Page 661 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

WINE

priests and prophets were engaged in the drinking of 5. Jesus did not drink or make alcoholic wine. Here are
alcoholic wine! Thus we see that the problem of ten proofs from Scripture.
preachers recommending alcohol is not new. Six The first reason is because of His holy nature. In
hundred years before Christ, demon alcohol had worked Hebrews 7:26, we read that the Lord Jesus is “holy,
its way into religion. harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” No doubt,
4. The making of alcoholic beverages is not a strictly the Saviour, being God in the flesh, had an air of
natural process. Years ago I took for granted that if you holiness about Himself that could be seen by even the
took the juice of a grape and let it alone, not most casual observer. For instance, the profane soldiers,
refrigerating it, it would automatically, in time, turn into who were sent to arrest Him, gave as their reason for
alcoholic wine. There are several reasons why this is not returning without Him, that “never a man spake like
true. It takes more than time to make wine. Sometimes this man.” (John 7:46) The words of Jesus were
people try to defend its use by saying that it must be different; He, no doubt, had a very holy appearance,
good because God made it. But, the fact is, God did not character, and speech. Why is this so important?
make it. Man has learned how to make alcoholic liquors Consider this illustration. The word “cider” may mean
through processes that he has invented. Wine-makers an alcoholic beverage, or plain apple juice. Suppose we
know that one must have the correct amount of water, lived during the 1920s, prohibition days, and were
sugar, and temperature to make wine. Keeping grape approached by two people offering us a drink of cider.
juice in a refrigerator would prevent if from fermenting, One of the persons, we knew to be one of the holiest
because the temperature is not right. Likewise, hot, men in town, faithful to the house of God, separated
tropical temperature would prevent fermentation. from the world, diligent in prayers, always witnessing to
In ancient days, before we had refrigeration and others; the other was a known liquor dealer. If each one
vacuum-sealing ability, people learned to preserve the offered us a drink of “his very own cider,” we would
juice of the grape without turning it into alcoholic wine. assume that the holy person’s was no more than apple
Many people boiled it down into a thick syrup. By doing juice, but there would be no doubt about our opinion
so, they could preserve it for long periods of time. When regarding the liquor dealer’s cider! Obviously, the
they got ready to drink it, they would simply add the character of a person influences what that one does.
water to the consistency desired, in much the same way Since the Lord Jesus Christ was “holy, harmless,
that we take frozen concentrates and add water. In Bible undefiled, separate from sinners,” we may safely assume
days, contrary to what many believe, it was not that He would not make that which is called in
necessary for everyone to drink alcoholic wine as a table Scripture a mocker and deceiver of man, causing untold
beverage. misery.
I recommend the book entitled Bible Wines and the A second reason: He would not contradict Scripture. In
Laws of Fermentation by William Patton (Challenge Matthew 5:17-18, Christ made this clear, saying, “Think
Press). More than a hundred years ago, this preacher not that I am come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I
was the only one in his town who believed in total say unto you Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
abstinence. He saw that it was necessary to make an tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
extensive study to see what Scripture taught. This book fulfilled.” Therefore, Christ could not have contradicted
is the result of that labor and is the very best thing I Hab. 2:15, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
have read on the subject. drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him
[Editor’s Note: One point of Patton’s book is that the drunken also, that thou mayest look on their
making of alcoholic wine requires input from man. It nakedness!”
requires the addition of certain additives (though it Certainly, Jesus knew that this verse was in the Bible;
might be something as simple as sugar) and the control He was well-acquainted with Scripture, since it is His
of temperature, etc. The natural processes alone will Word and was written about Him. He did not come to
produce fermentation under certain conditions, but violate Scripture, but to fulfill it. He could not have
these natural processes, if unaided by man, rapidly done so, if He had made alcoholic wine and had given it
move to a vinegar state. The alcoholic beverages to his neighbor.
industry is very much a man-made thing. Natural Some people object to the use of this verse by saying
process are PERVERTED by man. that it would apply only to one who would give his
Now we come to the longest point in this entire neighbor drink for the purpose of looking on his
study, but one which is most important, chiefly because nakedness. But we must remember: when one gives his
so many insist that Jesus made and drank alcoholic neighbor something which will make him drunk, he is
wine. putting himself in the very class of those who do so in
order to look on their nakedness. And since the

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 661