A Spirit-Filled View of Alcohol (Eph. 5:18)

Series: Ephesians: Building the ChurchText: Ephesians 5:18

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: May 28, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

We’re continuing our study in the Book of Ephesians, which we usually do by studying what God is telling us in each section and paragraph. Occasionally, though, we approach a text that requires us to slow down and maybe even consider a topic. There are a few reasons for doing so, like if it involves a lofty point of theology. Another would be to address a common cultural concern in the text. This verse involves both; the role and filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is crucial, and the subject of alcohol generates significant dissention amongst American Evangelical Christians.

On the latter point, the question many believers ask today is whether Christians should ever drink alcohol. I was reminded of that as we were preaching through John and talked about the wedding feast of Cana. Some, especially those in hyper-fundamentalist circles, hold that Jesus transformed the water into a kind of grape juice rather than wine and never drank anything alcoholic, an innovative view. Some believers, probably many you know, do not believe that any true Christian should ever imbibe.

I’m not looking to stir controversy with anyone, preferring to avoid this topic, but I must be faithful to the Scripture. Moreover, we should consider Christian history on this issue. For instance, in the Thanksgiving feast, a distinctively Christian holiday, we remember the Pilgrims leaving England, hoping to raise their families according to their Christian convictions. The first question the Pilgrims were asked by an English-speaking Native American was whether they had any beer. Instead of replying with a sermon against partaking in the spirits, they said they had drank it all but were able to offer him brandy. When the Puritans came later with their vision of a city on a hill, they distilled alcohol such as beer, ale, and rum. The Pilgrims and Puritans loom large in the American story, but their view on this topic is largely forgotten.

They imported their positive view of alcohol from English churches; for instance, the Reformation started in England in a Cambridge tavern called the White Horse Inn. Similarly, in Geneva, John Calvin was receiving 250 gallons of wine as part of his annual salary, for communion as well as for himself. In Whittenburg, Martin Luther’s wife would brew beer in their German bathtub to support missionary efforts.

A thorough historical analysis takes us through the monks of the Middle Ages, who often supported their monasteries and ministries through the sale of beer and wine. This is true of churches east and west, all the way back to the early church fathers, who spoke against drunkenness while also partaking for health reasons as well as moderated enjoyment. One of the oldest Christian writings, dating to the second century or earlier (the Didache), didn’t forbid the making and drinking of wine, but instead commanded the first-fruits go to a prophet, or “if ye have not a prophet, give it to the poor.”

If history has been so unified, when did our views change? Though there have been some minor Christian groups throughout history that have advocated for abstinence for various reasons, it wasn’t ever a significant view until the nineteenth-century. With industrialization and urbanization, more people were moving from rural areas for work in factories, changing and even challenging views on family and life in general. Growing population centers meant growing problems with drunkenness, as individuals struggled to adapt to the changing pressures of society.

Christians noted the rise of drunkenness in their communities. For many, the answer was the temperance movement, which had less to do with moderation and more for the complete abstinence from alcohol. So, churches of various stripes, theologically conservative and liberal, joined with progressives, women’s rights activists, labor unions, and other political advocates to push for the closing of saloons and eventually, the wholesale prohibition of alcohol in the United States. One product of the movement came from Methodist minister Thomas Welch, who produced the tasty, albeit non-alcoholic substitute many churches serve in their communion cups today.

Of course, churches in other countries were facing the same questions, so the complete abstinence of alcohol wasn’t only an American question. Other countries had prohibition movements around the same time, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Russia. In the UK, people used the term “T-total” to speak of the complete absence of alcohol in their lives, giving rise to the term teetotalism. Ultimately, smuggling and popular resistance meant that none would have lasting power.

Even after the repeal of the 18th Amendment in the United States, many Christians continue to push for it, seeing alcohol consumption as a sign of worldliness and a general lack of sanctification. Some Christians demand for teetotaling; I remember one heated discussion in seminary over whether alcohol abstinence should be written into a church’s constitution and bylaws. Some churches would discipline any member who worked in an establishment that served alcohol.

However, other Christians have steadily disagreed, some even by trying to get the teetotalers to violate conscious. We don’t want division in the church, however, and must understand that part of this is essentially a Christian liberty issue. Still, we want to also understand not what history teaches, but what God’s Word says. In that way, we’ll understand what the Holy Spirit means in Ephesians 5:18.

How does the Bible present alcohol?

The word “alcohol” isn’t in the Bible, but the word “wine” is common, usually (but not always) juice from grapes which has fermented and gained alcoholic content. The most common Hebrew word is yayin, appearing 141 times the Hebrew text and translated oinos in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament. Other words refer to the fruit of the vine and then also strong drink. In the Greek New Testament, the word is almost always oinos. Wine in the Bible is a beverage “made from fermented grape juice” or “from fermented grapes.”

The first appearance of alcohol in the Bible is negative. After the flood, Noah settled with farming “and planted a vineyard” (Gen. 9:20), and then he “drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent” (v. 21). So, the first instance of alcohol in Scripture comes with an implicit warning, and it may be tempting to draw from that a final view on the matter.

However, the next appearance of alcohol comes with Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness.” In Genesis 14, we read that “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High” (v. 18). So, a priest whose ministry becomes a type for the ministry of Christ (Heb. 7:1–10) has wine with which to bless Abram (vv. 19–20). Nowhere is his act condemned.

These two examples introduce us to the biblical presentation of alcohol. It is undoubtedly a sin to abuse it. However, as surprising as it may seem, God’s Word also presents it as a blessing. In the next several minutes, let’s survey each.

Scripture sometimes presents alcohol positively.

For instance, in the patristic blessing Isaac extends to Jacob (his deception aside), Isaac says “Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine” (Gen. 27:28). Wine’s presence is a divine blessing because it “makes man’s heart glad” (Psa. 104:14). There’s nothing unholy or worldly in wine, because God commanded its use in many of the Mosaic sacrifices (Exod. 29:40; Num. 15:5; 28:7). So much a blessing it was that God later warns Israel covenant violation may result in the people not being able to drink wine (Deut. 28:39).

Messianic prophecy predicts that Christ’s coming kingdom will provide wine for free (Isa. 55:1). As such, we should not be surprised that Jesus’s first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana (John 2). In Luke 5:37–39, Jesus uses the fermentation process as a comparison to the new Christian life. Jesus partook of wine while on earth, even calling those with hypocritical judgments concerning wine (Luke 7:33–34); “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ”

We see this in the Lord’s Supper; He first took the wine (part of the Jewish Passover feast) gave thanks, and commanded His disciples to drink it (Matt. 26:27–28). He then said, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (v. 29). He is now abstaining, which is also acceptable for any Christian today, awaiting the marriage feast when He and we, all His disciples, will drink together in the Kingdom. (And, if anyone is concerned about their past problems of sinful abuse of alcohol, remember that we will do all sinlessly and to the glory of God in our glorified state!)

So, overall, it’s safe to say that the Bible shows alcohol in a positive light. However, it gives specific and multiple warnings against certain kinds of alcohol: strong drink. The ancients understood the relationship between fermentation and alcoholic content. They also understood that dilution with water made a stronger drink safer for consumption. Both the Old and New Testaments give plenty of warnings against the abuse of alcohol. That brings us to the next point.

Scripture also presents some alcohol use negatively

Ephesians condemns drunkenness, as does the rest of Scripture. For instance, we read, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). The first two terms are words of bar: mocking and brawling. The word translated “intoxicated” doesn’t just mean to have alcohol in one’s system, but to being “led astray” (NKJV, ESV). Wine can keep us from the wise path, if we allow it to.

Scripture does give some prohibitions against drinking. For instance, God forbade priests in service to drink in Leviticus 10:9, where He says, “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die.” The Lord doesn’t forbid the priests from ever drinking once their service is over, but they must sober-mindedly atone for the sins of the people.

Before we move on from that, there’s application there for church officers. Elders are not to be “addicted to wine” (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim. 3:3), or, as the ESV has it, drunkards. The same is said of deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8. That implies that there isn’t a prohibition against them ever drinking; as Timothy is filling a pastoral role in Ephesus, Paul instructs him to drink wine medicinally (1 Tim. 5:23). However, that’s hardly permission for church leaders to get drunk or to drink before services (cf. Isa. 28:7–8)!

Here are other prohibitions to consider: 1.) Those taking a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:1–4), though the prohibition only remained active the days of that vow.  2.) Scripture also advises kings against wine, as it can lead to perversions of justice and lapses in leadership (Pro. 31:4–5), though Jesus demonstrated that a king could make moderate, wise use of wine. 3.) God also praised the clan of the Rechabites for vowing not to drink, contrasting their righteousness to the supposedly godly Judah (Jer. 35:1–19). Yet, nowhere in Scripture can we find God giving an absolute prohibition to His people.

So, noting all the above, how might we best understand Ephesians 5:18?

What does the Bible command here regarding alcohol?

In this verse, Paul gives us a direct command, and then he explains what he means by it. Let us begin by considering the command. Then we’ll talk about what he means by debauchery.

The command is to avoid drunkenness

On the surface, this is a command against abusing alcohol. One exegetical summary notes that this “clause states the misuse of wine” but “does not teach total abstinence from it.” It is possible that this refers to some kind of drunken activity, not just the simple state of drunkenness. As the Reformation Study Bible notes here, “This is more than a prohibition of simple drunkenness. Paul probably refers to an orgiastic form of worship such as was practiced by the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus), the god of wine. Worship of Dionysus involved drunken states in which the god was thought to enter the bodies of worshipers, inspiring prophecy and frenzied dancing and music. Such worship is ‘debauchery.’ ” Yet, it also clearly condemns plain drunkenness. We’ve already noted that the drunkard is not wise (Pro. 20:1).

Drunkenness is the biblical language here. Unfortunately, as people have tried to deal with alcohol and addiction, we’ve moved away from theological terms like “sin” to a disease model. The entire framework of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous removes key spiritual responsibilities by attaching an -ism to it. While there may be many physical considerations, especially during the detox process, no program is successful unless the addict understands that he or she must change, better described as in Scripture as repentance.

Drunkenness at its root is idolatry. It rejects what Scripture has to say about wisdom here as the drunkard purchases strong drink or cheap beer in large quantities, consuming it all that night. To go a step further, it’s a seeking in the substance and drunken experience what we are to find in Christ. Such behavior is a rejection of Christ’s rule or lordship in the moment, choosing instead to rebel against the king.

Drunken Christians break the second commandment and must acknowledge this. Only then can they repent, which may include abstaining from all alcohol if need be for a time (as they can, medically speaking). Christians should instead be able, through the Holy Spirit, exercise proper worship of the Lord and self-control and avoid wasting their lives with alcohol (which brings us to the next point).

Drunkenness leads to wastefulness.

The term used here is “dissipation,” and the ESV uses “debauchery.” One commentary explains that the word gives “the idea of profligate or licentious living that is wasteful. In this verse the literal sense of incorrigibility seems best, for a drunken man acts abnormally. Rather than controlling himself, the wine controls him.” How can it be wasteful?

First, drunkenness is wasteful of the image of God. When a person engages in drunkenness, his good sense is lessened and debauchery ensues. As a human being made in the image of God, he utters perversities, urinates on himself, falls over his own two feet, and passes out. That is hardly living according to the dignity created within us.

Second, drunkenness is wasteful of Christian testimony. A believer is new creation in Christ living as if he’s still in darkness. He literally can’t obey the commands of preceding verses, like “be careful how you walk” (Eph. 5:15) and “making the most of the time” (v. 16). They rebel against “what the will of the Lord is” (v. 17), and are not being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Younger Christians will fail to honor their parents (Eph 6:1–3). They and others can get themselves into trouble with governing authorities (cf. Rom 13:1). That’s to say nothing of how, if they choose to drink and get behind the wheel, they may forever change the lives of countless people, including themselves.

Third, drunkenness is so wasteful, it calls for church discipline. Hopefully, we’re talking about just confronting someone in a Matthew 18 fashion, and he chooses to repent. However, the Apostle Paul wrote that we are “not to associate with any so-called brother if he is,” among other things, an unrepentant drunkard (1 Cor. 5:11). Such perpetual drunkenness — such unrepentant sin — is a sign of false conversion and must not be tolerated in the church.

The command is about wise living.

We must remember that this comes in the context of Ephesians 5:15–21. The competing ideas here are not wine vs. the Holy Spirit, but foolishness living vs. wise, Spirit-filled living. There’s a series of contrasts leading up to this verse in this section of using contrasts: old and new man (4:17–32), love and indulgence (5:1–5), light and darkness (5:6–14), foolishness and wisdom (vv. 15–17). Now, drunkenness vs. Spirit-control comes forward, perhaps as a continuation of the thought of foolishness (to be drunk) as opposed to operating in wisdom (or, in the Spirit). Thus, it can apply to anything that might demand mastery over us, robbing the Holy Spirit of control, from alcohol to drugs to anything else.

Conclusion

There’s more to be said on this issue, and I wrote a pamphlet a while back on the subject. In summary here, Paul says, “And do not get drunk with wine,” not, “And do not drink wine.” We cannot be filled with the Spirit if we are not holding to the words of the Spirit.

Now, Christians come at this with different experiences. If you have developed the personal conviction not to imbibe, just take caution not to find righteousness in abstinence. Paul warns elsewhere about man-made traditions such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”; he says they have “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Col 2:21, 23). You have the freedom, though, to abstain; just don’t force your convictions on others.

There are some who do not share the conviction that they should abstain from alcohol, and I have similar cautions for you. First, do not find personal righteousness in your position, thinking that yours is a more mature view. Similarly, be aware of your weaker brothers and sisters in Christ; as Paul said in Romans 14:21, “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” In other words, don’t flaunt your liberty.

We must not be mastered by anything in life (1 Cor. 6:12), and those who linger long at wine may even evidence a false conversion. If you are concerned about that, though, having struggled with drunkenness or other addictions, you can know that there is forgiveness in Christ. Whereas God says that “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God,” including drunkards, we read of the Corinthians, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:9–11).

We’ll talk more about what it means to be filled with the Spirit next week, but consider this for now: may whether “you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).