The goal here is to give the whole counsel of God on this subject and not to cater to anyone’s denominational arguments or to those who wrests scripture in order to suit denominational agendas or justify personal vices. One word that would accurately reflect the biblical position is “moderation”. The bible believer is “temperate”. (The word “temperance” was perverted during prohibition to mean “complete elimination of alcohol”, or “total abstinence” by force of law, but this is not the biblical definition for the word.)
[Baptists respond to the general problem of drunkenness by pushing for abstinence in place of “temperance”. Having taken that course for themselves, they find it convenient to insist that the bible teaches abstinence, which is impossible to pull off, unless the definition of certain words, “wine”, for example, are changed to suit the Baptist agenda.. They go to great lengths to show that “wine” in the bible just means unfermented grape juice, but this definition does not exist in scripture.]
The First 10 Uses of the Word “Wine”
Genesis 9:21 “And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.”
v. 24 “And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.”
14:18 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.”
19:32 “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.”
v. 33 “And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.”
v. 34 “And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our Father.”
v. 35 “And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.”
27:25 “And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.”
v. 28 “Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:”
v. 37 “And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?”
[Wine is here spoken of as a blessing, as also the following.]
Wine is Spoken of as a Blessing:
Genesis 49:12 “His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.”
Deuteronomy 11:14 “That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.”
14:22-26 “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household. . . .”
16:13 “. . . after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine. . . .”
18:4 “The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep. . . .”
Compare with “new wine” in context:
Neh:10:39 “For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.”
Nehemiah 13:5 “And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.”
Nehemiah 13:12 “Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.”
Bible Corruptions Used by Baptists to Try to Define “New Wine” as “Grape Juice”
Isaiah 65:8-10 “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains. . . .”
[The Lord is speaking of what shall be, as coming out of something that is not yet!]
Proverbs 3:10 “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
“New Wine”
Hosea 4:11 “Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.”
(A) “Grape juice” does not have the power to “take away the heart!
(B) If “new wine” is not “wine” (as the Baptists insist) then “new wine” would not be in this verse.
Acts 2:12-15 “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.”
(C) It can not be argued that the men were “drunken” on “grape juice.”
Luke 5:39 “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.”
(D) This “old wine” is more aged than “new” wine: “new wine” is not “grape juice”, it’s just cheap wine.]
Specific Limitations Placed on Drinking
(1) Leviticus 10:8-11 (9) “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. . . .”
[Baptists use this as a proof-text, separated from its context, to try to show that the Lord hates drinking and will kill those that do so. (Such arguments are made by Baptist preachers who want you to remain ignorant of the application for the circumstances:
(A) to Aaron and his descendants
(B) when they go into the temple to serve the Lord, which is their service. (Nobody should be drinking on the job anyway, no matter what his job!)]
[See verses 6 and 7 immediately preceding:
the phrase “lest ye die” pertains to otherwise acceptable acts.]
v. 6 “Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die. . . .”
v. 7 “And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. . . .”
(2) Numbers 6:1-7 (3) “He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.”
(A) When the Nazarite ends his separation unto the Lord as a Nazarite, he may drink wine afterward.
vs. 13-20 “And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.”
(3) Judges 13:1-7 (4) “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink. . . .”
[This verse is usually quoted alone, without the context by Baptists with a big “B” trying to score points.]
TEMPERANCE:
Λ temperate, a. characterized by moderation or restraint
Λ temperance, n. moderation in eating and drinking, especially in drinking alcoholic liquors
2nd Peter 1:1-6 “. . . add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance. . . .”
1st Corinthians 9:24-27 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.”
(You CANNOT, ABSTAIN from all things, of course, but you should be MODERATE in all things.)
Titus 1:7 “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; . . . not given to wine. . . .”
Λ [given, a. inclined; addicted; as, given to drinking.]
1st Timothy 3:2-3 “A bishop then must be . . . sober . . . ; not given to wine. . . .”
v. 8 “Likewise must the deacons be . . . not given to much wine. . . .”
[Deacons can be “given” to wine, BUT NOT IN LARGE AMOUNTS.]
Titus 2:1-2 “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: that the aged men be sober . . . temperate. . . .”
v. 3-5 “The aged women . . . not given to much wine . . . ; that they may teach the young women to be sober. . . .”
v. 6 “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.” [This is what is valuable.]
1st Peter 4:3 “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. . . .”
(1) The problem is not “wine”: the problem is the desire, or willingness, to consume, an “excess of wine”.
(2) The “problem” is never an object: the problem is always “the way a man thinks.” (Proverbs 23:7)
[Tyrants always claim the “problem” is guns, so we need “gun control”; when of course the problem is that the federal educational system produces killers. Murder is NEVER “because of guns”: it is ALWAYS because of the willingness and desire to murder, which can be done with clubs, knives, fists, stones, automobiles, etc.]
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. . . .”
There Is a Place for Wine and Strong Drink.
Proverbs 31:6 “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.”
[Baptists would say here that “wine” is a reference to “grape juice.”]
1st Corinthians 11:17-26 “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death. . . .”
(Matthew 26:26-29 “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it . . . this fruit of the vine. . . .”) (v. 29)
1st Timothy 5:23 “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”
The Lord Was Not A Baptist:
Matthew 11:18-19 (as also in Luke 7:33-34) “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber. . . .” [They were not accusing the Lord of drinking too much “grape juice”.]
John 2:1-11 (The Lord turns water into wine at the marriage feast.) [Not only was it wine, but it was “good wine”.]
(Remember: 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.”) [The wedding supper of the Lamb.]
(And He wasn’t kidding!)
(Mark 15:22-23 “And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”)
Other Situations: (These are not doctrine on wine generally, but in specific situations, concerning how to think in Christ.)
Romans 14:17-21 “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”
(1st Corinthians 8:(all) “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world. . . . Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge. . . .”)
(6:13 “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them.”)
Ecclesiastes 10:17 “Blessed art thou, O land, when . . . thy princes eat . . . for strength, and not for drunkenness!”
[There is more than one way to be drunken!]
DRUNKENNESS: (disobedience toward the Lord)
Jeremiah 13:11-14 “Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land . . . with drunkenness.”
[Drunkenness is God’s way to stupify a people who have rejected knowledge and deserve to be destroyed.]
Luke 21:34-36 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
Romans 13:12-14 “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in . . . drunkenness. . . . But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
1st Corinthians 5:11-13 “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a . . . drunkard . . . ; with such an one no not to eat.” (You do this for his sake, that he realize he’s off the reservation.)
6:9-11 “Be not deceived: . . . drunkards . . . shall [not] inherit the kingdom of God.”
v. 12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
vs. 19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
HANGING OUT WITH DRUNKS
Matthew 24:42-51 “But and if that evil servant shall . . . shall begin to . . . eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. . . .”