Our last post, The Joy of the Vine Is in the Wine,  demonstrated 7 reasons that wine in the Bible contained alcohol. And if the post did not convince you, read Kenneth Gentry’s book, God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol.

We have been defending the fact that God gave His seal of approval for certain foods and drinks that are controversial in today’s society. Presently we are discussing wine in the Bible. Today will explore the fact that God not only approves of wine, but in certain circumstances He even commands its use.

As Christians we have an obligation to “obey all that He commanded us” and to teach others to do the same. “Obeying” all that God commands includes abstaining from certain behaviors. Beyond this we have “Christian liberty” or freedom. God’s law is so simple, but man loves to add to it.

No where is there a command to not drink wine in the Bible. Yet the command to drink wine in certain circumstances is evident — as you will see below. When God does not “forbid” something in the Scripture, neither can we forbid it. To do so is an act of Pharisee-ism and legalism, an adding to the law of God. But as we will see, God not only does not forbid wine, He is pleased with it. Wine is a gift from God to be enjoyed on His terms, just like sexual intimacy and food are to be enjoyed on His terms. Our last post shared 7 reasons that wine in the Bible contained alcohol. And today we will double the evidence that God approves wine in the Bible.

Below are 14 reasons that Christians are allowed (or even commanded) to drink wine in the Bible.

14 Reasons God Approves Wine in the Bible

1. The Bible commands Christians to drink wine in Bible. This is an oft overlooked use of wine in the Bible. But the Lord Himself instituted Communion with wine — not grape juice. Many churches and leaders feel they know better than God here and choose to use grape juice for Communion. But this is NOT what God commanded. Rather, Christ took the cup of wine, gave thanks to God for it, and said, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” And Paul instructs that the communion cup should be offered in remembrance until the Lord’s return. See I Corinthians 11:26.
2. God created grapes to ferment into wine. God is the very creator of the universe and all it contains. He created grapes with the natural ability to ferment into wine. Pasteurization of wine (grape juice) was not popularized until 1864 when the Methodist Episcopal Church adopted the use of unfermented wine in Communion as a response to the rise in alcohol abuse. Thomas Welch, the notorious name behind the famous juice brand and a Methodist, “invented a method of pasteurizing grape juice so that fermentation was stopped, and the drink was non-alcoholic. He persuaded local churches to adopt this non-alcoholic ‘wine’ for communion services, calling it ‘Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine.'” [1] Man had to “intervene” on God’s design in order to stop the fermentation of wine.
3. God gave wine to man to drink. Psalm 104: 14-15 paints a picture of how God has given types of vegetation for man and beast. “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.” God made grass for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate into three types of food: wine, bread, and oil. This verse iterates the reason that God gave grapes: to make wine.
4. Wine gladdens man’s heart by God’s design. Psalm 104: 14-15 also gives the God inspired purpose and design of wine:  to “gladden human hearts.” How does wine gladden the human heart? It is through the alcohol which is naturally created through fermentation. Read more here: The Joy of the Vine is in the Wine. And if you want a technical analysis of the alcohol content of wine in the Bible read Kenneth Gentry’s God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol.
5. God encourages the drinking of alcohol. That God created grapes to ferment into wine to gladden the heart is strong proof that God allows the drinking of wine. But there is more. The Bible actually encourages the drinking of wine in times of fellowship, worship, and celebration. According to Deuteronomy, part of man’s tithe was to be set aside for a big party before the Lord in worship. The people were to tithe oxen, sheep, new wine, and oil. Those who were to come from a long distance were instructed to sell their tithe (since it would be hard to journey with) and to “spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.” Read Deuteronomy 14: 22-27 to learn more of this “produce” tithe which included “wine, or strong drink.”
6. There are health benefits to drinking wine in the Bible. In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul instructs Timothy to “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” It was only a few chapters earlier that Paul instructed overseers to not be addicted to wine. By later instructing Timothy to drink wine, Paul is warning against a legalist view that wine should be avoided all together. And Paul introduces a secondary purpose for drinking wine: wine not only makes the heart glad, but it is also good medicine.
7. Abundant wine is a blessing from the Lord. Proverbs 3:9-10 promises that those who are generous toward God will be blessed with plenty of food and wine. The verses read: “Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” God gave wine, it is a blessing, and there are health benefits. And those who honor God from their wealth can expect wine in abundance.
8. Lack of wine is a curse from the Lord. Deuteronomy 28 spells out the blessings and the curses that followers of God can expect upon a nation that serves or turns away from God’s law. Verse 11 tells that a nation blessed by God can expect “abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground.” We’ve already seen three ways these crops are used: wine, oil, and bread. Verse 39 demonstrates what will happen to those who do not obey God: “You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.” Clearly, lack of wine is part of a curse upon a nation. To learn more about the blessings and curses that come through obedience, read How Blessed Is the Nation: 7 Steps to Restore America to Greatness.
9. Jesus provided wine to wedding guests in abundance. At the wedding in Cana, the hosts ran out of wine. This was a great faux pax and embarrassment to the bridegroom’s family. Mary implored her son, Jesus, to fix the matter. John chapter 2 records Jesus instructing servants to fill 6  jugs with water. Each had the capacity to hold 20-30 gallons. The net product of Jesus’ miracle was 120-180 gallons of wine. He could have instructed the servants to fill only one or two jugs. But Jesus made sure that the guests would be able to drink whatever their hearts desired in this great celebration. 120-180 gallons of wine would be equivalent to 605-908 bottles (.750 ml) of wine. Keeping in mind that this was really good wine, the value was astronomical. Good reserve wine can retail as much as $100 a bottle or more. That is like $60,500 to $90,800 worth of wine in todays terms. God supplied wine in abundance to guests at the wedding in Cana.
10. Jesus drank wine in the Bible. If the above evidence is not enough to put the stamp of approval on the product of the vine, consider that Jesus Himself drank wine. And by necessity of the gospel, it was imperative that Jesus be without sin. Yet He drank wine. And as an added curiosity, the Pharisees accused Him of being a drunkard. This is a great reminder to not judge wine drinkers, for Jesus was one. We do not want to be in the legalistic camp of the Pharisees. See Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34.
11. Wine is a symbol of Messianic blessing [2]. We already saw that abundant wine is a blessing from God and lack of wine is part of God’s curse. But wine is also a symbol of Messianic blessing which comes through Christ.  Isaiah 25:6 prophesies that “The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.” Here the blessed abundance of wine will include “a banquet of aged wine” and “refined, aged wine.” If wine were forbidden to the believer, it would never be served by God at a banquet as a picture of Messianic blessing.
12. Wine is approved for the believer. Solomon, the wisest man on earth, gave instructions to those whose works are approved by God. He writes in Ecclesiastes 9:7: “Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.” Only those who have the righteousness of Christ have works that are approved by God. Therefore we are instructed to eat our bread in happiness and drink our wine with a cheerful heart. This is all part of God’s blessing and design for the produce of the field.
13. A priest of the Most High God served bread and wine. Some see Melchizedek as mysterious unidentifiable man. Others see him as a pre-incarnate Christ figure. Genesis 14:18-20 records that he was a priest of the Most High God and that he brought out “bread and wine” to serve to Abraham. Could this have been a foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper? We can only speculate. But what we do know for certain: Melchizedek was a man of God who served bread and wine to his guests.  Should we not be able to do the same? Read Genesis 14:18-20 and the surrounding context for more of this unusual story.
14. God promised to protect wine so it could be imbibed in God’s sanctuary. We started with Communion and we will end with it. In Isaiah 62:8-9, God promises that He will protect the produce of the vine, namely wine, so men could drink it in God’s sanctuary. “The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm, ‘I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies; Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.’ But those who garner it will eat it and praise the LORD; And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.” Jesus, the Messiah, fulfilled this promise given in Isaiah 62. God promised to preserve the fruit of the vine so it could be consumed in His sanctuary. At our church, we remember this weekly as we take the Lord’s Supper with the wine that God has provided, promoted, and protected.

The above demonstrates beautifully that God not only gave alcohol to be enjoyed, but he approves it; promotes it; provides it; and even commands it. Only Pharisees condemn that which God approves.

While alcohol is a great blessing from God, it can be abused — and with great consequence. Our next post will explore the warnings in the Bible against excess use of alcohol.

Next: Do Not Be Drunk with Wine: 30 Warnings in the Bible

Return to: Biblical Health Study

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch

[2] Gentry, Jr., Kenneth. God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol. p. 103

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Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

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© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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