Alcohol And The Bible

Q

What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol? Also, do we know for a fact that the wine Jesus made was fermented?

A

Drinking is not forbidden in the Bible, but drunkenness is frowned upon. In Deut. 14:22-26 God allowed the Israelites to exchange their tithes for money to purchase wine or other fermented drink to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. But in 1 Cor. 5:11 Paul discouraged us from even associating with drunkards.

Since fermented wine was customary at weddings and since the master of the banquet pronounced the wine Jesus had made superior to the other wine they had been drinking (John 2:10), there’s no reason to doubt that it was fermented.