Is it OK to drink a little wine?

20 responses so far ↓

• 1 Christy // Nov 10, 2008

  I don’t know the exact verse, but if Jesus turned water into wine, then I guess it’s okay to have a little.

• 2 Fireball // Nov 10, 2008

  yes….
  im sure you can find your own verses…im busy

• 3 9876543210 // Nov 10, 2008

  priests turn wine into the blood of christ

• 4 LtJaysus // Nov 10, 2008

  Jesus did it…so I guess you should be ok

• 5 Christy Gerald // Nov 10, 2008

  I Tim 5:23

  Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

• 6 Aslan // Nov 10, 2008

  Sorry I’m not exactly sure where it is but the Bible said that Jesus turned water into wine so i would say yes.

• 7 Nature Boy // Nov 10, 2008

  Yes. Jesus turned water into wine. If it wasn’t OK, He wouldn’t have done it.

  Make sense?

  Deus vobiscum

• 8 Praise the Lord! // Nov 10, 2008

  Numbers 6:3He 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.

  The wine that Jesus drank was just grape juice. It was not fermented the way we know wine today. The reason why they always drank wine was because their water was not fit to drink.

• 9 SoapyJoan // Nov 10, 2008

  “Thou shalt not drink wine”…guess not.

• 10 Lovey ♥ // Nov 10, 2008

  Coconut milk is better.

• 11 monmichka // Nov 10, 2008

  1 Timothy 5:23 - Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your often infirmities.

• 12 tribe_chief // Nov 10, 2008

  "I've found my new favorite cold wine; Plum."

• 13 freebird76 // Nov 10, 2008

  Scripture contains many warnings regarding the drinking of alcohol (Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:3; Deuteronomy 29:6; Judges 13:4,7,14; 1 Samuel 1:15; Proverbs 20:1; 31:4,6; Isaiah 5:11,22; 24:9; 28:7; 29:9; 56:12; Micah 2:11; Luke 1:15). However, Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. In fact, some Scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs “drink wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing. Isaiah 55:11 encourages “yes, come buy wine and milk…”

  What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects (Proverbs 23:29-35). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19). Drinking alcohol in excess is undeniably addictive. Scripture also forbids a Christian from doing anything that might offend other Christians or might encourage them to sin against their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). In light of these principles, it would be extremely difficult for any Christian to say he is drinking alcohol to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

  Jesus changed water into wine. It even seems that Jesus drank wine on occasion (John 2:1-11; Matthew 26:29). In New Testament times, the water was not very clean. Without modern sanitation efforts, the water was often filled with bacteria, viruses, and all kinds of contaminants. The same is true in many third-world countries today. As a result, people often drank wine (or grape juice) because it was far less likely to be contaminated. In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul was instructing Timothy to stop drinking the water (which was probably causing his stomach problems) and instead drink wine. In that day, wine was fermented (containing alcohol), but necessarily not to the degree it is today. It is incorrect to say that it was grape juice, but it is also incorrect to say that it was the same thing as the wine commonly used today. Again, Scripture does not necessarily forbid Christians from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. Alcohol is not, in and of itself, tainted by sin. It is, rather, drunkenness and addiction to alcohol that a Christian must absolutely refrain from (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12).

  Alcohol, consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful or addictive. In fact, some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol is a matter of Christian freedom. Drunkenness and addiction are sin. However, due to the Biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its effects, due to the easy temptation to over-consumption of alcohol, and due to the possibility of causing offense and/or stumbling of others – it is usually best for a Christian to abstain entirely from drinking alcohol.

  Hope this Helped God Bless

• 14 tucker // Nov 10, 2008

  Ecclesiastes 9:7….Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy,and drink thy wine with a merry heart. However there are verses forbidding too much wine.

• 15 Eiliat // Nov 10, 2008

  Everyone in the Bible drank wine. Anyone who says differently knows nothing about the Bible nor the times when it was written. Wine was not another word for grape juice, as someone said, and it was always fermented. It was impossible to not ferment it until recently.

• 16 zeitgeist // Nov 10, 2008

  Instead of looking for a verse that says it is OK to drink a little wine, why not look for the converse?

  The Bible is pretty specific in stating that one should not * get drunk *. There are obvious health benefits in observing such a command. Beyond that, it says nothing.

  Those who say drinking alcohol is a sin are completely off-base and do those both and out of the faith a disservice by piling on human-derived commands that never initially existed.

• 17 Heather H // Nov 10, 2008

  In John 2 Jesus changes water to wine so that they would not be out of wine at the wedding party. He wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t ok.

• 18 MUDARTHA // Nov 10, 2008

  Not really. The Bible does not specify much about it. St.Paul wrote to Timothy do not drink water, but take a little wine. That was for his stomach’s sake, as a treatment. But the Bible clearly says do not be drunk, but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit.

  A little wine to start with will lead to more wine eventually, and to addiction. Do not start and there is no growth. Good for health, good for your budget.

  May God Bless you

• 19 Barney // Nov 10, 2008

  Yes it's ok to drink wine. Use it in moderation though. It's beneficial to the heart and other things.

  1 Timothy 5:23 (King James Version)
  Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

  The verses that mention not drinking wine (as some have posted) were put forth to certain preists and/or against the obusive use of it.

• 20 Elder Greg (((SFCU))) // Nov 10, 2008

  The Scriptures speak often of the destructive power of alcohol. The consumption of alcohol impairs judgment, inflames passions, and invites violence (Lev. 10:8-11; Prov. 20:1, 23:29-35, 31:4,5).

  There are 637 references to wine, drink and drinking in the King James Version of the Bible. Most people think in today’s terms, believing that when wine is mentioned it refers to alcoholic wine. Actually, that is not necessarily true. Thirteen different words are translated “wine” in the King James Version of the Bible. The word wine has a wide range of meaning in the Bible, covering everything from grape juice, to concentrated grape syrup to alcoholic wine.

  Old Testament Hebrew Words for Wine…

  “yayin” — It is a general term for grape beverages and includes all classes of wine, non-alcoholic or alcoholic; unfermented, in the process of fermentation and fermented. (Proverbs 31:4) The context will show whether it is alcoholic wine or not. Yayin, when used properly was always diluted with water.

  “shekar” — It is the word for strong drink, unmixed wine. Yakin is wine to be distinguished from Shekar, or strong drink. The former is diluted with water; the later is undiluted.” Shekar was not diluted with water.” (Numbers 28:7)

  “Tirosh” — This word refers to fresh grape juice. It is referred to often as new wine or sweet wine. (Proverbs 3:10; Deuteronomy 7:13)

  New Testament Greek Words for Wine…

  “oinos” is the counterpart to the Old Testament word yayin. It is a general term for grape beverages and includes all classes of wine, non-alcoholic or alcoholic; fermented or unfermented. The context has to be used to determine whether the drink was intoxicating or not. (Luke 10:34; Ephesians 5:18). Oinos, when used properly was always diluted with water.

  “sikera” is the counterpart to the Old Testament word shekar. It is the word for strong drink, unmixed wine. (Luke 1:15)

  “gleukos” is the counterpart to the Old Testament word tirosh. This refers to fresh wine, a new wine or freshly squeezed grape juice.

  Why believers should abstain from drinking alcohol…

  1. Drinking leads to Drunkenness

  Drunkenness is condemned in the Bible
  Isaiah 5:11, Proverbs 23:20, Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:19a & 21, Ephesians 5:18
  Drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God
  1 Corinthians 6:9-10

  The fact is that the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness. Drunkenness is a serious matter.

  2. The Bible condemns strong drink
  Proverbs 20:1, Isaiah 5:11, Proverbs 23:29-31

  What was strong drink in Bible times?

  Distillation was not discovered until about 1500 A.D. Strong drink and unmixed wine in Bible times was from 3% to 11% alcohol. Therefore, since anybody in biblical times who drank unmixed wine (9-11% alcohol) was definitely considered a barbarian, then it is obvious that a Christian should not drink hard liquor at all.

  Christians should not drink strong drink. Since wine has 9 to 11% alcohol and one brand 20% alcohol, you should not drink that. Brandy contains 15 to 20% alcohol and hard liquor has 40 to 50% alcohol (80 to 100 proof), and that is obviously excluded.

  3. In Bible times what Christians drank was sub-alcoholic (purified water).

  Remember the Hebrew word “yayin” and the Greek word “oinos”. These were the companion words for wine whether fermented or unfermented. In fact, whether fermented or not, it was mixed with water.

  All alcoholic beverages used in our culture fall under the biblical classification of strong drink and are therefore forbidden. The least ratio of water to wine mixture used in Bible times was 3 parts water to 1 wine. That produced a sub-alcoholic drink that was 2.5% to 2.75% alcohol. Normally, the ratio was even higher, up to 20 to 1. There is no Biblical support for a Christian to drink alcoholic beverages today. What early believers drank was sub-alcoholic by today’s standards. Pastors and deacons were cautioned to steer around even the sub-alcoholic stuff (I Timothy 3:3 & 8).

  Drinking, even social drinking cannot be legitimately supported by the Bible. Every drink that is available today, even beer, falls into the category of unmixed or strong drink. Clearly, Christians should not drink alcoholic beverages. Drinking socially is a worldly activity and in light of the fact that believers are neither to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2) nor love the world(I John 2:15) our choice should be clear. We are to be separate from the worldly system (II Corinthians 6:17) and a light to the world (Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15).

  Social drinking has not enhanced the acceptability for some, who call themselves Christians in society, it does not advanced the cause of Christ, and it does not glorify God, Social drinking is simply a means which the devil uses to blunt our testimony for Christ and squeeze us into his mold.

  Hope this helps.

  Elder Greg
  (((SFCU)))