Wine or Grape Juice

Davis Huckabee

  The following article is published with no ill will or anger toward anyone. I have some very dear friends who believe that fermented wine is the scriptural liquid element for the Lord’s Table, and I respect their conviction.  I think they are wrong, but I think they want to be and believe they are right.

  I will not enter into a debate, arguments or fusses on the issue, but if someone has a thesis in print which I have not read, I will read it.

  Davis Huckabee, the writer of this tract, would certainly express the same attitude. It is our desire that our readers will look upon this article with the same charity and objectivity, and that we may all arrive at a more clear understanding of the Scriptures concerning this.

                                                                                                                                  Forrest L. Keener

Wine or Grape Juice

  There has long been a controversy in Baptist ranks over which of these two  is the legitimate element to be used in the Lord’s Supper, and it is not to be thought that this tract will settle the matter  in every person’s mind. However, we do wish to set forth some thoughts which might give occasion for reflection concerning the liquid element in this ordinance. It is needful, first of all, to establish what shall be the guidelines for determining this matter. What shall be our authority for determining which one of these two is to be used?

Tradition, Human Reasoning or Scripture?

  Many churches determine this matter according to what they have always done since their first observance of the ordinance. This is tradition, plain and simple, and Baptist tradition is as bad as any other, and can as quickly the competitor of the truth as it did in Jesus’ day. Still other churches resort to human reasoning to establish its practice, and if they can reason out what a logical defense of one or the other of these two elements, they are content, not realizing the most seemingly logical human reasoning none the less wholly contrary to the Scriptures. The Scriptures command “Casting down imaginations (margin: “reasoning’s”), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience to Christ.” II Corinthians 10:5.

Since we are accountable for what is taught in the Bible, and for nothing else but what is in the Bible, then it is clear that the Word of God is to be our only standard in this matter.

The Cup - The Fruit of the Vine

  “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:27, 28).

  These are the only terms ever used in the Scriptures for the liquid element of the Lord’s.  Supper. “Cup” is a figure of speech for something to drink, and had it been left by itself, it would have left the usage open to almost any kind of drink, but it is further defined by the words “fruit of the vine”, which reveals that this is to be expressed liquid of the grape. Neither of these expressions give any indication whether this is to be fermented or unfermented.

  The only symbolism required by the terms used is that of the grape being crushed so that the juice might be “poured out”. (Luke 22:20) (Greek). The purity of the Lord is symbolized by the unleavened bread, but the Scripture is silent as to the fruit of the vine ever symbolizing the purity of Christ’s blood, and we go beyond what is written if we insist upon this. Many people however do insist that fermentation is necessary to purify the natural juice of its impurities, and there are quotations from human authorities which seem to substantiate this reasoning. We believe that these authorities have been misread, and in some instances, actually perverted, but be that as it may, we have no concern about what human authorities may say about which of these two forms is purer. Our concern is with what God says in the Word.

What Saith The Scriptures?

  No where in the Bible is the word “wine” ever applied to the Lord’s Supper, which is exceedingly strange, if so be that this is an absolute necessity to the scriptural observance of it. And our Lord in His omniscience must surely have foreseen the great controversies that would arise over this question. Why then did he not in the beginning set the matter at rest and tell us that it had to be fermented, if this was the case? The thunderous silence of the Bible about this is surely significant, yet this significant silence is drown out by the voices of human reasoning and tradition which are raised in defense of the fermented juice of the grape. Now it is to granted that the Lord’s Supper is not to be found in the Old Testament. But the question, in God’s sight, is the purer of the two elements, is settled by the Old Testament. Of Israel’s wilderness trek, it said, “Thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.” Deuteronomy 32:14, so that if we can determine what Israel drank, we will know what the inspired Word designates as the pure element of the grape. A very similar statement is found in Genesis 49:11: “Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine and his clothing in the blood of grapes.” Here we see several things proven (1) the blood of the grapes is found in the vine, not in the vats. (2) This fresh “blood” of the grape is sometime called “wine” though it is unfermented. Actually, the Hebrew word for “wine” here means only that it is “pressed out.” It is a generic term for the extract of the grape, irregardless of its condition.  (3) Since the “blood” of the grape is found in the vine, then the pure blood of the grape is the unfermented juice of the grape.

  Further proof of this is found in Deuteronomy 29:6 “Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk or wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God.” God fed the Israelites on manna, and they drank of the pure juice of the grape which they pressed out from the vines in their wilderness trek. They drank no fermented wine nor other alcoholic beverages during their forty years in the wilderness, so neither of these could have been pure blood of the grape, which, for the Bible believer, makes it clear what God considers to be the pure blood of the grape. To which then shall we submit ourselves. To which then shall we submit ourselves, Tradition, Human Reasoning or the Scriptures?

God Has Spoken

  And we are not at liberty to dissent or disobey. Granted, human reasoning can bring up objections, difficulties and questions, but not one of these can stand against God’s clear declaration. He has declared only that “blood” of the grape which is found in the vine is the “pure” blood of the grape, so that this must be our element if we would use the pure element in our observance of the Lord’s Supper. We are then faced with a decision. Will we obey the Scriptures, or will we go with the traditions and reasoning’s of the religious world, the majority of which use the fermented extract of the grape? It will take considerable courage to stand against the practice of the generality of the religious world, and many do not have the moral courage to take such a stand. Do you?

The Lord’s Supper Is a Symbolic Ordnance

  If the “fruit of the vine” is not pure by nature, but must be purified by a process of fermentation, will this not suggest to the thoughtful person that Christ was not naturally pure, but that He had to undergo some sort of purification before He could redeem man? But on the other hand, if, as the Bible declares, the “pure blood of the grape” is found naturally in the vine, then this corresponds exactly with what we know to be Christ’s true state: He is Indeed a “Lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:19, and needed no purification before He went to the cross. Let us praise God for this native purity, but let us also practice the ordinance in such a way as to symbolize the truth.

Objections Answered

  No objections, difficulties and questions have any weight when God’s Word clearly speaks, as it has in this manner, and we should not think that they justify the disregarding of God’s Word. In truth, where there is a confrontation between these, it is generally because the objections, difficulties and questions have arisen through a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the facts. Let us note some of these.

  It is objected there is leavening in the natural juice of the grape, and that this is purged out in the process of fermentation. Answer: there is indeed leavening in grape juice, but there is a much higher leavening in fermented wine, so much so that to set off the process of fermentation, fermented wine is introduced to grape juice to hasten the process. Thus, relatively speaking, the fresh grape juice is the purer of the two, as the Scripture above show. But as we have previously noted, nowhere in the liquid element of the Lord’s Supper declared to symbolize the purity of Christ’s blood. This is symbolized in the unleavened bread, which represents Christ’s body, including the blood of His body. Quotations have been made from human authors to show that in the fermentation process, leaven is purged out so that fermented wine is free of leaven. It would be interesting to find these books and to examine them (I have never been able to locate a copy of any of them) to see if this is what they really say or if they do not rather say that in the fermentation process, there is produced a “pure leaven,” which is a vastly different thing than being purified of leaven. A pure leaven is one which nothing but leaven, have no other ingredients or impurities. This is what fermented wine is, a pure leaven, which, when introduced to grape juice, quickly leavens it also. If this is really what the human authorities, then obviously we should shun the fermented wine if we would use the pure element. On the other hand, if they do as claimed, state that the fermented wine is purer of leavening than the unfermented, then they set themselves against the Scriptures considered above, and they still ought to shun the fermented element.

  Another objection is that Baptists have long used the fermented element and only since the arrival of Temperance movements have they thought otherwise. Answer: this is arguing from Baptist tradition with equal force as against Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions. Where the Scripture has spoken, it is sin to follow tradition where it digresses from Scripture. To place Baptist tradition above the Bible is to do just exactly what Catholicism and Protestantism has done for centuries in elevating their traditions above the Bible. God forbid that we should be guilty of such a sin.

  Again it is objected that New Testament churches must have used fermented wine members of the Corinthian church got drunk at a perversion of the Lord’s Supper. Answer: Nothing is said of any person getting drunk at the Lord’s Table in Corinth. If one reads carefully I Corinthians 11:20,21 he will find that the condition described was already existing “when ye come together into one place,” verse 28 and resulted from “everyone taking before other his own supper.” This unconcern for the needs of fellow church members created a division between them and made it impossible to scripturally observe the Lord’s Supper, verse 20 “Ye cannot eat the Lord’s Supper.” Not only so, but the Greek word rendered “drunken” in verse 21 (methuel) means only “satiated” and while this would be equivalent to drunkenness if applied to spirituous liquors, yet in this case, being used in apposition to  “hungry”, shows that it has to do with over eating while neglecting the hungry brother, a sin in the light of I John 3:17. Certainly there is no evidence here to prove that fermented wine was ever used in the Corinthians church, and it is a going beyond what is written to claim so.

  Then it is objected that Jesus must have used fermented wine since He used the common elements of the Passover supper when He instituted the Lord’s Supper. Answer: The reader probably be amazed as was the writer, to learn that fermented wine was never a part of the Passover celebration by Devine command or example. That the Jews used fermented wine in their perverted celebration of the Passover may or may not be true, but this in no way proves that it was used by Jesus and the disciples, and it is a purely gratuitous assumption to claim it. It is irrelevant what the Jews used in the Passover, for if the New Testament does not command the use of fermented wine or show an example of it, we are not obligated to use it, nor should we use it.

  Another objection is that grape juice could not be preserved for any length of time apart from fermentation, and so this must have been the most common element in use. Answer: William Patton in his “Bible Wines or The Laws of Fermentation”, a very informative book in this controversy, shows that grape juice could be preserved in at least five other ways than fermentation, and were common methods of preservation in ancient times, so that anyone who desired to could have unfermented grape juice at any season of the year for use as a beverage, or in the Lord’s Supper.

Summation

  Human reasoning and tradition can be used as an argument to sustain the use of fermented wine, but at the same time, human reasoning and tradition can also be called to witness against it, which only shows that these are not reliable bases for the practice. The one and only authority for the elements in the Lord’s Supper is the inspired and infallible Word of God, which speaks of the elements of this ordinance as being “the Cup – the fruit of the vine”. If churches would use the pure fruit of the vine, then according to the teaching of the Holy Writ, it must be what Israel found growing upon the vines in their wilderness trek – the pure blood of the grape. Deuteronomy 32:14, Genesis 49:11, which was neither fermented wine nor strong drink. Deuteronomy 29:6. This is what the Scripture saith, and this shapes our responsibility as to the liquid element of the Lord’s Supper. You may reason out a contrary conclusion, but it will be contrary – contrary to the Word of God. What then what will you use when you come to the Lord’s Table? The pure blood of the grape or  something else which human reason or tradition can dictate?