Many are rightly convinced that drunkenness is sinful, but they are not convinced that social drinking (drinking in moderation) falls into the same category. Thus, they make a distinction between social drinking and drunkenness, whereas the Bible connects the two so that drunkenness includes social drinking. With this in mind, please note 1 Peter 4:3, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.” Herein Peter mentioned the past conduct of the Christians to whom this epistle was written - conduct during the time when they had “wrought the will of the Gentiles” –not the will of God! In their sinful past these brethren had walked in:

1. “Excess of wine” - This is the King James translation of the Greek, oinophlugia. In the New King James Version it is translated “drunkenness.” The A.S.V. translates it “winebibbings.” Oinophlugia (“excess of wine”) obviously denotes inebriation, complete drunkenness, the immoderate use of alcohol.

2. “Revellings” - In the K.J.V. this word is from the Greek, kosmos. It is translated “carousals” in the New American Standard Version. W.E. Vine defines it as “a revel, carousal, the concomitant and consequences of drunkenness.” This is the person who has drunk enough to be “happy,” to be “the life of the party.” He may be wobbly, but he is still on his feet, and thinks he is “on cloud nine!”

3. “Banquetings” - This word is translated from the Greek potos. The A.S.V. translates it “drinking parties.” The New English Bible renders it “tippling.” The verb form of the original Greek word is Potizo, meaning “to give to drink” without regards to amount, as in Matthew 10:42, “give to drink...a cup of cold water.” R.C. Trench states that potos (rendered “banquetings” in the K.J.V.) is “not of necessity excessive,” but that it is so related to words of excess that it gives “opportunity for excess.”  “Having a few drinks with the boys,” “cocktail party drinking” (in other words, “social drinking” is the idea). Hence, in 1 Peter 4:4, in reverse order, all three levels of drinking (excessive, moderate, social) are cited, and all three are shown to be a part of the sinful past of some Christians, and from which they had turned.

“But Didn’t Jesus Turn Water to Wine?”

Yes, He did, as is evidenced by reading John 2:1-11. Concerning these verses, you will please observe that Jesus attended a wedding feast, in which “wine” had been served and consumed - in fact, all of it had been consumed. Jesus’ mother reminded Him that “they have no wine” (v. 3), and Jesus told “the servants” to “fill the waterpots with water.” There were six such waterpots, “containing about two or three firkins apiece,” v. 6. A “firkin” is said to have been approximately 7-1/2 gallons. Hence, each waterpot was capable of holding approximately 20 gallons each, and there were six of them. Upward of 120 gallons of water were miraculously turned into wine!

But we ask, “was this ‘wine’ fermented or unfermented?” The problem with many today is that they ascribe a 21st century definition to a first century word, and presto, they have Jesus producing the very stuff that turns multitudes into vile, perverse-speaking, irresponsible drunken sots! Yet, we must keep in mind the fact that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22), and the law under which He lived plainly pronounced a “woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink” (Hab. 2:15). So it would seem as if there is a discrepancy between Habakkuk 2:15 and many people’s interpretation of John 2:1-11. The confusion is not based upon Bible doctrine, but upon modern ignorance–the prevailing belief that in order for wine to be “good” it has to be fermented. However, according to Historians, among the Jews of the first century, “good wine” was wine that was not fermented; it was simply the pure juice of the grape. In our terminology Jesus turned water into grape juice; He did not turn water into “the devil’s brew,” and thereby place His stamp of approval upon the consumption of the kind of beverage that causes “woe,” “sorrow,” “contentions,” “babbling,” “wounds without cause,” “redness of eyes,” and which causes the heart to “utter perverse things” (Prov. 23:29-35). The lack of space prohibits us from considering all the words translated “wine” in the Bible, but suffice it to say that, biblically speaking, there is a “wine” that is “found in the cluster” (Isa. 65:8), or “wine” which is pure grape juice, and which is not intoxicating. This is what Jesus produced.

A true Christian strives to be both the “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world,” (Matt. 5:13-16). Consequently a “true” Christian abstains from all forms of intoxicating drink.