Alcohol or wine?

And we jumped into argument when I politely asked him if he needed soft drink or something else. His reply was so odd to me. He said “Do I look like someone who takes alcohol?” As if he knew that I will be a weakling during the argument, I started giving him some facts. And he said “I will get back to you” at the end of the short conversation we had. I wish he could read the remaining part in this article because I promise to give him answers from the scriptures.

Now the topic of our argument “The bible said wine.” It was now left for me to tell him that wine and alcohol is not far-fetched. I started telling him that wine is alcohol and “nonalcoholic wine” does not exist in itself but as a “juice” instead. I can’t believe that there are some people in this world who still do not believe that the bible is not against wine or alcohol when taken appropriately. In short let me believe that this man thinks that the bible supports the intake of wine. But while on earth will he not know that that wine in the bible being referred to has alcoholic content.

Now what is “Wine”?

Wine according to Oxford dictionary of Current English means “an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice”. It also defined it as “a fermented alcoholic drink made from other fruits or plant”, meaning Palm wine (from nature) is an alcohol drink. And alcohol in itself are drinks such as wine, beer, and spirit. Chemically, alcohol is any organic compound containing a group –OH. It could also be that colourless flammable liquid which is the ingredient that gives drinks such as wine, beer, and spirits their intoxicating effect.

So now what are we now saying?

I just hope he will not need a ‘native doctor’ to tell him that wine is alcoholic and it’s therefore an alcohol. The two daughters of Lot made their father drink wine and lay with him in Gen 19:32. How on earth will grape juice get someone drunk as he claimed the wine in the bible is not the intoxicating alcohol? That is by the way “sha”. Then the next argument. What does the bible says about wine?

Jim Blackburn in his article “Got Wine?” argued that Jesus drank wine. He said “In fact, he drank wine - the fermented kind, not grape juice, as some will claim – and apparently he drank a fair amount of it”. He defended his claim in Luke 7:34. In that verse Jesus was accused of being a drunk. Or is it the popular verse 1 Tim 5:3 which indicates that wine (alcohol) has health benefits.

In fact the book of Genesis shows that everything that God made was good. Gen 1:25. So why will God create that (wine) which is not good? I think we ourselves has made the good things turned out to be bad due to the way in which it was used or exploited. Let us apply temperance in anything we enjoy on earth whether alcohol, food, money etc.

My conclusion as seen from the scriptures is that drinking in itself is no sin but excessive drinking should not be encouraged. That is where temperance comes in. Like the CCC puts it as stated by Jim “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air” (CCC 2290)

Note: CCC is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Aguri M. C.