the water into wine (John 2), as well as when Paul told Timothy to stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses (1 Timothy 5:23), as an excuse to drink alcohol. The vast majority of these same people have no intentions of drinking a little wine for health reasons. Their purpose for drinking is to get drunk. If you fall into this category of people, refer back to the above scriptures on drunkenness.
Fermented (Alcohol) or Grape Juice?
In modern times when we hear someone talking about wine, they are most assuredly referring to an alcoholic beverage. On the other hand, when we read the word wine in the Bible, it can be referring to both fermented (alcoholic) or unfermented (grape juice).
The word wine in the Bible was translated from the Greek word (oinos) and the Hebrew term (yayin). These Greek and Hebrew words could be used to mean both fermented (intoxicating wine) as well as unfermented (grape juice). If you do a search online regarding this matter, you will find that this is a much debated topic. Some try and make the argument that the Greek word (oinos) always meant fermented. However, there is plenty of evidence to show otherwise. Simply do a search in Google on the meaning of these words and you will come across enough writings to see they were used interchangeably.
Water Into Wine
Knowing that the term wine in the Bible sometimes referred to alcoholic beverages, and at other times grape juice, it is hard to believe the water Jesus made into wine was the kind that would have caused the people at the wedding to become drunk.
Did Jesus believe if he would have provided everyone with alcohol to drink, they all would have only drunk small amounts so as not to become drunk? Of course not! He would have known at least some would have become drunk, and that would have been very inconsistent with the many scriptures that condemns drunkenness. On the other hand, the situation makes plenty of sense when we interpret the wine Jesus made was unfermented grape juice.
A Little Wine For Your Health
As stated above, there will be some who will hang on to the idea that the original Greek and Hebrew words for wine always meant fermented. These same people will sometimes point to where Paul told Timothy to drink some wine for health purposes as justification for them to be able to drink.
Even if you choose to go down this road and way of thinking, with todays medical advancements, vitamins, and supplements, there is little reason for having to rely on an alcoholic beverage to improve your health. There is to many other healthy alternatives that wouldn’t be a stumbling block to others.
As in the case with the wine at the wedding, the advice Paul gave Timothy makes plenty of sense when we understand he was telling him to drink unfermented juice. Paul would not have been telling Timothy to drink alcohol, which would also have been very inconsistent with the rest of the Bible.
Just A Little Drink?
If you find yourself wanting to believe Jesus and Paul were advocating even the moderate use of alcohol, ask yourself this. How many people do you know that always only just drink a very small amount of alcohol, never to the point of getting at least a buzz? Probably not many, if any.
The vast majority of people who drink alcohol are going for at least a little giddy feeling, if not flat out getting drunk. For some people it doesn’t take much to get that initial buzz. With these actions, one is relying on the alcohol as a way of escaping reality, or to have what they believe is a little fun. In the end the alcohol is replacing where we should always cast our cares and get our joy from, God.
Just as with smoking, alcohol is very addictive, unhealthy, and has killed many people. There simply should be no place in a sincere Christian’s life for such things.
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