Pastoral Letter on Wine in Communion
The following letter was written in response to a question concerning Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s practice of using wine in communion. It is published with the hope that it might provide understanding of an issue that impacts the spiritual health of God’s people.
Spring, 2003
Dear child of God:
You asked the session to consider using non-alcoholic grape juice instead of wine for communion. Session considered the matter and asked me to respond to you.
After much consideration Session decided that to make a change would be contrary to the word of God and the doctrinal standards of our church. In the institution of the Lord’s supper, which occurred in the spring during the Passover season, our Savior used wine made from grapes harvested the previous year. Lacking refrigeration or pasteurization the wine would have quickly fermented. Unfermented grape juice would have been unavailable in ancient Palestine in the spring of the year, many months after the grape harvest. There is no indication in the Bible that our Lord performed a miracle and created fresh grape juice for the first Supper.
With this understanding of Scripture our Confession of Faith specifies the use of wine: “The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed his ministers to declare his word of institution to the people; to pray, and bless the elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to a holy use” (WCF 29.3).
If Christ the king and head of the church gave his church the use of wine in the holy Supper, who are we to set aside the divinely-appointed element and exchange it for something else? To do so would be to assert that we are wiser than God.
We are sympathetic to the concerns of members who have a tender conscience and want to avoid any abuse of one of God’s good gifts (1 Tim. 4:4). How thankful we are for a Savior who is very solicitous towards his weak children. “We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench” (Mt. 12:20).
We pray for all our people, that they might grow in faith, knowledge and maturity. We recognize that an individual member struggling with the temptation to abuse alcoholic beverages might have to satisfy himself with partaking of the bread only, and refrain from taking the communion cup for a time. We pray that this would be a temporary situation, and that in due time the Lord might give this tender sheep the grace to accept by faith a divinely-appointed element which was given for his spiritual strengthening and sustenance. We would encourage you with the truth that there is abundant grace in Jesus Christ. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
Cordially yours, in Christ,
The session of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church