Teetotaling & The Bible: Is Drinking Alcohol A Sin?!

In the SDA Church’s 22nd fundamental belief which is titled Christian Behavior they state in part that since alcoholic beverages tobacco and the irresponsible use of drugs and narcotics are harmful to our bodies we are to abstain from them putting forth the idea that any consumption of alcohol whatsoever is sinful the primary biblical support for this being 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 10:31 along with various other proof text this is ultimately coming Downstream from LG White’s Council to the SDA Church in her own application of the proof Texs which

The SDA Church believed to be divinely inspired applications we see such an example of this Council in testimonies for the church volume 3 where in part she writes quote the only safe course is to touch not taste not handle not tea coffee wines tobacco opium and alcoholic drinks which is why today at the request of one of our channel members we are going to dive into the controversial topic of alcohol consumption and the Bible the Seventh Adventist Church like we saw teaches that any alcohol consumption whatsoever is sinful not just this but that it will also keep you

From being fit for heaven Romans 12:1 was another proof text that was cited in the fundamental belief as their support for this view a verse that Ellen White commented on where she wrote quote the Apostle Paul exhorts the church I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service men then can make their bodies Unholy by sinful indulgences if Unholy they are unfitted to be spiritual worshipers ERS and are not worthy of Heaven if man will cherish

The light that God in Mercy gives him upon Health reform he may be Sanctified through the truth and fitted for immortality but if he disregards that light and lives in violation of natural law he must pay the penalty close quote so according to Ellen White’s divinely inspired commentary on Romans 121 a failure to adhere to the principles of the Adventist Health message is seen as a disqualification for heaven rendering the individual unfit for Spiritual worship ship and immortality such a significant assertion warrants careful examination and substantial evidence

Let’s dive deeper into this matter to determine whether this perspective aligns with the broader teachings of the Bible when we examine scripture we find that alcohol is mentioned in a variety of contexts for example in John 2 1-11 Jesus’s first miracle was the Turning of water into wine at the wedding of canaa not grape juice actual wine and we know this because the Greek word that’s used here is the identical word used by Paul in Ephesians 58 where he states to not be drunk on it that word is oos it’s the standard Greek word for alcoholic wine it also doesn’t

Fit with the flow of the story to insert grape juice into here the master of the banquet was shocked that the wine that Jesus made was better than the wine that was initially given to the guests according to John 29-10 this is because the better tasting wine would be served first and once the guest had thrown back a few drinks the cheaper wine didn’t taste as bad but Jesus going against the grain did the opposite this makes no sense if the passage was only talking about grape juice furthermore grape juice wasn’t even invented until the 1860s when

Thomas Welch the originator of Welch’s grape juice invented such as a member of the temperance movement so wine in the ancient world was often cut with water to help purify the water the alcohols in the wine would kill the harmful bacteria in the water but the wine was so diluted like a 10:1 ratio that the consumption of such wouldn’t lead to inebriation remember they didn’t have water filtration system now Ellen White contradicted the biblical text in this area where she claimed that the Bible nowhere sanctions the use of intoxicating wine the wine

That Christ made from water at the marriage Feast of Kano was the pure juice of the grape this is the new wine found in the cluster of which the scripture says destroy it not for a blessing is in it Isaiah 658 close quote so instead of dealing with the text and focus and walking through it verse by verse and breaking down the grammar that the author uses looking at the historical context you know all these sort of fundamental principles of the historical grammatical method of interpretation that the SDA Church insists that they believe she tries

Pointing to Isaiah to say that what’s in focus in John 2 is a new unfermented wine AKA grape juice but again the grammar is clear here it also fits with the narrative John used the standard Greek word for alcoholic wine and grape juice as we know it today did not exist in that day I mentioned Ephesians 5:18 earlier where Paul uses the same word but notice he doesn’t command tea totaling He commands to abstain from drunkenness now I’m not saying everyone has to understand the science of alcohol in the human body or even consume alcohol but for those that may not know

It is possible to consume such and not get drunk it is entirely possible to consume alcohol and not end up being an alcoholic leading to overall health complications and even Paul himself recognized such in 1 Timothy 523 where he gave the advice that a little bit of wine can be used for stomach ailments and frequent illness which clearly demonstrates that in some contexts wine can actually be of benefit it also further proves that Paul was not a te toal which is also entirely consistent with the Salter who exclaimed in Psalm 104 for example that God has given wine

To man to Gladden the heart again the standard word here in Hebrew for alcoholic Wine Not grape juice which does not Gladden the heart anyone that’s had a glass of wine before knows exactly what the Salter is talking about now 1 Corinthians 6:19 tends to be the blanket verse that many Adventists will try and Nestle their entire Health message under kind of like the fundamental belief did not just vegetarian eating but abstinence from coffee tea and alcohol however we don’t see alcohol even mentioned and the context is clearly in reference to individuals committing

Sexual immorality not food or Diet but for the sake of argument let’s say that it was five chapters later Paul addresses an abuse that was occurring in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:1 17-34 he rebuked ukes the Corinthians for their improper practices surrounding the Lord’s Supper specifically though in verse 21 he highlights that some individuals were becoming what drunk on the communion wine so this passage actually reveals several important points in this discussion if Paul was a tea Toler why did he not condemn the use of wine entirely during the communion

Meal instead his rebuke focused specifically on drunkenness consistent with his teaching on alcohol across the board addition Al the fact that some were getting drunk demonstrates that fermented Wine Not grape juice was being used in the early church for the Lord’s supper now in a presentation on the subject that I gave not too long ago I addressed this topic where some Adventists argued that it was possible to produce unfermented grape juice in ancient times by boiling fermented wine into a concentrate and later reconstituting it with water however

This argument entirely overlooks the Practical realities of the ancient world like I mentioned earlier the alcohol and wine played a critical role in decontaminating the water without that mixing a concentrate with contaminated water would result in unsafe consumption moreover this process would have been highly highly impractical in the context of the Lord’s Supper the early church frequently celebrated the Eucharist sometimes daily not just once every 13 weeks as is customary in the SDA church but the fact that individuals became drunk on the communion wine provides

Clear evidence that unfermented grape juice was not being used as a quick note if you missed that presentation on the SDA view of the Lord’s Supper which is also tied to their practice of foot washing the link to it is in the description box down below so does the bible teach a total abstinence from alcohol no do the bible teach that if you consume alcohol in any capacity you’re unfit to worship God and unfit for heaven no scripture consistently warns against excess and drunkenness but it also acknowledges the responsible use of alcohol as a gift from God the Bible

Puts forth a very balanced view which calls us to rely on God’s wisdom and the guidance of the holy spirit this topic is significant because it highlights the need to approach the Bible with care avoiding both legalism and misapplication imposing rules that the Bible does not teach which risks alienating others and distorting the message of Grace and freedom that lies at the heart of the Gospel this does not mean that everyone should drink personal conviction is vital however it’s equally important not to judge others based on our own personal convictions and extra

Biblical standards ultimately the focus is on living in obedience to God and seeking his Direction in every aspect of life it’s also important because the SDA Church claims that Len White’s writings provide inspired insights into scripture guiding its proper understanding and application however her statements on alcohol were objectively incorrect especially in John 2 this is a crucial point when evaluating a movement that asserts not not only to have a divinely inspired interpreter of scripture but that adherence to its Health message is necessary for salvation but what are

Your thoughts on this topic share your perspective in the comments and may Christ richly bless you in the grace and peace won by him and his vicarious death on the cross for Sinners until next time God bless holy to apostate did he say that come on man