Wine and Strong Drink

“That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold, it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together, to offer up your sacraments before him.  And behold, this should be wine; yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. And again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies” (Doctrine and Covenants, 86:1b-c).

God tells us plainly that we are not to drink wine or strong drink. Is there any doubt that this refers to alcoholic beverages? God tells us that alcohol is for the external washing of the body. 

I have watched with sadness over recent years as many sincere Christians, both in the Restoration Movement and in other Christian denominations have slipped into the use of strong drink. Many say that Jesus drank alcoholic wine so it is fine for us to do the same.

It is beyond the scope of this article to go into all the facts that debunk the myth that Jesus drank alcoholic wine, but I will bring up a few key points.  First of all, it is important to understand that the word “wine” in the Bible can refer to either fermented alcoholic wine or new wine (unfermented grape juice). There are at least ten different Hebrew and Greek words, each with different shades of meaning, which have been translated into the English word “wine.” So the word “wine” in the Bible does not necessarily mean an alcoholic beverage.

One verse that is very clear on this point is Isaiah 65:8 which states, “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' sake, that I may not destroy them all.”

Here the Lord refers to “new wine” that is “in the cluster.” In other words, the new wine is inside the grapes still hanging in clusters on the vine. The word “wine” in this context clearly does not refer to fermented alcoholic wine.

Doctrine and Covenants 26:1d also illustrates the use of the word “wine” in scriptures for a non-alcoholic beverage.  “Wherefore a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies; wherefore ye shall partake of none, except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.”

Another point I have heard used to argue that Jesus drank fermented alcoholic wine is that since they did not have refrigeration in Jesus’s day, they surely had no way to keep grape juice from fermenting. Since the Last Supper occurred in the winter, some people assume this means there could have been no fresh grape juice available, thus they insist that Jesus and His disciples drank fermented alcoholic wine.  
In Jesus' day the Hebrew people were extremely adept at preserving fruits, vegetables and grains for long periods of time without fermentation occurring.  The art of preserving produce and grains was well-known to the Hebrews of Jesus' day and well before His day.  

One method used was boiling fruit juices down to half or one-third of their original volume, replacing the evaporated liquid with water, and then adding a small amount of vinegar and salt to keep away worms and fermentation for an extended period.  

Another option used was submerging grapes and other fruits in watered-down honey.  Honey has a natural property which slows or prevents decay.  This method could keep grapes from decaying for an extended period of time, making the squeezing of fresh grape juice possible in any season. 

Yet another method of preservation was to alternately layer fresh fruits with sawdust in a barrel and seal the barrel with clay.  Alternately, sometimes either individual or bunches of fruit was method was dipped repeatedly in a mixture of watery clay. This coating preserved their freshness for long periods of time. The coated fruit was hung in a cool, dry place and when needed, it was plunged in water which caused the clay around the fruit to dissolve.

Many historical writings confirm these and many other methods of preserving fruit, vegetables, and grain for extended periods of time without fermentation were well-known to the Jews of Jesus' day.
There are many good online resources that provide even more evidence that Jesus did not drink alcoholic wine.  One I will refer you to is the following website article published by John Hamel: http://www.johnhamelministries.org/wine_lie_Jesus.htm

As far as using strong drink (alcoholic beverages) to wash the body, I know of people who have first-hand experience in using whiskey externally on the skin to heal poison ivy. Whiskey is also said to tone and cleanse the skin when used as an external wash. I personally have not tried this as I wish to avoid the appearance of evil and do not care to purchase alcoholic beverages. 

In summary, it seems very clear that in the Word of Wisdom, God is warning us that drinking alcoholic beverages is not good for our bodies, and that this warning does agree with other Scripture.