A Little Wine

“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:23)

Did you know that there is a verse in the Bible encouraging someone to drink wine? Here it is! In the middle of his pastoral advice to Timothy, Paul told him to drink a little wine, instead of drinking only water. We’re not told anything more about the situation. Clearly, Paul knew that in Timothy’s case, his health would benefit from drinking a little wine.

You’re probably aware that some Christian churches prohibit all alcohol use by their members. That’s a sad example of churches making and enforcing their own rules instead of teaching God’s Word. Nowhere does the Bible say that drinking alcohol is always sinful. We shouldn’t say that either.

Instead, the Bible—and especially Jesus—teaches that it’s not foods or drinks that make us sinful. It’s our sinful hearts that make us sinful. Jesus powerfully preached that it’s what comes out of us that makes us sinful, not what goes into us (see Matthew 15:17-20). We’re the problem, not the alcohol.

Of course, alcohol can become a problem. While the Bible never says that all alcohol use is sinful, the Bible always says that drunkenness is sinful. Paul already mentioned that in 1 Timothy 3:3. If we use alcohol to the point of getting drunk, or if we develop an addiction to alcohol that leads us to rely on it on a daily basis, then alcohol has become a sin for us. It is wise for some Christians who struggle with drunkenness or alcoholism to avoid alcohol completely. 

Yet, it’s ironic that Jesus uses alcohol to give us his forgiveness in the Lord’s Supper. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took a cup of wine, passed it to his disciples, and said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). While Paul encouraged Timothy to drink a little alcohol for his stomach, in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus uses a little alcohol to give us his blood for the forgiveness of sins. Isn’t it amazing what God chooses to use to bless us?

So when it comes to alcohol in our lives, maybe Paul’s words to Timothy would be good for us to follow: A little. Like everything God has made, alcohol is a gift when used as God intended it.

Dear Jesus, it’s surprising how you use a little wine in the Lord’s Supper to give us your blood for our forgiveness. As Paul encouraged Timothy, help us use alcohol in the wisest possible way. Amen.

Pastor Nathan