Why We Use Wine for Communion

I don’t have any specific memories of my twenty-first birthday.  This is not because I went out celebrating with my friends and drank too much to remember but quite the opposite.  I was the student president of a campus ministry at a public university that had for years earned the reputation of being the “Number 1 Party School” in the country (yes that was real thing back then).  I had little desire to partake of alcohol for this and many other reasons. However, in the decades that have passed since my college days, I have come to enjoy, in moderation of course, an occasional drink.  I view alcohol as one of the many good gifts of creation that can be enjoyed with thanksgiving.  And as with all of the God’s gifts, it can be appreciated or abused, stewarded or idolized.

Our elders recently made the decision to include wine in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This represents a substantial change for us here at Cornerstone as we previously only offered grape juice—and that coming in pre-packaged containers! For those who grew up in a church that used wine in communion this will perhaps come as a welcome change, while for others it might raise some questions.  I want to share some thoughts I have on this issue of using wine for communion.

It seems best to start here.  Before we can lay out a case for wine as a gift from God, we must be clear that God repeatedly forbids the abuse of alcohol:

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

Isaiah 5:11-12 “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands.”

Isaiah 5:22-23  “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!”

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Inasmuch as drunkenness is condemned, alcohol itself is not.  We could say the same with other issues as well.  Gluttony is condemned; food itself is not. Adultery is condemned; sex itself is not. And actually, the Bible has quite a bit to say about wine being a gift from God:

Deuteronomy 14:26 “And spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.”

Psalm 104:14-15 “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart."

Joel 2:19 “The LORD answered and said to his people, ‘Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.’”

As we examine the Old Testament in particular, we find many instances in which wine is meant to point to something else.  Most notably in Isaiah’s vision of the coming messianic banquet we are told that God is preparing a “feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine…of aged wine well refined (Isaiah 25:6).”  The prophet Amos tells of the day coming when the “mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it (Amos 9:13).”

The psalmist tells us of a “cup with foaming wine, well mixed” that will be poured out from the hand of Lord on all the wicked of the earth who “shall drain it down to the dregs (Psalm 75:8).”  This helps to make sense of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed for the cup to pass from him (c.f. Matthew 26:39).   And yet we quickly see that that cup did not pass from him. Jesus drank it down to the dregs, every last drop, so that might enjoy the cup of blessing.

The very first of Jesus’ miracles in the Gospel of John was of course turning water into wine.  And let’s be clear we are not talking about a little of bit here—he turned “six stone water jars…each holding twenty or thirty gallons (John 2:6)” into exceedingly “good wine (John 2:10).”  That is over 900 bottles of wine being served after the original amount of wine was already gone.  If Jesus is not ashamed to serve wine at a wedding, why would we think he would be ashamed to serve us wine at the communion table?

What we now commonly call “Communion” or the “Lord’s Supper,” was instituted by Jesus as he sat with his disciples celebrating Passover.  He broke bread.  He took a cup which he referred to as “fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29).”   If wine was used in the very first celebration of the Lord’s Supper, is it not still appropriate for us to use wine today?  I am not arguing that grape juice or something else cannot be used, but certainly we have the clearest biblical precedent for the use of wine and not juice in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

[This is bit of a side but there are some who insist that we must baptize by immersion because of the biblical precedent that was set by Jesus’ apparent full-immersion baptism.  While I am not convinced that Jesus was fully under the water (the text only says he came “up from the water,” Matthew 3:16), I can accept that this a valid interpretation of the text. Many use this point to insist on baptism by immersion only. Jesus was fully immersed and so we should be as well.  Why does the same reasoning not apply to the Lord’s Supper?  If it is clear Jesus used wine at the first Lord’s Supper, why can we not continue to use wine today?]  

I am not qualified, nor will I attempt in this brief article, to summarize 2000 years of church history on what elements were used for communion but even a casual glance at history reveals that the church historically understood the “cup” of the Lord’s Supper to be filled with wine.  This is the interpretation, for instance, of the Westminster Confession of Faith which refers to the “elements of bread and wine (WCF 29.3).”  This is significant for us in the PCA as the Westminster Standards form the doctrinal foundation of our denomination.
The widespread introduction of grape juice for the Lord’s Supper did not take place until the mid-19th century and was being driven not by some new biblical insight but rather would appear to be closely tied with the temperance movement.  It is often pointed out that prior to Thomas Welch’s invention of “unfermented wine” (think Welch’s grape juice) it was not possible for the church to serve grape juice in communion, for one simple reason:  without a way to preserve grape juice, it naturally ferments and turns to wine anyway.  There is an interesting article that you can read here about Thomas Welch and his unfermented wine.

We should be clear that we do not believe that the use of wine is necessary for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  In offering wine, we do so not because we believe grape juice to be inferior, but rather we are seeking to return to the historic practice of the church.

As we pass the communion trays we will always have both juice and wine available. There are some in our congregation who should continue to use juice rather than wine.

First, those who are not settled in their conscience that wine is acceptable, should continue to take grape juice. If I have not persuaded you of the freedom we have in the Scriptures, please do not partake of wine.  Paul warns us in Romans 14:23 that anything that does not come from faith is sin.

Secondly, those who struggle with alcohol addiction, presently or in the past, should give serious thought as to whether or not to partake of wine.  It is probably best for you to stick with juice.

Thirdly, if we are underage, you should talk with your parents. While the civil authorities allow for alcohol to be used for religious purposes even with minors, it would still be wise for you to discuss this issue with your parents.

And finally, those who simply prefer grape juice over wine, should joyfully continue.

There is strong biblical and historical precedent for the use of wine in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  And yet we are reminded as we come to the Lord’s Table whether that table is set with wine or grape juice, unleavened bread or gluten-free crackers, it is death of Christ, and not our personal preferences, that is exalted.  And so let us come then in faith, in love – and with joy!