inchristalone221 said:
Anyway, I have not yet decided. Please, continue this discussion, I'd like to hear more to help me make up my mind.
A sermon by Rev. Bill Smith who is now pastor at
Community Presbyterian Church (PCA) Louisville, Ky:
THE CUP OF COMMUNION
The entire subject of alcohol stirs great controversy for many, especially within the church. Emotional issues most always arise when speaking about the issue. A person who has seen the horrid effects of the abuse of alcohol many times associate the evil with the substance itself. Because of this, their views on the subject are governed by their emotions. If people follow their feelings, they will inevitably be led astray. Our emotions must not govern what we think.
Now, when someone says something about wine at communion, that is almost blasphemous to many. But here again our consciences must be held captive by the Word of God and not by emotional tempests or cultural mores. From the beginning of this presentation, I want to make the conclusion perfectly clear: the Bible¹s teaching concerning wine along with the practice of Christ dictate to us that we should have wine in communion as proper, biblical worship of God in the sacrament of the Lord¹s Supper.
Some people may wonder, ³Why even pursue this subject when there are many other important things to deal with?² There are several reasons that I can give.
1. It is a biblical teaching.
The responsibility of the minister of Christ is to teach you the whole counsel of God. The responsibility of each member of the church is to learn the whole counsel of God. Though this matter is not essential to your justification before God, it is, nevertheless, important because it is in the Bible. God is not narrowly concerned with your justification only. There is much to living in relationship with Him. This is part of it.
2. It is part of a sacrament in the church.
I think that all Christians will agree that the sacraments are an important aspect of the life of the church. Therefore, I will not take the time to defend their importance. The Lord¹s Supper is vital in the worship of the people of God. Because it is a part of worship, it is important that we worship God the way He has prescribed. We believe in what is called the regulative principle of worship. This simply means that the Bible dictates to us what is acceptable and unacceptable for our worship. So, what substance we use at the Table should be prescribed by God.
3. God demands that His worship be pure.
God is a God of details. He expects things to be done the way He has prescribed them. In fact, He is the only One that can tell us how we are to worship Him. Much time is spent in His revelation dealing with matters of worship. Those who decided that they did not need to listen to God¹s instructions concerning worship sometimes suffered severe penalties (e.g., Nadab and Abihu, Lev 10:1-3). Many times God has mercy on our ignorance. But He will not tolerate our rebellion.
With these initial considerations mentioned, we now need to move into the study of the ³cup of communion² itself. There are some varying beliefs about the nature of the substance spoken of as ³wine² in the Bible. Some people believe that it is no more than the unfermented juice of the grape. I believe that the biblical record is clear that this is not the case. In fact, the only way to draw the conclusion that the Bible speaks about non-alcoholic wine is to come to the text with the preconceived notion that alcohol is evil in and of itself. The words used in Scripture to speak about ³wine² (and other like substances) clearly refer to drinks by which a person may become intoxicated. Although the Bible does not endorse intoxication, the wine spoken of in all contexts has the ability to intoxicate.
The Bible and Alcohol
1. Biblical Words for Alcoholic Beverages
As I said earlier, there are many who claim that the biblical words for wine and other substances do not necessarily mean that they were alcoholic. In order to determine this, we must let God speak for Himself in His Word. We will first examine the four main words used in the Old Testament and then turn to the two main words used in the New Testament..
Old Testament Words for Alcoholic Beverages
From the beginning we must agree that the Old Testament sets the precedent for our view of alcohol in the Bible. We still believe that the whole of Scripture is ³profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, [and] for instruction in righteousness² (2Tim 3:16).
There are four major words used in the Old Testament for alcoholic beverages. The first of these is yayin (NyÅ¥y ). This word is normally translated wine. This word is used one hundred forty-one times in the Old Testament to describe the fermented juice of grapes. It is, by far, the word used most to speak about ³wine.²
Some have tried to argue that this drink, at least in certain cases, is non-alcoholic. But there is no precedent for that whatever.In fact just the opposite is true. The first time the word is used in the Bible is in Genesis 9:21, 24. This is the case of Noah and his vineyard. Noah becomes inebriated off of yayin. So from the precedent of the first use we find that this word is used to speak of a substance that has intoxicating abilities.
Other examples abound. Lot¹s daughters intoxicate their Father with yayin and have relations with him (Gen 19:32-35). Eli thought Hannah was intoxicated with yayin (1Sam 1:14, 15). Nabal was drunk with yayin (1Sam 25:37). King Ahasuerus was made ³merry² (we know what that means) with yayin (Esth 1:10). This word is used consistently throughout the Old Testament for an alcoholic wine.
tirosh (vOryIt) is the next most common word translated ³wine² in the Old Testament. Sometimes this word is translated ³wine² and other times it can be translated ³new wine.² Technically it is an immature form of yayin. The root from which this word comes (vry, yarash, Brown-Driver- Briggs 439a) means ³take possession of, inherit, dispossess.² Brown-Driver Briggs (a standard Hebrew lexicon) says that it can be ³enlivening² or ³injurious.²
This word is usually connected with ³grain² (NîDgD;d, dagan). ³Grain² and tirosh are the beginning products of ³bread² and yayin respectively. While probably not as strong as yayin, it still had intoxicating ability. Judges 9:13 speaks about tirosh as ³cheering God and man.² This is the same quality given to yayin in Psalm 104:15. Even though it is newer wine, it is still fermented to some degree.
Another word translated ³sweet wine² or ³new wine² is the term asis (syIsDo). It is used five times in the Old Testament. Isaiah 49:26 speaks about being drunk on asis. Joel 1:5 also alludes to the fact that asis has intoxicating ability. This beverage, then, obviously has the ability to intoxicate.
Just for good measure, I will throw in one more word that is used in Old Testament for an alcoholic beverage: shekar (rDkEv; or sheker). This word is usually translated ³strong drink² in the KJV, which is a good translation. The word is coupled many times with yayin; i.e., ³wine and strong drink.² The verb form of this word means ³to be drunk.² The noun derivative, ³strong drink,² is obviously intoxicating.
Hannah pleads her case with Eli that she has had neither ³wine nor sheker² (1Sam 1:15). Isaiah 29:9 indicates that both yayin and sheker can make one drunk. We could go on, but I think you get the picture.
New Testament Words For Wine
oinos (oinoß) is the most common word in the New Testament translated ³wine². It is used thirty-four times. Paul tells the Ephesians not to be drunk with oinos, but be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). The word Paul uses in Ephesians 5:18 to speak about wine is the same word used to describe what Jesus turned the water into at the wedding of Cana (John 2). From what the host said, that was no regular oinos. It was the best. Aged wine was always considered the best (cf. e.g., Isa 25:6). There is no doubt that what Jesus created at the wedding of Cana was an intoxicating substance. Not to believe this distorts the meaning of words and demonstrates a gross bias when approaching the text of Scripture.
Sometimes oinos is combined with neos (neoß), new, for ³new wine² (6 times). Fermentation (or at least greater fermentation) is expected of this substance. Jesus used ³new wine² in old wine skins as a metaphor for the kingdom. New wine is not put in old wine skins because through the fermentation process the skins will expand. Old wineskins have lost their elasticity and will break (see Matt 9:17 and parallels).
The other word that is used for ³new wine² in the New Testament is the word gleukos (gleukoß).
This word is used in Acts 2:13 when the people accused the apostles of being drunk with new wine. It would have been ³new wine² because of the season of the year. This was about as freshly squeezed as it got. Yet, the people knew that this ³new wine² could cause a person to become drunk.
The Bible is very clear about the nature of wine: It is not mere grape juice. In fact, until the invention of the pasteurization process in the 1800¹s, no one was able to stop fermentation of grapes (or dates, etc.). According to ancient sources, fermentation could be controlled to some degree, but they could not stop it.
With this brief foundational work done, we can now turn our attention to how the Bible views alcoholic beverages. God¹s views on this substance are made plain to us from the Scriptures.
2. Positive Biblical Uses of Wine/Strong Drink
There are those who believe that alcohol is inherently evil and can be used for no good at all. While the Bible teaches that the abuse of alcohol is a sin, never does the Bible condemn the substance itself. We could peruse a plethora of Scriptures which speak about drunkenness (i.e., the abuse of alcohol) and the spiritual condition of those who practice it, but I have purposely limited myself to show the positive uses of wine (and strong drink) found in the Bible.
Wine Used With Meals and Celebrations
Wine is associated with eating well and celebrating. After Abraham had led his men to victory over the four kings that took Lot and his family captive, He met a man by the name of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. He brought out bread and yayin to Abraham. Remember now, Melchizedek is at the very least a type of Christ as is indicated in Hebrews 5, 6, 7 (cf. Psalm 110:4). This was a time of celebration for the victory that had been won. This time of celebration called for a feast which included wine.
There are numerous examples of this throughout the Bible. In Gen 27:25 we see that Isaac drinks yayin with a meal. In the Song of Solomon the husband brings the wife, literally, into ³a house of wine,² translated ³a banqueting house² by the KJV (2:4). Yayin was used in the feasts in Esther (1:7, 10; 5:6; 7:2, 7, 8). Nehemiah, when rebuilding the walls, was provided all sorts of yayin (Neh 5:18).
Moving to the New Testament, Jesus turned the water into oinos at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). This was a festal time of celebration. By the way, Jesus made at least one hundred twenty gallons of wine even after the people had ³well drunk,² which might indicate that they were having a pretty good time with the wine. Wine was used for joyful occasions and, thus, came to represent ³joy² in many ways.
Wine Makes A Merry Heart
Psalm 104:14-15 recounts the blessings of the Lord and says that God gives wine that makes glad the heart of man. This means exactly what it says: yayin can make you cheerful. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, ³A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry.² There is obviously nothing wrong with wine making the heart happy with wine. This is one of the purposes for which God gives it.
The Bible does forbid drunken debauchery (cf. e.g., Eph 5:18). Those who engage in drunkenness are not wise and break the commands of God. But this does not rule out what the Bible says about wine making the heart happy.
Wine Used For Medicine
In 1Timothy 5:23 Paul tells Timothy to use a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent infirmities. It could possibly be a sedative for those who are dying and a medicine for depression according to Proverbs 31:6-7.
Wine Used In Worship
This begins to get to the heart of the issue with where we are going in this study. Is it proper to use these alcoholic drinks in worship? The Bible says that it is not only o.k., but it is specifically prescribed by God! Remember, the following are the same substances that I have described above. There is no switch-a-roosky going on here.
Yayin was to be used as part of the sacrifice/offering to the Lord upon His altar. Exodus 29:40 describing daily offerings says, ³And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine [yayin] for a drink offering.² A hin equals approximately 1 gallon. So a fourth part is about a quart.
Lev 23:13, describing the Feast of Firstfruits says, ³And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine [yayin], the fourth part of an hin.²
Numbers 15:1-21 gives the children of Israel prescriptions for what they are to do concerning grain offerings and drink offerings when they arrive in the Promised Land (which is significant, as we will see later in the study). Again we find them offering yayin as offerings to the Lord which will be a ³sweet aroma to the Lord² (15:7).
We also learn from Numbers 18:8-20 that the Levitical priests were to be fed from off of the altar and were to be given the best of the tirosh, new wine, from the offering to the Lord. (cf. also 18:27, 30; Deut 18:4)
Numbers 28:11-15 describes monthly offerings in which the drink offering would be half a hin (approximately half a gallon) of wine for a bull, one-third a hin for a ram, and one-forth for a lamb. Wine was clearly used in the offerings of the Old Covenant sacrifices.
Then there is the famous passage in Deut 14:22-27 ... the ³party tithe.² Once the people were settled in the land, there would be a central location for worship; i.e., the Temple. People were to bring tithes of all their produce to the Temple. But some people lived too far to take a tenth of all their produce to the Temple. So God says that they are to sell the produce for money and buy anything their heart desires: oxen, sheep, yayin, or sheker. Then they are supposed to gather up their household (this would include the children) in a particular place and eat and drink before the Lord. They were commanded to enjoy this celebration! Far from shying away from the alcohol in worship, God specifically prescribes it for His worship.
As I said from the beginning, our consciences must be held by God¹s Word and His Word alone. We tend toward a dualistic view of the universe when we stray from God¹s Word. We have a tendency to believe that things of creation are evil instead of people.
Wine is, in fact, a product of dominion. God gave a command to Adam in the beginning to develop ³raw² creation to the glory of God. Every time we take the raw materials of creation and develop them for good and proper use, we have fulfilled the dominion mandate to a certain degree. When we take the grain and make bread, that is a product of dominion. When we take grapes (and other fruits) and make wine, that is a product of dominion. God is pleased with it and prescribes it for His worship. Can it be abused? Absolutely. But so can all of the other aspects of creation. Food is abused regularly, but because we don¹t see the effects in what we deem to be a negative manner, we don¹t see it as that serious. But gluttony is a sin. In the same vein, drunkenness is a sin. But used properly, wine is to be received as a good gift from God in our daily meals, celebrations, and, most certainly, in worship.
The Symbolism of Alcohol in the Bible
In dealing with the issue of wine in the Lord¹s Supper, one argument that I have heard is, ³It is only a symbol. It does not really matter what you use.² Some people think it is just the act within a particular context that gives significance. But the symbolism of wine in the Bible is an important symbol to the Lord¹s Supper in many respects. It is a good thing that we do not take our ³theology of symbolism² into the world in which we live. If we did, there would be total chaos. Consider, for instance, a red octagon that stands on a pole at an intersection of two streets. Without any words being put on it, you know what it symbolizes. But what if you were to see a yellow triangle at the same intersection? It would have a totally different meaning and could cause great harm. What if someone changed the traffic light colors? There would be confusion. Symbols are important because they point to something. These symbols pale in comparison to the symbols given to us in the Bible. I do not believe that God gives us non-essential symbols. He gave us the symbol to actually point to--or symbolize--something. Wine at the Table does just that.
The Lord¹s Supper has much background, not only in the feasts of the Old Covenant (especially Passover), but also all of the teachings of the entire Bible. We could look particularly at the feast of the Old Covenant to understand the elements there. And that might convince us of the need for the use of wine in the Supper. But the rest of the teachings of the Bible lend support as to why these elements were used as they were used. Wine has various symbolic references throughout the Bible. All of these have significance for us at the Table.
I will deal with the negative and positive symbolisms of wine in the Bible. Bad news first.
1. Wine As A Symbol Of Wrath
Throughout the Scriptures we see that wine can be used as a symbol of wrath and judgment. Many times wine is mentioned specifically. Other times it is simply stated as ³the cup² (which is also important for us). The idea of drunkenness and judgment go hand-in-hand in the Bible. Sometimes the drunkenness that people experience is set in contrast to drunkenness with wine or strong drink.
For example, judgment is being pronounced upon Jerusalem (Ariel) in Isaiah 29. Hear what God says through his prophet in Isaiah 29:9 ³Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.²
Also, judgment is pronounced upon all those who oppress Jerusalem (Zion) in Is. 49:26 ³And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.²
Isaiah 59:17-23 is a passage of consolation to Jerusalem. God tells them that judgment has passed. But again He uses the imagery of being drunk with wine.
Isaiah 51:17-23 Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk from the LORD¹s hand the cup of His anger; The chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs. Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, Who are drunk, but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, ³Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling; The chalice of My anger, You will never drink it again. (NASB)
In Jeremiah 13:12-14 God promises that every wineskin will be filled with wine. But instead of this being a blessing of the Lord (which it many times symbolizes), it is for God¹s wrath to be poured out.
Also in Jeremiah God tells Jeremiah to ³take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it² (25:15). God says that if they refuse to drink it, He will make them drink it so that they will be drunk and stagger (25:27-28).
Of course, there are other allusions to this in the prophets, but let¹s move to other references. Psalm 75:8 ³For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.² Here God is pouring out His wrath on the heathen nations.
In the New Testament we see this symbolism throughout the book of Revelation. Revelation 14:8 says, ³And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.² Also in Revelation 14:10, ³The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.² In this passage God is judging ³Babylon² and all those that participated in her whoredoms. He is also judging all those who receive the mark of the beast.
The symbolism of the wrath of God throughout the Bible is associated with wine and drunkenness that comes from it. So it can be used in a ³negative² fashion.
2. Wine As A Symbol Of Cursing
The second symbol I want to deal with is related to the first, but I wanted to distinguish it for a purpose. The wrath of God could, no doubt, fall under the larger category of covenant cursing, but I wanted to specify a few distinctives.
It is interesting to note that not only is the presence of wine a symbol of the fiery judgment of God, but the absence of wine is a symbol of the covenant cursings of God. Some people believe it would be a blessing just to get rid of all of these alcoholic beverages because of what they do to people. But the Bible teaches that when the wine vats are empty, this is a sign that God is judging the people.
In Deuteronomy 28 we have for us the blessings and cursings of the covenant. If the people of God do not obey the word of the Lord all good things will be taken from them. Health (28:21-22), rain for their crops (28:23-24), wives (28:30), houses (28:30), cattle (28:31), children (28:32), in short, all good things will be taken away from the people of God if they disobey.
In the midst of all of these cursings, God also tells them that part of their cursings will be that they will not be able to drink the wine nor gather the grapes from their vines because the worm will eat them (28:39). This is reiterated in 28:51.
In times of judgment, these curses are remembered by the prophets and pronounced to the people. Note the following for examples:
Jeremiah 48:33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
Amos 5:11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
Zephaniah 1:13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
Lamentations 2:12 They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers¹ bosom. (Jeremiah is mourning the destruction of Jerusalem which came in fulfillment of God¹s covenant curses.)
Covenant curses are associated with the absence of wine among God¹s people. I guess it would kind of make you wonder if replacing wine with grape juice at the Table is a sign of God¹s blessing or a sign of His cursing.
3. Wine As A Symbol Of Blessing
For some reason, those who abhor God¹s good gift of wine, seem to overlook all the vast references to wine being a symbol of God¹s blessings upon His people. In Genesis 27:28 we find, ³Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine². The substance of God¹s blessing included the presence of wine. In blessing Jacob (even though he thought it was Esau), Isaac blessed him with plenty of ³grain and wine² (tirosh).
This was specifically the blessings of the covenant as coming from Abraham and through Isaac.
We read in Deuteronomy 7:13, ³And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.² This is God¹s covenant promise to His people of His blessing on them.
They will be blessed with children (lots of them!), land, grain, tirosh, oil, cattle, and sheep in the promised land.
Also in Deuteronomy 11:14 we find the promise, ³That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.² God promises rain so that the crops will be abundant. In this the people will have an abundance of grain and tirosh.
Fulfilling your covenant obligations also brings an abundance of wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 speaks to us concerning this, ³Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.² Wine is a blessing of God¹s covenant. It does not have to be a curse.
As the covenant blessing is passed on from Jacob to His children--the twelve tribes of Israel--he blesses Judah with a specific blessing. Genesis 49:11-12 defines the blessing of the promise, ³Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass¹s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine [yayin], and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine [yayin], and his teeth white with milk.² The significance of this blessing as going through Judah is that this is the line of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Wine is a symbol of the blessings that come through Christ.
As we move on in these covenant blessings, we see that the presence of wine is a sign that the people of God have inherited the promise of God. While the people of God wandered in the wilderness, even though God blessed them with innumerable blessings for their preservation, they did not have wine or strong drink (Deut 29:6). These blessings were reserved for when the people entered into the Promised Land. In fact, the settled-ness of the Promised Land is pictured in the presence of wine because wine takes time to make. This is something that cannot be done wandering in the wilderness. Every man dwelling under his own vine is a picture of peace, prosperity, and settled-ness (cf. e.g., 1Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4).
Special prescriptions were made for the worship of God¹s people when they entered the Promised Land concerning their offerings. Since God would bless them in the land with wine, they would have to bring a portion of it to the Lord¹s altar (cf. Numbers 15:1-7 especially). This would have great significance for us who have been led into a rest into which Joshua could not even lead the people. Our Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ, leads us into this rest as the Captain of our salvation (cf. Heb 4).
Lest some think this is trying to find symbolism where there is none, the promises of the blessings of the gospel as revealed in Christ are indeed symbolized with wine. Listen to Isaiah 55:1, ³Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine [yayin] and milk without money and without price.²
The banquet of the Lord that is prepared because of the victory of Christ over death is also described in Isaiah.
Is. 25:6-8 ³And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.²
The word translated ³wine on the lees² (MyîrDmVv) is a special word for wine which speaks about aged wine. ³Wine on the lees² or ³wine on the dregs² speaks about wine that has been aged on the dregs in the bottom of the barrel/wineskin. It is wine that has had much time to age and has been carefully attended to so that it does not turn to vinegar.
The significant factor about this concerning the Lord¹s Supper is the fact that in the Supper we have begun that feast because we already have experienced this victory in Christ. We only wait for the consummation. But until then we proclaim the Lord¹s victory in death until He comes!
This would come as no surprise to people living in the Old Covenant times. Restoration of the people of God was always accompanied by the presence of abundant wine. Both Joel 2:19-27 and Amos 9:11-15 speak about the restoration of God¹s people and the blessings that accompany this restoration. The presence of wine is a conspicuous part of the blessing of God upon His people.
As God brings His people into the promised covenant blessings, He gives them wine to drink. Of course, all of this symbolism culminates in our redemption. As was said earlier, the symbolism of wine is multi-faceted: it can be a symbol of blessing or of cursing, of weal or of woe. Pulling from all of the symbolism of wine in the Bible, Jesus describes what He faces at the cross as ³this cup.² As Jesus prays to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prays if it is possible for this cup to pass from Him (Matt 26:39; cf. also John 18:11). What was this cup? It was the cup of God¹s wrath which he would have to drink to the dregs for His people. Our Lord Jesus would have to stagger and fall beneath the weight of the Father¹s wrath there at the cross. But there at the cross He drained the cup dry for His people, removing the wrath and curse from us. Jesus endured the cup of God¹s wrath so that we could enjoy the cup of salvation (cf. Psalm 116:13). Now, He has given to us that cup of covenant blessing to enjoy at His Table (cf. 1Cor 10:16).
The symbolism of wine is not an insignificant symbol in the Bible. Part of the symbolism of wine and why it is necessary that we have it at the Table is precisely because it is dangerous. It reveals the fact that there is cursing in the cup if not used rightly. Those who come to the Table in an unworthy manner may indeed suffer covenant curses--sickness and death ... as is seen in Corinth. Is it any wonder that there is no fear of God among many in the church today? Our replacement of wine with grape juice is only symptomatic of our real problem: we don¹t fear the cursings of the covenant.
But then there is the flip-side. The wine is also a symbol of blessing; specifically the blessings of the gospel as given to us in Christ. To snub our nose at the God who provides us blessings by bringing our preferred substance to His banquet is extremely rude and quite presumptuous. At the Table wine is important because we can either stagger and fall under the covenant curses, or we can be strengthened and gladdened because of covenant blessings.
The Lord¹s Supper And Wine In The New Testament
We have now come to the point that we can deal with the institution of the Lord¹s Supper itself. All of these previous facts cannot be left at the door when approaching the institution of the Supper. In a great way they are significant to what goes on in the Supper.
When it comes down to the question of what elements should we use at the Lord¹s Table, we are safe to assume that we should use the substances that Christ used in the institution of the Supper. We must believe that if Jesus used particular types of substances to symbolize certain things, those substances have meaning relevant to what is being symbolized. Jesus did not say, ³Use anything you want at this point.² Instead, He said ³Do this²--what He did.
1. Jesus and the Passover
The institution of the Lord¹s Supper is given to us clearly in the first three Gospels of the New Testament. Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-21, and Luke 22:7-23 all record for us what happened on that night. It is obvious from the readings of the text that Jesus instituted the Lord¹s Supper in the context of the Passover. Some try to say that it wasn¹t. But since we trust the Bible for what it says, the Supper was instituted the night of the Passover.
The significance of this event at this time does not escape the attention of Paul. Paul alludes to the fact that Christ is our Passover (1Cor 5:7). Even his allusion to the ³cup of blessing² in 1Corinthians 10:16 comes from the liturgy used during the Passover celebration. For those who do not believe the symbolism is important, why do you think that Jesus instituted the Lord¹s Supper on the Passover? Why did He not just pick some day at random? Could it be that this particular day had some special relevance (i.e., symbolism)? Could it be that this was the feast that began all feasts? Could it be that the symbolism of redemption was significant? All of this symbolism is important to the whole of the Lord¹s Supper itself.
Does it not stand to reason, then, that the elements used by Christ also had some significance? Some will grant that the elements had significance, but then they will try to explain away the use of wine at the institution of the Lord¹s Supper by saying that it was ³the fruit of the vine.² Upon this they draw the contextually baseless conclusion that the ³fruit of the vine,² being different terminology than straight-forward ³wine,² means this was grape juice in the cup.
They will appeal to the fact that at Passover their was to be no leaven in the house, therefore wine, a product of yeast, could not have been used. The only problem with these conclusions is that they read back into the text what is not there.
First, the issue with the ³fruit of the vine² phrase must be settled. The phrase was used as a part of the liturgy of the Passover meal because of the great symbolism of the blessing of the vine. The giving of thanks by the head of the household when he took the first cup of wine (there were four, as I will explain later) included the words, ³Blessed art Thou, Jehovah our God, who has created the fruit of the vine!² There is absolutely no doubt that this phrase represented wine. In fact, it was a custom that wine must be used during this celebration. So much were the Jews insistent upon it that the Jerusalem Talmud (commentaries on oral traditions) said that even the poorest household must have at least four cups of wine. If he could not receive the money any other way, he must sell or pawn his coat, or hire himself out for these four cups of wine. The reason for this is that wine was intended to express Israel¹s joy. The Misnah (the codified oral teachings concerning the Law of Moses) plainly declares that the phrase ³fruit of the vine² is the consecrated expression for yayin. One would have to completely rewrite history from a twentieth or twenty-first century tee-totaler¹s standpoint in order to make this mean unfermented grape juice. This was a red wine that had intoxicating properties.
Second, the argument that yeast was not allowed at the Passover falls short also. As we have seen, fermented wine was what was used at this meal, so this must not apply to the wine. Even modern Jewish scholars make the distinction between ferment and leaven. Ferment is allowed at the meal while leaven is not. To seek to prove that ³the fruit of the vine² which has been understood for a couple of thousand years as wine is mere grape juice, is an act of desperation and imposing one¹s personal opinions and values upon the clear evidence of Scripture.
Some of what went on at the Supper that night was the use of four cups of wine. There is some debate, but the majority report seems to be that four cups were used on the basis of Exodus 6:6-7.
Exodus 6:6-7 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
There were four promises upon which the four cups of wine were used: (1) ³I will bring you out² [deliverance]; (2) ³I will rid you of their bondage² [freedom]; (3) ³I will redeem you² [redemption]; and (4) ³And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God² [consummation]. It is believed--and with good reason--that the cup which Jesus used in the institution of the Supper was the third cup of the meal: the cup of redemption. As you read the accounts of the institution of the Lord¹s Supper, you will also notice that this is where Jesus stopped. He said, ³I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until I drink it with you new in my Father¹s kingdom.² Redemption has indeed been accomplished and is being accomplished. It will be consummated when Christ delivers the kingdom to His Father (cf. 1Cor 15:20-28). It is said to John, in his vision of the New Jerusalem, that at that time of the consummation, the tabernacle of God will be among men and he will be their God and they will be His people (Rev 21:3). This is the promise of the covenant. It is the consummation of the kingdom. The significance of the cup again should not be lost upon us. The cup of redemption that Christ had to drink was indeed a bitter cup. But for us it is ³the cup of blessing² (1Cor 10:16).
The historical evidence demands that we understand what was used at the institution of the Lord¹s Supper was indeed wine, not grape juice. The symbolism contained in the use of wine also demands that we understand this to be the fermented juice of the grape and not unfermented juice.
2. The Lord¹s Supper in Corinth
That which we see in Corinth is a despicable display of abuse. Paul was writing to them in 1Corinthians 11:17ff. about this abuse. Several things we must notice about this situation. First, the substance they were using had the ability to intoxicate. These believers were becoming snockered at the Lord¹s Table. Unfermented grape juice doesn¹t quite have that punch!
Second, Paul did not tell them to switch substances. This is important in light of the fact that he was writing to correct them for their mishandling of the Lord¹s Supper. If the use of wine at the Supper was the wrong thing to do, this was the time he would have corrected it. But he didn¹t tell them to switch the substance. Why? Because the substance was right. Their use was wrong. It is clear from historical biblical context that real wine was used at the Lord¹s Table.
Charles Hodge, the nineteenth century theologian, comments on this:
By wine as prescribed to be used in this ordinance [i.e., the Lord¹s Supper], is to be understood ³the juice of the grape;² and ³the juice of the grape² in that state which was, and is, in common use, and in the state in which it was known as wine. The wine of the Bible was a manufactured article. It was not the juice of the grape as it exists in the fruit, but that juice submitted to such a process of fermentation as secured its preservation and gave it the qualities ascribed to it in the Scripture. That [oinos] in the Bible ... means the fermented juice of the grape, is hardly and open question. It has never been questioned in the Church, if we except a few Christians of the present day. And it may safely be said that there is not one scholar on the continent of Europe, who has the least doubt on the subject.... The plain meaning of the Bible on this subject has controlled the mind of the Church, and it is to be hoped will continue to control it till the end of time.
3. Common Objections To Wine At the Lord¹s Supper
What will society think if a bunch of people, who claim to be Christians, are drinking alcohol in their religious services?
So what? Since when are we supposed to let the opinions of the pagan world control what we do in worship? The standard for faith and practice for the church is the Word of God, not pagan philosophies. Their minds are to be conformed to God¹s standard, not visa versa.
I don¹t like wine.
Do we have choice about how we will worship God? Who prescribes worship? God or us? Worship of God does not revolve around our personal tastes. What if people began saying, ³I don¹t like to confess my sins. It makes me feel icky² (this is a technical theological term not to be used lightly). Should we give up confessing our sins in worship because of someone¹s personal taste? We really don¹t want to head down that road.
What about the children? Is it legal for them to drink alcohol? Is it healthy for them to drink alcohol?
First, for over 1800 years (and even before this in Israel) the church gave children wine to drink in small amounts for worship purposes. Why is it such a big deal in our society today?
Second, it is legal for minors to partake of alcohol in religious contexts. The State of Louisiana (as I am sure most, if not all, the States) recognizes the use of wine for religious purposes in the case of minors.
Third, the 1/2 ounce or less that we drink will not even be noticed except in the initial swallowing.
What about potential drunkards?
I suppose that God probably didn¹t think about that one ... right? In the institution of worship practices in the Old Covenant, in the making of wine at the wedding of Cana, and in the institution of the Lord¹s Supper, this little fact probably slipped His mind. I don¹t think this slipped God¹s mind or got past Him in any way at all. You see, God views drunkenness as a moral problem that can be controlled by the Spirit of God, not a disease that is ³out of our hands.² Besides all of that, you probably take in more alcohol when you take cough medicine than when you take communion.
What about law-suits?
It was suggested that we should have a mixed tray because of potential law-suits concerning someone being sent into alcoholism. First, I have discussed this with a lawyer. He said that the case probably wouldn¹t even make it to court.
Second, people can sue you over anything and everything. They could sue the church for proclaiming that homosexuality is a sin. They could sue because we define sin the way God defines sin, and that makes them feel bad. We don¹t conform our practices because of fear of man. If we begin to live like this, we might as well shut down the whole operation.
What if partaking of alcohol violates my conscience?
This was a good question raised in our discussion in light of 1Corinthians 8-10 and Romans 14. But this is not a matter of personal conscience. This is a matter of the prescriptions for worship. If you don¹t want to drink wine with your meals, you are free not to do so. No one can bind your conscience by telling you it is a must. But we are not free in how we worship God. What if someone in the Old Covenant said, ³I have a crisis of conscience about killing animals.² Now, in his personal life, if he wanted to be a vegetarian, he was free to do this. But when he approached God at the Temple or Tabernacle, his personal conscience had to submit to the Lord of the conscience. God determines how He will be worshipped. Our conscience does not make this determination.
God¹s Concern With Wine At The Lord¹s Supper
The question about all of this is, ³Does God really care about the elements we use in the sacraments?² God is a God of details ... especially when it comes to worshipping Him. Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, discovered this quickly and terminally in
Lev 10:1-3. As priests they were to come before the Lord with fire from off of the altar of burnt offering and special incense. The Bible says that they offered a ³strange fire² before the Lord which He commanded them not to do. God killed them on the spot. Why? Isn¹t any fire o.k.? Fire is fire isn¹t it? Obviously not. Moses then reminds Aaron, ³This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.² (
Lev 10:3) God will be approached in the way He prescribes, not by the inventions of men.
The construction of the Temple and Tabernacle shows that God is concerned with the details of worship. Someone might say, ³Yeah, but these were all Old Covenant. They were pointing to Christ.² Yes. And I recall, in the institution of the Supper that Jesus said, ³This is my body ... this is my blood.² This Supper points to Christ also. Are the elements any less important?
Many times we act as if when Jesus came, He did away with details, and we can worship God anyway we want. But Jesus said that the prescription for worship is ³in spirit and in truth² (
John 4:24). Truth can only be defined by what God says; not our opinions.
As I come to the close of this presentation, I want to relate the situation of the prophet Malachi to you. The book of Malachi was written after the Jews had returned to the land having been exiled for seventy years. They have rebuilt the Temple and obviously begun sacrificing again. The people of God--and especially the priests--were not living before the Lord as they should. The people of God had become presumptuous because they were not of the hated line of Esau according to election, but of the loved line of Jacob (see 1:2-5). Many assumed that they could act any way they wanted. Malachi is warning the people that they could become like Edom, the descendants of Esau: destroyed by God. Malachi goes through an entire litany of sins the people were committing. The priests were not instructing people in the law properly, thus leading them astray (2:8). Judah has profaned the Lord¹s holy seed by marrying the daughter of a foreign god (2:11). The people have been violating the covenant of marriage by divorce, which God hates (2:14-16). Israel had robbed YHWH by not bringing their tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in His house (3:7-12). For these reasons God would come in judgment like a burning oven and burn up the root and the branches of this vine (4:1). But the first charge of Malachi was against the priests and their contempt for the Lord¹s altar. What is missed by some is that the altar was also called ³the table of the Lord² (see e.g., 1:7). The reason for this is that the substance offered on the altar was eaten, in many cases, by the priest. This is no small thing in the situation with Malachi. The priests were offering up sacrifices that were not fit to be on the altar. They surely would not have offered these to their Persian governors! (cf. 1:8) Not only this, but they thumbed their nose at that which God provided at the altar/table for them (cf. 1:12 14). They did not think that which was offered was enough or good enough for them.
It is granted that we do not live under the same regulations for which Malachi condemned these priests for violating. But the principles are relevant for our attitudes at the Lord¹s Table. As Peter Leithart says concerning this:
Priests of Malachi¹s day were rebuked for failing to observe the details of the sacrificial rituals, and the God we worship is still the God of details and is still indignant when we reject His commandments for the sake of our traditions. One example will have to do here: it is abundantly clear that Jesus instituted a meal that involved wine, not unfermented grape juice.... Yet, in our great wisdom, we have decided that wine is so dangerous that it has no place in the house of the Lord on the Sabbath day, all the while ignoring the fact that the
danger of wine is precisely one of the reasons for drinking it.
More generally, contempt for the Lord¹s table is contempt for the Lord of the table, and this is as true for the church as it was for ancient Israel. Matthew Henry wisely applied these verses of Malachi to ³those who live in a careless neglect of holy ordinances.² If this is the case, many churches today live in open contempt of their Lord.
From this point on the matter is not really up to debate: to refuse the Lord¹s provision at the table is to exalt our opinions and personal preferences above His clear commands.
1 For further reading on the nature of wine in the Bible, I encourage you to read Kenneth Gentry¹s book God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol (Lincoln, CA: Oakdown, 2001). You can buy this book from Covenant Media Foundation (
www.cmfnow.com or 1-800-553-0908).
2 Cf. also Rev 16:19; 18:3 for more references concerning wine and wrath.
31Corinthians 11:17-34
4 Edersheim, Alfred, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 188.
5 Ibid., 185.
6 De. Bened, cap. 6, pars I, quoted in Gentry, God Gave Wine, 80.
7 Ibid.
8 Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans) 3:616.
9 Criminal Law, R.S. 14:93.11
10 Peter Leithart, Blessed Are The Hungry (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2000), 116.
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