# Proof Alcohol is a sin. This article will prove that any form of alcohol consumption is a sin, and that the Bible calls us not to consume any. We must start with the common argument given by Catholic and liberal Reformed Protestants that "Well Jesus was a bartender! He turned water into wine" and quote the wedding at Cana: > **John 2:1-10** > And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: **2** And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. **3** And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. **4** Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. **5** His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. **6** And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. **7** Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. **8** And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. **9** When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, **10** And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. The major error when interpreting this passage is assuming that wine must always mean an alcoholic beverage. Let us first find other occurrences of the word **wine** in the Bible and address them: > **Proverbs 23:31** > Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. So the Bible shows that wine can be in various states, and in this verse, it is warning to avoid it when it is alcoholic. Notice "when it moveth itself aright": when wine is fermenting, it will cause a bubbling and stirring effect due to the releases of gas, which comes from the yeast consuming the sugar, producing alcohol and releasing carbon dioxide. The Bible also distinguishes unfermented wine, as seen in the following examples: >**Proverbs 3:10** >So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. >**Isaiah 65:8** >Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. >**Acts 2:13** >Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. The mocking onlookers is interesting in the fact theyre not only writing off the multitude as drunkards, but also suggesting they can't handle their liquor by suggesting it is not the fermented wine they consumed. So here we have: new wine, and wine. If you look back at the John 2 passage, the governor refers to the wine Jesus created as **good** wine. Notice he did not call it new or just wine. So we need to determine which state of wine the governer considers **good**. Non-biblical evidence and archaeological findings has determined the population of Cana in Galilee to be estimated at around: • **Low estimate**: ~300 people • **High estimate**: ~1,500 people • **Most likely**: ~500–1,000 people Let us assume there were 500 guests attending the wedding, all consuming alcohol. Since the supply of alcohol had run out, and Jesus needed to provide more, we can look to this verse to determine the quantity: >**John 2:6** And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. A firkin is estimated to be about 34 liters. Using a conservative calculation where all the waterpots held 2 firkins each, and assuming an alcohol level of 5% ABV: • **Total wine produced:** 408 liters • **Total pure alcohol content:** 20.4 liters • **Alcohol per guest (evenly distributed):** 40.8 mL of pure alcohol • **Equivalent standard drinks (Australian standard of 12.7 mL pure alcohol per drink):** ~3.2 standard drinks per person This means that Jesus provided approximately **3.2 standard drinks per guest** to an already intoxicated crowd. How would then we reconcile with the plethora of verses that would contradict this? Here are a couple: >**John 8:46** >Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? >**James 1:13** >Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: Also, remember the governor of the feast mentioned he was expecting the good wine first. Note he is a governor, so he is responsible for running the wedding. The last thing he would want is people to be intoxicated at the start. But given this is good wine made from Jesus, the quality would trump any good wine made by man, hence the comment he makes. There is also this verse the drunkards will cite to justify their addiction: >**1 Timothy 5:23** Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. Now we know that there is no medical evidence to suggest that alcohol has any health benefits. And anyone who has been in contact with alcohol will know it ruins the lining of the stomach. So Paul cannot possibly be talking about alcoholic wine, but rather he is utilising the health benefits of natural unfermented grape juice. In conclusion, there is nowhere in the bible that permits the consumption of alcoholic wine. When any mention of wine is made. we ought to examine whether it is referring to new wine/grape juice, or alcoholic wine.