Why Don't Latter-day Saints Use Wine in Their Sacrament?

Latter-day Saints emphatically affirm our reliance on the atoning blood of Christ for the remission of sins, as attested to in the bible [Col 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7; Rev 7:14] and modern scripture [1 Nephi 12:10; Mosiah 3:7, 11; 4:2; Alma 5:21, 27; 21:9; 24:13; 34:36; Helaman 5:9; Esther 13:10; Moroni 4:1; 5:2; 10:33; D&C 20:40; 27:2; 76:69; Moses 6:62].

Even the sacrament prayer for the administration of the water affirms the symbolism of the atoning blood. It states in part ". . . bless and sanctify this water to the souls that drink of it, that they do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them" [D&C 20:79].

As to our use of water in place of the grape juice [new wine - see Isa 65:8], it is important to note that initially grape juice was used in the sacrament both in the early church [Matt 26:28-29] and in the latter-day Church [D&C 20:79, History of the Church 1:78]. As a precaution against the enemies of the Church poisoning or adulterating the grape juice sold to the Saints, a change was authorized by the Lord [History of the Church 1:106-08; Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:132; Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p 55]. The Lord revealed "that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory- remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins" [D&C27:2]

It is interesting to note that the command throughout the scriptures was not to partake of the bread and the wine, but the bread and the cup [Matt 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-23; Luke 22:17, 19,20; 1 Cor 11:24-26]. It thereforeappears that it was not the wine that was being empathized but the "bitter cup" [D&C 19:18] of which Christ would partake [Matt 20:22-23; 26:39, 42; Mark 10:38; 14:36; Luke 22:20, 42; John 18:11; 1 Cor 10:21]. This also in conformity with the Old Testament usage of the term "cup" to symbolize suffering [Ps 11:6; 75:8; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15, 17, 49:12; see also Jesus the Christ, p. 620, note 8].

It is noteworthy that some early Christians used both water and wine in sacrament. Justin Matyr [ca 140 AD] recorded:

On Sunday we hold a meeting in one place for all who live in the cities or the country nearby. The teachings of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time is available. When the reader has finished, the president gives a talk urging the inviting us to imitate all these good examples. When then all stand together and send up our prayers. As noted before, bread wine and water is brought forth after our prayer. The president also sends up prayers and thanksgiving. The people unitedly give their consent by saying "Amen" The administration takes place, and each one receives what has been blessed with gratefulness. The deacons also administer to those not present . . . We all choose Sunday for our communal gathering because it is the first day, on which God created the universe by transforming the darkness and the basic elements, and because Jesus Christ - our Redeeming Savior - rose from the dead on the same day [First Apology, pp. 65-67; see also Vesal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, p. 231].

This practice was also mentioned by Pope Julius I [337 AD] in a decree which stated: "But if necessary let the cluster be pressed into the cup and water mingled with it" [Gratian, De Consecratione, Pars III, Dist. 2, c. 7, as cited by Leon C. Field, Oinos: A Discussion of the Bible Wine Question, New York, 1883, p. 91, and Samuele Bacchiocchi, Wine in the Bible, pp. 109-10]. This practice of mixing wine and water may be related to the fact that both blood and water were shed on the cross. John recorded that "one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forth-with came there out blood and water" [John 19:34]. John latter recorded that "there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one" [1 John 5:8]. In like manner baptism by water was also related by Paul to Christ's death [Rom 6:3-5].

Samuele Bacchiocchi, a non-LDS scholar, has observed, "An investigation. . . of such Jewish Christian sects as the Ebionites, the Nazarenes, the Elkesaites, and the Encratites, might provide considerable support for abstinence from fermented wine in the Apostolic Church. The fact that some of these sects went to the extreme of rejecting altogether both fermented and unfermented wine using only water, even in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, suggests the existence of a prevailing concern for in the Apostolic Church" [Wine in the Bible, p. 181]. It also suggests that early Christians understood that "it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when [partaking] of the sacrament" [D&C 27:2]

Catholic, at a much later period, also substituted the eucharist for the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, believing that it would literally be turned into the flesh and blood of the Lord. [See James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, pp. 235-50].

Although the later practice was introduced during a period of apostasy, it nonetheless shows that some Christians felt it was permissible to modify the observance of the sacrament service even without direction of the Lord. The LDS sacrament service, on the other hand, is always observed within the guidelines given by the Lord and as prescribed in the scriptures [see John 6:53-54; Acts 2:46; 20:7; 1 Cor 11:23-30; Moroni 4 and 5; D&C 20:75-79; 27:1-4; and additional information on the LDS reliance on Christ's atonement see Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth About "The God Makers", pp. 192-93].