Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: December 10, 2006
RED WINE IS NOT FINE
David B. Smith
News outlets have been buzzing lately with the old “red wine can actually extend
your life” bit. If in the back of your mind you think you have heard this before,
you have. Every several years or so some research group will post “profound
results” stating that red wine carries incredible health benefits. Their advice:
drink some every day and you can add years to your life. Since the world is
looking for the fountain of youth, such advice falls on a willing audience.
Whatever objections are raised to the contrary (i.e., objections that say the
consumption of alcohol is wrong), proponents of the “life giving wine” argue
pragmatically – that the end justifies the means. After all, does not God want
men to take care of their bodies?
A little research in this area will show that it is the grape juice, and not the
alcohol, that does the body good. Peter Jaret reports for WebMD, stating:
“Purple grape juice contains the same powerful disease fighting antioxidants,
called flavonoids, that are believed to give wine many of its heart-friendly
benefits….The flavonoids in grape juice…have been shown to prevent the
oxidation of so-called bad cholesterol (LDLs, or low-density lipoproteins) that
leads to formation of plaque in artery walls.
In a study published in 1999 in the journal Circulation, researchers at the
University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison asked 15 patients who
already showed clinical signs of cardiovascular disease -- including plaque
constricted arteries -- to drink a tall glass of grape juice daily. After 14 days,
blood tests revealed that LDL oxidation in these patients was significantly
reduced. And ultrasound images showed changes in the artery walls, indicating
that their blood was flowing more freely. Grape juice can also lower the risk of
developing the blood clots that lead to heart attacks, according to unpublished
findings from Georgetown University researcher Jane Freedman, M.D. So can red
wine, but in this case grape juice is the more practical way to go: “Wine only
prevents blood from clotting (when it's consumed) at levels high enough to
declare someone legally drunk,” says University of Wisconsin researcher John
Folts, Ph.D. “With grape juice, you can drink enough to get the benefit
without worrying about becoming intoxicated.”
What’s more, alcoholic drinks don’t seem to improve the function of cells in
blood vessel linings the way grape juice does. And alcohol generates free radicals
-- unstable oxygen molecules that can actually cause damage to blood vessel
tissues -- dampening any of the benefits that red wine’s antioxidants may offer”
[Peter Jaret March 31, 2000 Healtheon/WebMD, taken from http:
//archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/alternative/03/31/wine.heart.wmd].
Jaret’s report accurately shows that (1) grape juice is incredibly beneficial to
overall health; (2) grape juice provides benefits without the destructive qualities
of alcoholic beverages, and (3) alcoholic beverages are ultimately negative in their
effect on the body.
This research has only further confirmed the divine record. God has clearly
stated that man can benefit from fruit of the vine, “And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which
strengtheneth man’s heart” (Psa. 104:15). The psalmist’s words are recorded in a
context describing the rich provisions by God for man’s benefit. On the other
hand, God just as clearly condemns the consumption of intoxicating beverages.
“Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup,
when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like
an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter
perverse things” (Prov. 23:31-33). Of alcoholic wine, God told man “not to look at
it.” This is because “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).
The New Testament is just as clear in its condemnation of drinking intoxicating
beverages. Paul says “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). The word itself and the context identify this
negative command as including the entire process, from beginning to end. The
idea is: “do not drink” or “do not be intoxicated.” The Spirit through Paul
condemns intoxication, which is not a state but a matter of degree. The man who
takes one drink of an intoxicating beverage is intoxicated. This is just the same
with medication. If a man takes medication, he is medicated. Thus, if a man
intakes intoxicants he is intoxicated. It is just that simple.
Even scientific research has shown the impact of tiny amounts of alcohol on the
human body. “Blood alcohol of 1/10 of one percent can be accepted as prima facie
evidence of alcohol intoxication recognizing that many individuals are under the
influence in the 5/100 of one percent range….There is no minimum (blood-
alcohol-concentration) which can be set at which there will be absolutely no
effect” [Minutes of the 1960 annual meeting of the American Medical
Association, and in “Are You Fit To Drive?,” Journal Of The American Medical
Association].
This article is not questioning the ability of man to apply medicines to his body.
In First Timothy 5:23, wine is considered a medicine and not a beverage. It is
certainly well within the authority of the Scriptures to employ a drug in a
medicinal way, understanding that the medical condition is genuine, the
medicine will be applied to treat the illness and not for personal pleasure, and
that the medicine can genuinely treat the illness.
But it has already been shown that the properties in grape juice are where the
health benefits exist. The same argument the world keeps hearing every so
often, that “red wine is good for your health,” is simply not true. It is an attempt
to justify the consumption of alcoholic beverages in a “social” way.
May the church be perceptive enough of these ploys to avoid them and help
others to see the facts of the matter. The Bible does not justify the consumption
of alcoholic beverages, and a “glass a day” is destructive not only to the body but
also the soul. Red wine is not fine!
— via “The Transformer,” Weekly Bulletin of the Northside church of Christ
(Calhoun, GA) — Nov. 12, 2006