What Does The Bible Say About Consuming Wine?

• All Food And Drink Has Been Declared Clean By God:

          -Issues pertaining to food and drink are of tertiary importance according to New Testament teaching (Romans 14:1-14). These were given to us by God so as to nourish our physical bodies. They are, therefore, to be received with gladness and thanksgiving.
          -If we are going to view professing Christians who dogmatically condemn the consumption of certain meats as being legalistic, then the same must also be true of those who dogmatically oppose the consumption of wine under any circumstances. Anything can be misused and abused.

          -Just as consuming too much of any food is morally wrong, the same is equally true with wine or any other drink. Addictions are sin, which includes alcoholism (Galatians 5:19-21). Becoming an alcoholic can be fatal and ruins good morals.
          -We ought to take measures to prevent becoming a stumbling block to fellow brethren in the church (Romans 14:15-21). Moreover, it is honorable to abstain from wine for the sake of conscience. In fact, a life of faith is inseparable from a life led by conscience, for it is through conscience that we discern what honors God and edifies others.

• Should Churches Use Wine Or Grape Juice In Communion?:

          -Either wine or grape juice is acceptable for use in communion, since both are derived from the same source: grapes (Matthew 26:26-29). The Mishna's Seder spoke of the "fruit of the vine" as intoxicating wine.
          -The juice extracted from the grapes is a part of God's creation. So is the fermentation process of that juice. All things created by God are to be received with thanksgiving because they are good (Genesis 1:31; 1 Timothy 4:4).
          -The ultimate question that needs to be answered is not whether the contents of the communion cup are wine or grape juice. Rather, do we partake of communion with due respect or treat it as a mere ritual or tradition (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)?

• Drinking Wine Is Acceptable By Biblical Standards:

          -Jesus Christ Himself turned water into wine during the wedding feast at Cana (John 2). If the act of drinking wine in and of itself is sinful, then Jesus would be sinful just like we are and thus disqualified from redeeming us from sin.

          -The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to drink some wine to help with his frequent stomach illnesses (1 Timothy 5:23). It served for medicinal purposes. The biblical view of wine is that it has been given to us by God as a gift to enjoy (Psalm 104:14-15; Ecclesiastes 9:7).

          -Wine in biblical times was generally consumed by the wealthier members of society. This accounts for the warnings to kings against being addicted to such beverages in Proverbs.
          -The only group of people whom God forbade (in the Old Testament) from consuming alcoholic wine were those who took the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:1-21).

• Is The Greek "Oinos" To Be Translated As Wine Or Grape Juice?:

          -For most of church history, the translation of the Greek word oinos was not a point of contention. It was widely understood to mean fermented wine, consistent with the cultural and agricultural realities of the ancient Mediterranean world. Only in more recent centuries, particularly among certain temperance movements, did the idea emerge that oinos might refer to unfermented grape juice. Yet the biblical and historical evidence strongly supports the traditional understanding. It is obvious that this term carries with it connotations of intoxicating drink. This accounts for biblical texts that warn against drunkenness. 

          -To further clarify the nature of ancient wine, The Jewish Encyclopedia provides a detailed account of the types of wine known in Hebrew tradition: "There were different kinds of wine. 'Yayin' was the ordinary matured, fermented wine, 'tirosh' was a new wine, and 'shekar' was an old, powerful wine ('strong drink'). The red wine was the better and stronger (Ps. lxxv. 9 [A. V. 8]; Prov. xxiii. 31). Perhaps the wine of Helbon (Ezek. xxvii. 18) and the wine of Lebanon (Hos. xiv. 7) were white wines. The vines of Hebron were noted for their large clusters of grapes (Num. xiii. 23). Samaria was the center of vineyards (Jer. xxxi. 5; Micah i. 6), and the Ephraimites were heavy wine-drinkers (Isa. xxviii. 1). There were also 'yayin ha-reḳaḥ' (spiced wine; Cant. viii. 2), 'ashishah' (hardened sirup of grapes), 'shemarim' (wine-dregs), and 'ḥomeẓ yayin' (vinegar). Some wines were mixed with poisonous substances ('yayin tar'elah'; Ps. lx. 5; comp. lxxv.9, 'mesek' [mixture]). The 'wine of the condemned' ('yen 'anushim') is wine paid as a forfeit (Amos ii. 8), and 'wine of violence' (Prov. iv. 17) is wine obtained by illegal means." 

          -The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, edited by R.K. Harrison, says, "In most of the passages in the Bible where yayin is used (83 out of 138), it certainly means fermented grape juice; and in the remainder it may fairly be presumed to do so…. The intoxicating quality of yayin, is confirmed by rabbinical testimony…. although usually intoxicating, it was not only permitted to be imbibed, but was also used for sacred purposes and was spoken of as a blessing (Gen. 49:11-12; Deut. 14:24-26; Ex. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5). Some, indeed, have argued from these passages that yayin could not always have been alcoholic. But this is begging the question and that in defiance of the facts. Although invariably fermented, it was not always inebriating, and in most instances, doubtless, was but slightly alcoholic, like the vin ordinaire of France." This rich taxonomy of wine types, ranging from fresh juice to strong drink, spiced wine, and even wine adulterated with toxins, demonstrates that fermented wine was a central part of ancient life. The linguistic, cultural, and theological context all point to oinos being understood as wine in the fermented sense, not merely grape juice.