In the end, I believe it is permissible to use grape juice instead of wine for the Lord’s Supper, but I do not believe it is best. Wine, as the gift of God and sign of his blessing, was used during the Passover and in the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and following that pattern is most biblical. On a related matter, whether the bread used in the Lord’s Supper is leavened or not seems less important to me. It must be bread, but the sacrament itself seems to place no emphasis on the unleavened nature of the bread.
Wine has been used in the Lord’s Supper for the past 2,000 years. Or, until around 1869 when Thomas Bramwell Welch figured out how to pasteurize grape juice making non-alcoholic wine easily accessible to those who went through the trouble of making it themselves. At the time the temperance movement was in full-swing and many churches adopted the use of Welch’s grape juice in the Lord’s Supper out of a desire to avoid the purchase and consumption of alcohol.
Both wine and grape juice are made from the same fruit and visually present the same message of Christ’s blood. So, does it really matter whether we use juice or wine for the sacrament? Before we get into this let me say something I have said in other posts in this series. Healthy churches often differ on this issue for theological and practical reasons, and I would never break fellowship or refuse sharing in the Lord’s Supper with those who practice different than I do in this matter. But is one practice better than the other?
Wine is the fermented juice of grapes and has a prominent and positive place in the Bible. G.I. Williamson summarizes the overall picture in Wine in the Bible and the Church.
“God himself provides ‘wine which makes man’s heart glad’ just as He gives ‘food which sustains man’s heart’ (Ps. 104:14.15). He promises His people that, if they will obey Him, He will bless them with an abundance of wine (Deut 7:13, 11:14, Prov. 3:10. etc.). He threatens to withdraw this blessing from them if they disobey His law (Deut. 28:39, 51; Isa. 62:8). The Scriptures clearly teach that God permits His people to enjoy wine and strong drink as a gift from Him. ‘You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household’ (Deut. 14:26). Under certain circumstances it is even commanded of God that wine and strong drink be given (Pr. 31:6,7). And since wine was used in the worship of God (Ex. 29:40, Lev. 23:13; Nu. 15:5,7,10; 28:14), the Bible says wine is something that cheers God as well as man (Jud. 9:13).”
And of course wine’s place in the Lord’s Supper is clear (Lk. 22:18; 1 Cor. 11:21). While the Bible celebrates wine, it also condemns drunkenness and frequently warns those who would abuse God’s gift (Eph. 5:18; Gal 5:19-21; Prov. 23:20, 29-35; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:10).
In his book, What Would Jesus Drink, Brad Whittington breaks down the biblical references of alcohol into three types. In all, there are 247 references to alcohol in Scripture. 40 are negative(warnings about drunkenness, potential dangers of alcohol, etc.), 145 are positive (sign of God’s blessing, use in worship, etc.), and 62 are neutral (people falsely accused of being drunk, vows of abstinence, etc.) The Bible is anything but silent on the issue of wine. It, like all alcohol, must be treated carefully, seen as a blessing, and received with thanksgiving among those who drink it. It must not be abused. The old saying is true, “Wine is from God, drunkenness is from the Devil.”
So why do some churches choose to use unfermented grape juice in the Lord’s Supper? We will disregard arguments that present the consumption of wine as sinful, for the Scripture clearly teaches the opposite. But there are valid concerns that people often bring up regarding the use of wine in communion. What of those who struggle with alcoholism? What of those who abstain from all alcohol and whose consciences will not allow them to consume it? Isn’t it illegal for children to consume alcohol?
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