Save Money Online Shopping

Visit Pastor Reckart's Jewish Jesus Blog

Drinking Wine

By Pastor G. Reckart

Recently I had to disfellowship and kick out of the Church a young man named Jermaine Canty who took a new convert church member to his house and served him wine. The young man asked Mr. Canty if the Pastor believed in drinking wine like this? Mr. Canty said no he doesn't but I disagree with him and there is nothing wrong in drinking wine. So the new convert was seduced to drink wine that night in Mr. Canty's home. This young man was a former alcoholic and drug addict. This one night of drinking caused this new convert to fall. He went back to drinking and ultimately backslid. He is in prison now but by the grace of God he will win his appeal and be out. He has repented of his drinking. But Mr. Canty refused, rebelled, and had to be disfellowshipped from our Church for this and other insubordination, rebellion, and mocking of Truth. This brought up the issue of drinking wine for pleasure, at parties, at fellowship meetings. And just guzzling down a fifth when a man or woman decided they needed a swig. I refused to have such a man in my pulpit who would rebell against Church doctrine and then lead others into sin.

Should Christians drink wine?  Does the New Testament grant to everyone the right to drink wine?  Is it ok for Christians to guzzle wine with meals? Does wine have healthy values that can aid the body in nutrition, vitamins, or minerals?  Some who want to drink alcohol but do not want the shame of being known as a beer-drinker, or whiskey guzzler, will use the Bible to get their alcohol addiction a fix through wine.  These claim the Bible encourages and allows everyone to drink wine. This being true because they said it:  why is it many of these men do not allow their children and wives to drink wine to enjoy the alcohol effect?  If there is no Biblical prohibitation against children drinking wine, why do these men not allow theirs to drink wine at their will?  The use of the Bible to give license to drink wine for recreation to get an alcoholic buzz is foolishness and stupidity.

The Lord's Passover:
It is true that real fermented wine is used in the Lord's Supper.  Jews did not have a practice to preserve and serve grape juice for Passover observance.  When the Passover blessing is cited over the five cups, the wine in them is called the fruit of the vine.  Yes, wine is the fruit of the vine.  Wine comes from grape juice and grape juice comes from grapes off the vine.  Grapes freshly harvested and smashed out produce grape juice laden with billions of tiny leaven cells.  These leaven cells are alive and what causes fermentation.  It is these leaven cells in a war with the sugar in the grape juice that starts the fermentation war. The by-product of this war is alcohol.  As the level of alcohol rises in this war, the leaven dies and the carcasses fall to the bottom in the form of a white substance.  That is why a bottle of Welch's will tell you to shake well, this puts the separated dead leaven cells back into solution and they are hidden by the color of the juice.  But not so in wine.  The leaven is dead and the wine is drawn off and the dregs as the white stuff is called, is thrown away.  Many who take the Lord's Passover will take unleavened bread and then drink Welch's grape juice filled with dead leaven carcasses, or will take fresh grape juice laden with billions of living leaven cells.  The Jews used wine for Passover and that settles this issue.  They did mix this wine with one-third water and this diluted it down.  It has always been my doctrine that this wine was a figure of the pure blood of the grape and also the figure of the blood that was shed for the remission of sins (see Deut 32:14 and look up the word "pure" in this verse and see what it means).  It has also been my doctrine, that Christians should not drink wine at any other time.  The use of wine in the Tabernacle was exclusively for sacrifice purposes and it was forbidden a priest to drink wine when he entered into the holy place:

"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" (Lev 10:9).

Yes, this is Old Testament.  Although we are not under the Law for salvation, nevertheless the Word of God says the Law can bring us to Christ.  It also tells us all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2Tim 3:16).  The use of wine in the Temple is restricted.  If you are the Temple of God, then be careful how you treat the holy place. The only time and right for the wine in the Temple was in relationship to the sacrifice.  Thus, in the New Testament, the sacrifice of Jesus replaces all others.  It is just and fitting then, that the only wine to come into our bodies is for that one sacrifice of Jesus.  This is the Lord's Passover, an annual event to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary.  There is no other symbol or shadow of the Law for use of wine in the Temple.  This is the testimony and this is the Truth.  Anyone who drinks wine for meals or sociality, has defiled the Temple of God.  If this sin is not corrected, the person will end up destroyed.

Does the Bible teach about drinking wine?

Rom 14:21--"It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."

It is good not to drink wine.

Eph 5:18--"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

We are told to be filled with the Spirit instead of trying to get high on wine.

1Tim 3:8--"Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre."

Not give to much wine must be taken in Scriptural use not according to worldly consumption.  There is no Scriptural practice of casual drinking of wine either with meals or at times of social fellowship.  The next verse gives us the only New Testament authority for use of wine.

1Tim 5:23--"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
This was written to Timothy not to the Church.  It can be applied to the Church but was not so the intent of Paul.  Timothy had a stomach problem that drinking wine as a medicine was acceptable. We do not know that his stomach disorder was. All we know is Timothy was told to drink a "LITTLE" wine for his stomach sake.  This is hardly a scripture to use for the right to drink wine at meals or in times of social fellowship.  He was also told to use wine for his infirmities.  Some think this means he is to drink it.  This is false, there are infirmities that are external where wine is used as an antiseptic.  The good Samaritan poured wine into the wounds of the Jew who fell among thieves.  These wounds were infirmities.  One thing is here noted:  Paul did not authorize use of wine for any other purpose.  Thus, a person in need of wine as Paul prescribed was not to be "given to wine." Which means not to over-do the use beyond its medicinal purpose.  Drinking wine with meals and in social fellowship is not for medicinal purpose.

Titus 1:7--"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre."

Here is a wonderful thing to note:  Bishops are not to drink wine.  Men who desire this office have a requirement to abstain from wine.  Many novices and Ministers who covet the office of Bishop should not be going around seducing unstable souls to drink wine.

Titus 2:3--"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things."

Here is a text most who drink wine do not honor.  This text does not give open freedom to drink wine.  It gives "aged" women this right and again, I believe the use of wine is in its Biblical order and for medicinal purposes.

Several years ago near Orlando, Florida a UPC pastor fell into drinking wine for meals and in private with friends.  This went on for several years and eventually he became an alcoholic.  I went to this man's Church with Pastor W.S. Craig, of St. Petersburg, Florida, who was then a Presbyter of the district. The man was such a nice person, but he was an alcoholic and it was now time he had to resign because he had taken his drunkenness to Church and it was obvious he was drunk and trying to preach. He was not removed the night I was there with the Presbyter but some time later he did resign.  I can recount several more men over the years since 1968 and my Christian journey who stumbled and fell into alcoholism drinking wine because they believed they had a right.  No real man of God will drink wine except in the use of the Lord's Passover and it is respect to this Cup and this representation of the precious blood that will forbid them to drink at any other time.  This is the only sacrifice for which wine is used in our lives. For we who fellowship around the Lord's Table, there is ONE CUP!  We will not drink at the Table of the Lord and then go drink from our own table or the table of the devil.

Jesus drank wine and turned water into wine:
The argument is made that Jesus drank wine and his first miracle was turning water into wine, thus, this is the authority that all Christians can drink wine. At first glance this seems true.  But wait: under the Law the Temple of God was on Mount Moriah.  In this Temple no wine was to be brought and drank.  That was the Law.  What the people did with their bodies was not as regulated as the Temple.  But under the New Covenant our bodies become the Temple of God.  This was not the case under the Law and at the time Jesus lived.  It was not the case when Jesus turned water into wine. Those then were not the Temple of the Lord.  The transfer of the dwelling place of God from the Temple into the bodies of those saved, changed how men and women were to care for their bodies.  If God did not want wine and strong drink in the Tabernacle and used there apart from the sacrifice, why do men and women think God will now allow wine and strong drink in the body he has made his Temple?  True, Jesus body was the Temple of God, but where is there proof he drank wine or strong drink?  There is none!  Yes, Jesus did say he came eating and drinking and he was accused of being a glutton and a winebibber.  But did Jesus confess he drank wine here? No! What was it he drank?  We do not know because the Word does not say. To assume he drank wine because his accusers called him a winebibber, is to base doctrine on the blasphemy of Jews and not on an actual fact.  

Facts on wine:
Craving: - A desire or strong need, a compulsion to drink wine, is the sign of alcoholism onset.  Most people cover this up by trying to act normal and get others to drink with them. Social drinking is used as a cover-up of alcoholism. If you are invited to drink with someone tell them no thanks but they can drink if they wish.  Then observe the way this person drinks the wine. Do they sip or guzzle down a quick gulp.  Alcoholics learn how to hide their gulping or guzzling.  They will suck in a mouth full, swish it around in their mouth and then swallow, usually with a sigh like ahhhhhhhh!  They will wait a few minutes before hitting the glass again. If the person drinks more then a small glass within an hour, you can bet they are alcohol dependent and alcoholism onset has begun.  A person with alcoholism onset must increase the intake of wine as their body becomes tolerant of the alcohol.  Depending on the person, alcoholism can reach its fulness with two or three years of wine drinking.

Nearly 14 million people in the United States--1 in every 13 adults--are alcoholic. However, more men than women are alcohol dependent or experience alcohol-related problems. In addition, rates of alcohol problems are highest among young adults ages 18-29 and lowest among adults 65 years and older.

There are a number of long term health consequences of the consumption of alcohol. These include stomach disorders (gastritis, bleeding and ulcers), depression and other psychiatric and emotional disorders, vitamin deficiency, sexual difficulties, brain damage, muscle disease, nervous disorders, hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, and cancer of the mouth and throat.

Questions you can answer:
Have you ever wanted to stop drinking but your craving makes you buy wine?

If you answer yes to even one of the above, you have an alcoholic problem!

American beer has about 4.5% alcohol.
American wine has about 12% alcohol.

Beer has just as much health properties as wine.  Yet those "Christians" who drink wine will not drink beer, WHY?

In 2003, 43,220 people died on the highways due to alcohol.
403,795 people were admitted to hospitals in 2003 because of alcohol related accidents and problems.
More people were killed by alcohol drinking on Super Bowl Day then any other day of the year.
149,000 children injured in 2003 in alcohol related accidents.
There were over 5,500 deaths of children in 2003 caused by alcohol.
Alcohol consumption in the USA was 7 liters per person or approximately 2 1/2 large bottles of Coke or Pepsi (2 Liter bottles).  This amounts to approximately 2.450 billion liters per year total consumption.
Over 5,000 babies are born each year with severe birth defects because of the mother being an alcoholic.
The majority of divorces in the USA are because of adultery; the second most reason is alcohol and drug abuse.
Every year, doctors, lawyers, educators, and airplane pilots, lose jobs and their professional lives destroyed by alcohol addiction.
There are thousands of suicides each year caused by alcohol abuse.

Considering all the evil, hurt, and sorrow caused by alcohol, can a real Christian seduce others it's alright to drink wine for social fellowship?

Brother Jack, a good friend of many years fell into alcoholism.  It took many more years for him to get free of this demonic control.  Today, he is living for God and he desires to present his body a living sacrifice to his Lord Jesus.  When I mentioned to him about some ministers drinking wine for social fellowship he shook his head.  "They just do not know how easy it is for those who inherit a weakness for alcohol addiction to be destroyed," he said. To invite anyone to share a glass of wine is to place a stumbling block before your brother or sister and may cause their soul to be lost.  Can a real Church allow this conduct among its Ministers? No!

Ministers of whatever rank, who drink wine or other alcohol drinks must be sat down and not allowed on the platform for any reason and removed from all Church offices they might hold.  A Pastor has a duty and a responsibility to keep his platform clean of sin.  He cannot allow those who drink alcohol for pleasure to get behind his pulpit. The casual use of wine in the New Testament for medicinal purposes cannot be used as an excuse to drink wine.

If it is not a sin to drink wine, then it is not a sin to drink beer or whiskey.