The following is a monthly article written by Rev Kenneth Stewart to the Stornoway RPCS congregation…
Wine in the Lord’s Supper (Part One)
Dear congregation,
In church life, as in every area of the Christian life, it is our duty to understand what we do and why we do it.
And unless we make the effort to understand our practice, much of it will inevitably lapse into mere habit or ritual and may end up being disregarded completely – as has happened recently in our islands where the covering of the head in worship has been set aside for the sake of culture and fashion (i.e. human tradition).
Perhaps this is particularly the case concerning the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) where a lack of understanding has led to an accumulation of errors over many years.
Having already examined some of the current confusion regarding baptism, I would like to turn our attention, this month and next, to the Lord’s Supper and to consider the (relatively) recent trend of avoiding the use of wine in favour of grape juice, or some other juice, at the Lord’s Table.
As we will see, our use of wine in the Lord’s Supper is not only in line with the historic practice of the church right across Christendom but is also the biblical practice. However, its use has become problematic for many who refuse to take it on principle.
And while this may seem a small matter to some, it needs to be recognised that those who believe that wine should be used and those who believe that it should not be used cannot partake of the same elements.
Now, most of us will be aware that the Lord’s Table is intended both to demonstrate and deepen the unity of the Lord’s people and, that being the case, a profound disagreement regarding the nature of the elements is bound to disrupt that unity in a tragic and unacceptable manner.
All the more reason, then, to understand the reason biblical reasoning behind our practice and to find a way forward.
General Context
To set this issue in its wider context, we need to begin by considering what the Bible has to say about wine and other forms of alcoholic drink in general.
And while all Christians acknowledge that drunkenness is a sin (‘Do not be drunk with wine’ Eph. 5:18 – see also Proverbs 23:20; Isaiah 5:11), and a sin which breeds untold misery in the lives of all connected with it, not all Christians agree as to whether there is such a thing as a lawful use of alcoholic drinks. On this issue, professing Christians will be found advocating one of the following three positions.
First, prohibition. As the name indicates, the person who advocates prohibition believes that the Bible prohibits the use of alcoholic drinks for everyone.
Second, abstention. Although the person who advocates abstention acknowledges that the Bible allows the use of alcoholic drinks, he believes, mainly on Biblical grounds, that it is wise for him – and possibly for others – to refrain from using them.
Third, moderation. The advocate of moderation believes that the Bible allows, and indeed commends, the use of alcoholic drinks – but only in moderation and, therefore, never to the point of impaired judgement or loss of self-control either in mind or body. Indeed, if a person finds himself, for whatever reason, unable to exercise self-control in relation to alcoholic drink, he may find that abstention is the only answer – although, as we shall see, this abstention should not extend to refraining from the Lord’s Supper.
Historic Implication for Lord’s Supper
It isn’t surprising that the view taken on this particular issue has affected the way in which churches have viewed the Lord’s Supper.
With the rise of the temperance movement in the late 19th century, with its twin emphasis on abstention and – preferably – prohibition, it was no surprise that a significant number of churches would move away from using wine at the Lord’s Supper and begin to use grape juice or some other alternative instead.
What was a surprise, however, was the slow pace of this move away from wine: Indeed, it is only in the last 70 years or so that the pace has really accelerated.
The reason for the reluctance to change was that the original abstentionists considered the Lord’s Supper to be an exception to the abstentionist rule – in other words, they believed that the Lord’s Supper demanded the use of wine.
However, as the 20th century progressed, and as American Fundamentalism began to deepen and spread, those who advocated prohibition began to extend that prohibition to the Lord’s Supper a well and so non-alcoholic alternatives began to replace wine in the Lord’s Supper.
Of course, this meant that the question had now assumed a new importance: It was no longer an issue that pertained to life in general but an issue which touched one of the most intimate areas of Christian worship.
So then, in the light of the increasing practice of avoiding wine, particularly by ‘conscientious objectors’, should we continue to use it? Is our practice right? Is it biblical? And does it matter?
As reformed Christians, our source of authority is the Bible and so we need to hear what it says. We can begin with the Old Testament.
Old Testament
It can be a surprise to discover that there are many words used to describe alcoholic drinks in the Old Testament:
Ordinary wine
The most common Hebrew word for wine appears well over 100 times in the Bible. It is the word used for the wine which intoxicated Noah (Genesis 9:21), Lot (Genesis 19:32-35), Nabal (1 Samuel 25:36-37) and many others (Isaiah 28:1, 7) – which, of course, tells us that this wine must have been fermented wine (that is, wine with an alcoholic content).
However, this same word is used for the wine which God gives as a blessing to his people (Deuteronomy 14:26; Psalm 104:14-15; Proverbs 9:1-5; Isaiah 55:1; Amos 9:13-15) and which Melchizedek – who was both a type of Christ and a priest of the Most High God – gave to Abraham (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:3).
It is this same wine which God also commanded to be brought to Him as an offering in worship (Exodus 29:38, 40; Leviticus 23:13; Numbers 15:5, 7, 10).
New Wine
Another Hebrew word – meaning ‘new wine’ – is used nearly 40 times in the Old Testament.
While the abuse of this wine could ‘enslave the heart’ (Hosea 4:11) – which indicates that it contained alcohol – it is, nonetheless, a ‘blessing’ from God (Genesis 27:28,37; Deuteronomy 7:13; Proverbs 3:10). Indeed, to be without this new wine was a sign of God’s curse upon the land (Deuteronomy 28:51).
Sweet Wine
Again, although abusing this sweet wine would result in drunkenness (Isaiah 49:26; Joel 1:5), this wine is used as an illustration of the blessings to come in the days of Christ (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13)
Mixed Wine
A rare Hebrew word for wine refers to the process of mixing wine with either with spices (Proverbs 9:2, 5) or with another stronger drink (Isaiah 5:22) Although it clearly had the power to intoxicate (Isaiah 5:22), it is also used to describe a part of the feast prepared for believers by God’s Wisdom (Proverbs 9:2, 5)
Strong Drink (a)
One Hebrew word used for strong drink in the Bible is also rare: It only occurs three times in the Old Testament (Isaiah 1:22; Hosea 4:18 and Nahum 1:10).
In the first of these instances, God condemns Jerusalem because she ‘has become a harlot’ and because her ‘silver has become dross (and her) wine mixed with water’ (Isaiah 1:22).
We should note here that diluting the wine with water is not considered a good thing. This contradicts the common argument to the effect that the wine used in biblical times was diluted with water to limit its alcoholic content so as to render it more or less negligible.
While that is not the case, it is fair to say that the wine in common use then was much weaker than many of the wines on common sale today. In our supermarkets, inferior wine carries a far greater percentage of alcohol making it more dangerous as well as less pleasant.
Strong Drink (b)
Another Hebrew word for strong drink, used just over 20 times in the Old Testament, is universally acknowledged to be a strong alcoholic drink. However, although it clearly had the power to intoxicate (Proverbs 20:1; Isaiah 5:11), it was to be offered as a drink offering to the Lord in worship (Numbers 28:7) and to be consumed unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 14:26).
Aside from any other evidence, this is sufficient in itself to demonstrate that alcoholic drinks were in use in worship as well as in social contexts. This will become important when we come to discuss the Lord’s Supper later.
Grape Juice
Finally, we come to the word in the Hebrew language which means ‘grape juice’. And, remarkably, it is only used once in the Old Testament, in Numbers 6:3 where the Nazarite is not only forbidden from drinking wine and strong drink but is also prohibited from drinking grape juice. Note that this grape juice is distinguished from wine.
Occasions on which wine was prohibited
There were four circumstances in which alcoholic drinks were prohibited in the Old Testament:
Priests in God’s worship
Priests were forbidden to use alcoholic drinks while ministering before the Lord in the Tabernacle.
This was probably to ensure that their judgment was not impaired, in a most holy context, so that they might not incur the wrath of God.
In the context of this prohibition, there may be a suggestion that drunkenness might have been one reason why Nadab and Abihu sinned by offering ‘strange’ or ‘unauthorised’ fire before the Lord (something we will consider soon in the preaching – see Lev 10:9).
However, the priests were given new wine from the first fruits offerings for their use outside of the sanctuary.
Kings on judgment seats
Kings were forbidden the use of alcoholic drinks while sitting as judges of the realm in courts. As was the case with the priests (see above), this was to prevent their judgment being impaired (Proverbs 31:4, 5).
Nazirites in observing vows
In order to demonstrate their special, and symbolic, consecration to God, Nazirites were to refrain from several things which were lawfully enjoyed by others (Num. 6:2-6).
To argue, as some do, that the Nazirite vow is effectively urging New Testament believers to refrain from alcohol would only make sense if it was also urging them to refrain from grapes, grape juice, vinegar, raisins, haircuts and funerals (Numbers 6: 3-7).
Also, those who draw such a direct line from the Nazirite to the New Testament Christian overlook the fact that it was lawful for the Nazirites to drink the very wine that was forbidden by vow once their vow had expired (Numbers 6:3, 20) – unless, of course, they were life-long Nazirites like Samson and John the Baptist.
Rechabites in observing vows
The vow of the Rechabites to abstain from wine (Jeremiah 35:1-19) was a voluntary vow and, as well as involving abstention from wine, it also involved abstention from other lawful activities such as building houses, sowing seed, and planting vineyards – all of which activities were clearly lawful for others.
The Rechabites did not, of course, condemn others for drinking wine, planting vineyards, sowing seed or building houses.
Conclusion from the Old Testament Evidence
First, in the light of all we’ve seen, it is quite evident that the ‘wine’ and the ‘strong drink’ referred to in the Old Testament, as listed above, were alcoholic drinks.
Second, it is equally evident that, in the Old Testament, these drinks were to be received as a gift from God. Although open to abuse, as are all God’s gifts, their provision is presented as a blessing and they were to be enjoyed as such.
Third, these drinks were used in both social and religious contexts. In social contexts, their use was to be characterised by moderation while in religious (worship) contexts, their use was precisely regulated by God.
While it is unclear whether the drink offerings were entirely offered to God or whether partly consumed by the one making the offering, it is nonetheless the case that wine and strong drink were used in worship and were also drunk ‘before the Lord’ (Deuteronomy 14:26)
This lawful and commanded use of alcohol in worship settings as well as in social settings should immediately leave us open to a possible lawful and commanded use under the new covenant as well. And this is precisely what we find when we turn to the evidence from the New Testament, as we’ll see next time…
Your minister
