Results 301 - 320 of 8433
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: EdB Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
301 | Every-Member Ministry | Eph 4:12 | EdB | 243338 | ||
Interesting commentary but ignores the fact that the church often fails to equip the saints, choosing instead to preach at them. I wonder how many would answer in the infirmative if asked, as they left the Sunday morning service, if they felt empowered to preach, teach and serve Christ? I fear most would say no. People attend church with many expectations but I wonder how many expect to be equipped? Church today is often focused at convicting sinners and trying to win souls instead of equipping the saints. Some churches focus on worship and ceremony to revitalize the members emotions but do little to teach them discipleship or serving others. If more churches today would refocus on equipping it's members to do the work the members were called to! the church would once again be an effective force in our society. |
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302 | Was the wine alcoholic or not | John 2:10 | EdB | 243336 | ||
Part 1 Wine in the New Testament Luke 7:33-34 "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, he hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." WINE: FERMENTED OR UNFERMENTED? The following is an examination of the midst of common Biblical word for wine. The Greek word for "wine" in Luke 7:33 is oinos. Oinos can refer to two distinctly different types of juice of the grape: (1) Unfermented juice, and (2) Fermented or intoxicating wine. This interpretation is supported by the following data. (1) The Greek word oinos was used by secular and religious authors in pre-Christian and early church times to refer to fresh grape juice (see Aristotle, "Metereologica", 387.b 9-13) a. Anacreon (c. 500 B.C.) writes, "Squeeze the grape, let out the wine (oinos)" (Ode 5) b. Nicander (2nd century B.C.) writes of squeezing grapes and refers to the produced juice as oinos (Gerogica, fragment 86). c. Papias (A.D. 60-130), an early church father, mentions that when grapes are crushed they yield "jars of wine (oinos)" (cited by Irenaeus, "Against Herecies", 5.33.3-4) d. A Greek Papyrus letter (P. Oxy. 729; A.D. 137) speaks of fresh wine(oinos) from the treading vat" (see Moulton and Miligan, "The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament,p.10) e. Athenaeus (AD. 200) speaks of a "sweet wine(oinos)" that "does not make the head heavy" (Athanaeus, "Banquet",1.54). In another place, he writes of a man gathering grapes who "went about, and took wine (onios) from the field" (1.54). For more detailed discussions on use of oinos by ancient writers, see Robert P. Teachout, "The Use of “Wine†in the Old Testament" (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1979) (2) The Jewish scholars who translated the O.T. into Greek about 200 BC used oinos when translating several Hebrews words for wine. In other words, the writers of the NT knew that oinos could either be fermented or unfermented juice from the grape. (3) As in secular Greek and the OT, an examination of NT passages reveals that oinos may mean either fermented or unfermented wine. In Ephesians 5:18 the command "be not drunk with wine (oinos)," refers to alcoholic wine. On the other hand, in Revelation 19:15 Christ is described as treading out the winepress. The Greek text reads: "He treads the winepress with wine (oinos)"; the oinos that comes forth from the winepress would be grape juice (Isaiah 66:10; Jer. 48:32-37). In Revelation 6:6 oinos refers to grapes on the vine as a crop not to be destroyed. Thus, for believers in NT times, "wine"(oinos) was a general word that could be used for two distinctly different grape beverages, fermented and unfermented wine. (4) Finally, ancient Roman writers have explained in detail various processes used in dealing with freshly squeezed grape juice, especially ways to preserve it from fermenting a. Columella (on Agriculture, 12.29), knowing that grape juice would not ferment if kept cool (under 50 degrees) and oxygen free, writes as follows: "That your grape juice may be always as sweet as when it is new, thus proceed. After you apply the press to the grapes, take the newest must (i.e. fresh juice), put it in a new container (amphora), bung it up , and cover it up very carefully with pitch lest any water should enter, then sink it in a cistern or pond of cold water and allow no part on the amphora to remain above the surface. After forty days take it out. It will remain sweet for a year" (see also Columella, "Agriculture and Trees"; Cato, "On Agriculture"). The Roman writer Pliny (1st century AD) writes: "as soon as the must (grape juice) is taken from the vat and put into casks, they plunge the casks in water till midwinter passes and regular cold weather sets in" (Pliny, "Natural History", 14.11.83). Israel would have had no problem in applying the above method (Deut. 8:7;11:11-12; Ps. 65:9-13). b. Another method to keep grapes from fermenting was to boil them into a syrup Ancient historians actually referred to this product as wine (oinos). Canon Farrar (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p.747) states that "the wines of antiquity were more like syrups; many of them were not intoxicant" Also, The New Bible Dictionary (p. 1332) notes that "there were means of keeping wine sweet all year round." cont 2 |
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303 | Was the wine alcoholic or not | John 2:10 | EdB | 243335 | ||
part 2 USE OF WINE IN LORD'S SUPPER Did Jesus use fermented or unfermented grape drink when He instituted the Lord's Supper (Mat. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)? The following data support the conclusion that what Jesus and His disciples drank was unfermented grape juice. (1) Neither Luke nor any other Biblical writer uses the word "wine"(oinos) in regard to the Lord's Supper. The first three Gospel writers use "fruit of the vine" (Mat. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18-KJV). Unfermented wine is the only true natural "fruit of the vine," containing approximately 20 percent sugar and NO alcohol. Fermentation destroys much of sugar and alters what the vine produced. Fermented wine is not the product of the vine. (2) The Lord's Supper was instituted when Jesus and His disciples were eating the Passover. The Passover law in Ex. 12:14-20 prohibited, during Passover week, the presence and use of seor (Ex. 12:15), a word referring to leaven, yeast, or any agent of fermentation. Seor in the ancient world was often obtained from the thick scum in top of fermenting wine. Furthermore, all hametz (i.e. anything containing any fermentation) was forbidden (Ex. 12:19; 13:7) God had given these laws because fermentation symbolized corruption and sin (Mat. 16:6,12:1 Cor. 5:7-8). Jesus, the Son of God, fulfilled the law in every requirement (Mat.5:17). Thus, He would have followed God's law for the Passover and not used fermented wine. (3) A rather lively debate has taken place over the centuries among Jewish rabbis and scholars in NT times. as to whether fermented products of the vine were allowed in the Passover. Those who held to a stricter and more literal interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, especially Exodus 13:7, insisted that no fermented wine was to be used on this occasion. (4) Some Jewish sources affirm that the use of the unfermented wine at the Passover was common in NT times. For example, "According to the synoptic Gospels, it would appear that on the Thursday evening of the last week of His life Jesus with His disciples entered Jerusalem in order to eat the Passover meal with them in the sacred city; if so, the wafer and the wine of ...them communion service then instituted by Him as a memorial would be the unleavened bread and the unfermented wine of the Seder Service" (see "Jesus," The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904 edition, V.165). (5) In the OT fermented drink was never to be used in the house of God, nor were the priests allowed to draw near to God in worship while drinking intoxicating beverages (see Lev. 10:9). Jesus Christ was God's High Priest of the new covenant for the sake of His people (Heb. 3:1;5:1-10) (6) The value of a symbol is determined by its capacity to conceptualize the spiritual reality. Therefore, just as the bread represented the pure body of Christ and had to be unleavened (i.e. uncorrupted with fermentation), the fruit of the vine, representing the incorruptible blood of Christ, would have been best represented by juice that was unfermented (1 Pet. 1:18-19) (7) Paul instructed the Corinthians to put away spiritual yeast, i.e. the fermenting agent of "malice and wickedness", because Christ is our Passover (1 Cor.5:6-8). It would be inconsistent with the goal and spiritual requirement of the Lord's Supper to use something which was a symbol of evil. i.e. something with leaven or yeast. Cont Part 3 |
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304 | Was the wine alcoholic or not | John 2:10 | EdB | 243334 | ||
Drinking Part 3 WINE: MIXED OR FULL STRENGTH? Historical data concerning the making and use of wine by the Jews and other nations in the Biblical world indicate that it was a. often unfermented b. normally mixed with water. The previous articles discussed one of the processes used in keeping freshly squeezed grape juice in a sweet and unfermented state. This article discusses two other processes of dealing with grapes, preparatory to mixing them with water. (1) One method was to dehydrate the grapes to a proper point, sprinkle them with olive oil to keep them moist, and store them in earthenware jars (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.882; see also Columella, "On Agriculture", 12.33.1-8). A very sweet grape beverage could be made from these stored grapes at any time by later adding water and steeping of boiling them. Polybius indicated that the Roman women were allowed to drink this kind of grape beverage, but were forbidden to drink fermented wine (see Polybius, "Fragments, 6.4; cf. Pliny, 14.11.81). (2) Another method was to boil freshly squeezed grape juice until it became a thick paste or syrup (grape honey); this process made it storable, removed any intoxicating quality because of the high concentration of sugar and preserved its sweetness (see Columella, "On Agriculture", 12.19.1-6 and 20.1-8; Pliny, "Natural History", 14.11.80). This was then stored in large jars or skins. The paste could be used as a jam for their bread or dissolved in water to make grape juice once again (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.882-884). "It is probable that the grape wwas largely cultivated as a source of sugar: the juice expressed in the 'wine press' was reduced by boiling to a liquid ...known as 'grape honey'" (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.3050). References to honey in the Bible frequently refer to grape honey (called "debash" by the Jews) rather than to the honey of the bee. (3) Water, then, could be mixed with dehydrated grapes and with grape syrup, as well as with fermented wine. Greek and Roman authors gave various ratios that were used. Homer (Odyssey. IX.208f) mentions a ratio of twenty parts water to one part wine. Plutarch (Sumposiacs, III.ix) states, "We call a mixture “wine,â€although the larger of the component parts is water." Pliny (Natural History,14.6.54) mentions a ratio of eight parts water to one part wine. (4) Among Jewish people in Bible times, social and religious customs mandated never serving unmixed wine, especially if it was fermented. The Talmud (a Jewish work that describes the traditions of Judaism from about 200 BC to AD 200) discusses in several tractates the mixture of water and wine (e.g. Shabbath 77a; Pesahim 1086). Some Jewish rabbis insisted that unless fermented wine was mixed with three parts of water, it could not be blessed and would defile the drinker. Others demanded that ten parts of water must be mixed with one part of fermented wine before it could be acceptable. (5) An interesting passage emerges in the book of Revelation: when speaking of "the wine of the wrath of God," an angel declares that it will be "without mixture," i.e., full strength (Rev. 14:10); see Jer. 25:15). It was stated in this way because the readers normally would expect all grape beverages to be mixed with water (John 2:3) In summary, then, the normal uses of wine by Jews in Biblical days were not the same as today, It was: a. grape juice freshly squeezed b. grape juice preserved c. juice from dried grapes d. grape wine made from grape syrup and water e. unfermented or fermented stored wine diluted with water at a ratio as high as 20 to 1. If the wine was fermented and served unmixed, it was considered barbaric, defiling, and incapable of being blessed by the rabbis. In the light of these facts, it is impossible to defend the modern-day practice of drinking alcoholic beverages on the basis of the Jews' use of wine in Biblical times. They are clearly not the same. Furthermore, Christians of Biblical days exercised a more careful attitude towards various kinds of wines than did the Jews (Rom 14:21; 1 Thes.5:6; 1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:2—historical/documental notes can/will be provided as requested) Cont part4 |
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305 | Was the wine alcoholic or not | John 2:10 | EdB | 243333 | ||
Drinking Part4 JESUS GLORY MANIFESTED THROUGH WINE In his second chapter, John records that Jesus made "wine" out of water at Cana. The question is, "What kind of wine?" As we have seen, it could be fermented or unfermented, full strength or diluted. We must determine our answer to this question by contextual implication and moral likelihood. The position of this study Bible is that Jesus made wine (oinos) that was pure unfermented grape juice. The following data support this conclusion and give strong reasons for rejecting the opinion that Jesus made intoxicating wine. (1) The primary object of this miracle was to "manifest forth His glory" (John 2:11) in such a way as to induce personal faith and confidence in Him as the holy and righteous Son of God who came to save people from their sin (2:11; Mat. 1:21). To suggest that Christ showed forth His deity as the One and Only Son of the Father (John 1:14) by miraculously creating gallons of intoxicating wine for a drunken party (note 2:10, which implies that the people had already drunk freely), and that this was immensely important to His Messianic mission, requires an irreverence few are willing to display. it would testify more to the honor of God, and the honor and glory of Christ, to believe that He supernaturally created the same juices of the grape that God makes annually through the process of His natural created order. (see John 2:3, note). This miracle, therefore, points to Christ's sovereignty over the natural world and becomes a symbol of His power to transform sinful people spiritually into children of God (John 3:1-15). Because of this miracle "we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14; 2:11). (2) It is contrary to Scriptural revelation concerning the perfect obedience of Christ to his heavenly Father (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22) to suppose that He disobeyed the Father's moral command, "look not thou upon the wine when it is red... when it moveth itself aright," i.e. when it is fermented (Prov. 23:31, note). Indeed, Christ came to fulfill the law (Mat. 5:17) and would have supported the Biblical passage which condemns intoxicating wine as "a mocker" and "raging" (see Prov. 20:1, note) and the words of Hab. 2:15 "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink... and makest him drunken" (Lev. 10:8-11; Num. 6:1-5; Deut. 21:20; Prov. 31:4-7; Is. 28:7; Amos 2:8,12; 4:1; 6:6; Rom. 14:13,21). Check these verses out, these show us about: different kinds of wine, and what the Lord God said about wine. (3) Furthermore, note the following modern medical evidence. a. Current leading medical experts on human birth defects have found unmistakable evidence that moderate alcoholic consumption is damaging to the reproductive systems of women of children bearing age, causing miscarriages and births of babies with incurable mental and physical defects, World authorities on early embryology maintain that women who drink even moderate amounts of alcohol around the time of conception (a 48-hour time period) risk damaging the chromosomes of an egg preparing to leave the ovary and hence, causing disastrous results to the mental and physical development of the infant. b. It would be theologically absurd to maintain that Jesus served and encouraged the use of alcoholic beverages at a wedding which included many women as well as the young bride with the possibilities of her immediate conception. To maintain that He did not know of the potential terrible effects of intoxicating drink on unborn children is to call into question His deity, wisdom, and discernment of good and evil. To maintain that He knew of the potential harm and disfiguring results of alcohol, and yet promoted and encouraged its use, is to call into question His goodness, compassion, and love. The only sound conclusion rationally, Biblically, and theologically is that the wine which Christ made at the wedding in order to manifest His glory was pure, sweet, unfermented fruit of the vine -- just as the one that He used in the last supper. SOURCE: Full Life Study Bible, King James Version (p. 1538 and p. 1594) |
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306 | Obvious Evidences: Charity or Vitriol? | Eph 5:7 | EdB | 243332 | ||
Preface USE OF WINE IN LORD'S SUPPER Did Jesus use fermented or unfermented grape drink when He instituted the Lord's Supper (Mat. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)? The following data support the conclusion that what Jesus and His disciples drank was unfermented grape juice. (1) Neither Luke nor any other Biblical writer uses the word "wine"(oinos) in regard to the Lord's Supper. The first three Gospel writers use "fruit of the vine" (Mat. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18-KJV). Unfermented wine is the only true natural "fruit of the vine," containing approximately 20 percent sugar and NO alcohol. Fermentation destroys much of sugar and alters what the vine produced. Fermented wine is not the product of the vine. (2) The Lord's Supper was instituted when Jesus and His disciples were eating the Passover. The Passover law in Ex. 12:14-20 prohibited, during Passover week, the presence and use of seor (Ex. 12:15), a word referring to leaven, yeast, or any agent of fermentation. Seor in the ancient world was often obtained from the thick scum in top of fermenting wine. Furthermore, all hametz (i.e. anything containing any fermentation) was forbidden (Ex. 12:19; 13:7) God had given these laws because fermentation symbolized corruption and sin (Mat. 16:6,12:1 Cor. 5:7-8). Jesus, the Son of God, fulfilled the law in every requirement (Mat.5:17). Thus, He would have followed God's law for the Passover and not used fermented wine. (3) A rather lively debate has taken place over the centuries among Jewish rabbis and scholars in NT times. as to whether fermented products of the vine were allowed in the Passover. Those who held to a stricter and more literal interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, especially Exodus 13:7, insisted that no fermented wine was to be used on this occasion. (4) Some Jewish sources affirm that the use of the unfermented wine at the Passover was common in NT times. For example, "According to the synoptic Gospels, it would appear that on the Thursday evening of the last week of His life Jesus with His disciples entered Jerusalem in order to eat the Passover meal with them in the sacred city; if so, the wafer and the wine of ...them communion service then instituted by Him as a memorial would be the unleavened bread and the unfermented wine of the Seder Service" (see "Jesus," The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904 edition, V.165). (5) In the OT fermented drink was never to be used in the house of God, nor were the priests allowed to draw near to God in worship while drinking intoxicating beverages (see Lev. 10:9). Jesus Christ was God's High Priest of the new covenant for the sake of His people (Heb. 3:1;5:1-10) (6) The value of a symbol is determined by its capacity to conceptualize the spiritual reality. Therefore, just as the bread represented the pure body of Christ and had to be unleavened (i.e. uncorrupted with fermentation), the fruit of the vine, representing the incorruptible blood of Christ, would have been best represented by juice that was unfermented (1 Pet. 1:18-19) (7) Paul instructed the Corinthians to put away spiritual yeast, i.e. the fermenting agent of "malice and wickedness", because Christ is our Passover (1 Cor.5:6-8). It would be inconsistent with the goal and spiritual requirement of the Lord's Supper to use something which was a symbol of evil. i.e. something with leaven or yeast. Cont Part1 |
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307 | Obvious Evidences: Charity or Vitriol? | Eph 5:7 | EdB | 243331 | ||
Part 1 Wine in the New Testament Luke 7:33-34 "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, he hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." WINE: FERMENTED OR UNFERMENTED? The following is an examination of the midst of common Biblical word for wine. The Greek word for "wine" in Luke 7:33 is oinos. Oinos can refer to two distinctly different types of juice of the grape: (1) Unfermented juice, and (2) Fermented or intoxicating wine. This interpretation is supported by the following data. (1) The Greek word oinos was used by secular and religious authors in pre-Christian and early church times to refer to fresh grape juice (see Aristotle, "Metereologica", 387.b 9-13) a. Anacreon (c. 500 B.C.) writes, "Squeeze the grape, let out the wine (oinos)" (Ode 5) b. Nicander (2nd century B.C.) writes of squeezing grapes and refers to the produced juice as oinos (Gerogica, fragment 86). c. Papias (A.D. 60-130), an early church father, mentions that when grapes are crushed they yield "jars of wine (oinos)" (cited by Irenaeus, "Against Herecies", 5.33.3-4) d. A Greek Papyrus letter (P. Oxy. 729; A.D. 137) speaks of fresh wine(oinos) from the treading vat" (see Moulton and Miligan, "The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament,p.10) e. Athenaeus (AD. 200) speaks of a "sweet wine(oinos)" that "does not make the head heavy" (Athanaeus, "Banquet",1.54). In another place, he writes of a man gathering grapes who "went about, and took wine (onios) from the field" (1.54). For more detailed discussions on use of oinos by ancient writers, see Robert P. Teachout, "The Use of “Wine†in the Old Testament" (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1979) (2) The Jewish scholars who translated the O.T. into Greek about 200 BC used oinos when translating several Hebrews words for wine. In other words, the writers of the NT knew that oinos could either be fermented or unfermented juice from the grape. (3) As in secular Greek and the OT, an examination of NT passages reveals that oinos may mean either fermented or unfermented wine. In Ephesians 5:18 the command "be not drunk with wine (oinos)," refers to alcoholic wine. On the other hand, in Revelation 19:15 Christ is described as treading out the winepress. The Greek text reads: "He treads the winepress with wine (oinos)"; the oinos that comes forth from the winepress would be grape juice (Isaiah 66:10; Jer. 48:32-37). In Revelation 6:6 oinos refers to grapes on the vine as a crop not to be destroyed. Thus, for believers in NT times, "wine"(oinos) was a general word that could be used for two distinctly different grape beverages, fermented and unfermented wine. (4) Finally, ancient Roman writers have explained in detail various processes used in dealing with freshly squeezed grape juice, especially ways to preserve it from fermenting a. Columella (on Agriculture, 12.29), knowing that grape juice would not ferment if kept cool (under 50 degrees) and oxygen free, writes as follows: "That your grape juice may be always as sweet as when it is new, thus proceed. After you apply the press to the grapes, take the newest must (i.e. fresh juice), put it in a new container (amphora), bung it up , and cover it up very carefully with pitch lest any water should enter, then sink it in a cistern or pond of cold water and allow no part on the amphora to remain above the surface. After forty days take it out. It will remain sweet for a year" (see also Columella, "Agriculture and Trees"; Cato, "On Agriculture"). The Roman writer Pliny (1st century AD) writes: "as soon as the must (grape juice) is taken from the vat and put into casks, they plunge the casks in water till midwinter passes and regular cold weather sets in" (Pliny, "Natural History", 14.11.83). Israel would have had no problem in applying the above method (Deut. 8:7;11:11-12; Ps. 65:9-13). b. Another method to keep grapes from fermenting was to boil them into a syrup Ancient historians actually referred to this product as wine (oinos). Canon Farrar (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p.747) states that "the wines of antiquity were more like syrups; many of them were not intoxicant" Also, The New Bible Dictionary (p. 1332) notes that "there were means of keeping wine sweet all year round." cont 2 |
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308 | Obvious Evidences: Charity or Vitriol? | Eph 5:7 | EdB | 243330 | ||
Drinking Part 2 WINE: MIXED OR FULL STRENGTH? Historical data concerning the making and use of wine by the Jews and other nations in the Biblical world indicate that it was a. often unfermented b. normally mixed with water. The previous articles discussed one of the processes used in keeping freshly squeezed grape juice in a sweet and unfermented state. This article discusses two other processes of dealing with grapes, preparatory to mixing them with water. (1) One method was to dehydrate the grapes to a proper point, sprinkle them with olive oil to keep them moist, and store them in earthenware jars (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.882; see also Columella, "On Agriculture", 12.33.1-8). A very sweet grape beverage could be made from these stored grapes at any time by later adding water and steeping of boiling them. Polybius indicated that the Roman women were allowed to drink this kind of grape beverage, but were forbidden to drink fermented wine (see Polybius, "Fragments, 6.4; cf. Pliny, 14.11.81). (2) Another method was to boil freshly squeezed grape juice until it became a thick paste or syrup (grape honey); this process made it storable, removed any intoxicating quality because of the high concentration of sugar and preserved its sweetness (see Columella, "On Agriculture", 12.19.1-6 and 20.1-8; Pliny, "Natural History", 14.11.80). This was then stored in large jars or skins. The paste could be used as a jam for their bread or dissolved in water to make grape juice once again (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.882-884). "It is probable that the grape wwas largely cultivated as a source of sugar: the juice expressed in the 'wine press' was reduced by boiling to a liquid ...known as 'grape honey'" (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia of the Bible, V.3050). References to honey in the Bible frequently refer to grape honey (called "debash" by the Jews) rather than to the honey of the bee. (3) Water, then, could be mixed with dehydrated grapes and with grape syrup, as well as with fermented wine. Greek and Roman authors gave various ratios that were used. Homer (Odyssey. IX.208f) mentions a ratio of twenty parts water to one part wine. Plutarch (Sumposiacs, III.ix) states, "We call a mixture “wine,â€although the larger of the component parts is water." Pliny (Natural History,14.6.54) mentions a ratio of eight parts water to one part wine. (4) Among Jewish people in Bible times, social and religious customs mandated never serving unmixed wine, especially if it was fermented. The Talmud (a Jewish work that describes the traditions of Judaism from about 200 BC to AD 200) discusses in several tractates the mixture of water and wine (e.g. Shabbath 77a; Pesahim 1086). Some Jewish rabbis insisted that unless fermented wine was mixed with three parts of water, it could not be blessed and would defile the drinker. Others demanded that ten parts of water must be mixed with one part of fermented wine before it could be acceptable. (5) An interesting passage emerges in the book of Revelation: when speaking of "the wine of the wrath of God," an angel declares that it will be "without mixture," i.e., full strength (Rev. 14:10); see Jer. 25:15). It was stated in this way because the readers normally would expect all grape beverages to be mixed with water (John 2:3) In summary, then, the normal uses of wine by Jews in Biblical days were not the same as today, It was: a. grape juice freshly squeezed b. grape juice preserved c. juice from dried grapes d. grape wine made from grape syrup and water e. unfermented or fermented stored wine diluted with water at a ratio as high as 20 to 1. If the wine was fermented and served unmixed, it was considered barbaric, defiling, and incapable of being blessed by the rabbis. In the light of these facts, it is impossible to defend the modern-day practice of drinking alcoholic beverages on the basis of the Jews' use of wine in Biblical times. They are clearly not the same. Furthermore, Christians of Biblical days exercised a more careful attitude towards various kinds of wines than did the Jews (Rom 14:21; 1 Thes.5:6; 1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:2—historical/documental notes can/will be provided as requested) Cont part 3 |
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309 | Obvious Evidences: Charity or Vitriol? | Eph 5:7 | EdB | 243329 | ||
Drinking Part 3 JESUS GLORY MANIFESTED THROUGH WINE In his second chapter, John records that Jesus made "wine" out of water at Cana. The question is, "What kind of wine?" As we have seen, it could be fermented or unfermented, full strength or diluted. We must determine our answer to this question by contextual implication and moral likelihood. The position of this study Bible is that Jesus made wine (oinos) that was pure unfermented grape juice. The following data support this conclusion and give strong reasons for rejecting the opinion that Jesus made intoxicating wine. (1) The primary object of this miracle was to "manifest forth His glory" (John 2:11) in such a way as to induce personal faith and confidence in Him as the holy and righteous Son of God who came to save people from their sin (2:11; Mat. 1:21). To suggest that Christ showed forth His deity as the One and Only Son of the Father (John 1:14) by miraculously creating gallons of intoxicating wine for a drunken party (note 2:10, which implies that the people had already drunk freely), and that this was immensely important to His Messianic mission, requires an irreverence few are willing to display. it would testify more to the honor of God, and the honor and glory of Christ, to believe that He supernaturally created the same juices of the grape that God makes annually through the process of His natural created order. (see John 2:3, note). This miracle, therefore, points to Christ's sovereignty over the natural world and becomes a symbol of His power to transform sinful people spiritually into children of God (John 3:1-15). Because of this miracle "we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14; 2:11). (2) It is contrary to Scriptural revelation concerning the perfect obedience of Christ to his heavenly Father (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22) to suppose that He disobeyed the Father's moral command, "look not thou upon the wine when it is red... when it moveth itself aright," i.e. when it is fermented (Prov. 23:31, note). Indeed, Christ came to fulfill the law (Mat. 5:17) and would have supported the Biblical passage which condemns intoxicating wine as "a mocker" and "raging" (see Prov. 20:1, note) and the words of Hab. 2:15 "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink... and makest him drunken" (Lev. 10:8-11; Num. 6:1-5; Deut. 21:20; Prov. 31:4-7; Is. 28:7; Amos 2:8,12; 4:1; 6:6; Rom. 14:13,21). Check these verses out, these show us about: different kinds of wine, and what the Lord God said about wine. (3) Furthermore, note the following modern medical evidence. a. Current leading medical experts on human birth defects have found unmistakable evidence that moderate alcoholic consumption is damaging to the reproductive systems of women of children bearing age, causing miscarriages and births of babies with incurable mental and physical defects, World authorities on early embryology maintain that women who drink even moderate amounts of alcohol around the time of conception (a 48-hour time period) risk damaging the chromosomes of an egg preparing to leave the ovary and hence, causing disastrous results to the mental and physical development of the infant. b. It would be theologically absurd to maintain that Jesus served and encouraged the use of alcoholic beverages at a wedding which included many women as well as the young bride with the possibilities of her immediate conception. To maintain that He did not know of the potential terrible effects of intoxicating drink on unborn children is to call into question His deity, wisdom, and discernment of good and evil. To maintain that He knew of the potential harm and disfiguring results of alcohol, and yet promoted and encouraged its use, is to call into question His goodness, compassion, and love. The only sound conclusion rationally, Biblically, and theologically is that the wine which Christ made at the wedding in order to manifest His glory was pure, sweet, unfermented fruit of the vine -- just as the one that He used in the last supper. SOURCE: Full Life Study Bible, King James Version (p. 1538 and p. 1594) |
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310 | Obvious Evidences: Charity or Vitriol? | Eph 5:7 | EdB | 243328 | ||
Always encouraging to be given a pass on something as socially destructive as alcohol. Science has now learned that even moderate alcohol usage can lead to 5 different types of cancer in the body. We also know alcohol does in fact kill brain cells and is being looked at a possible source of dementia and memory lost in older people. Scripture talks of wine but the wine of scripture was not the wine of today. Scripture does condemn hard drink (alcohol). So lets us be careful what we give a pass to. Many look for justification to their problem drinking by saying even scripture is silent (which it is not!) Please no more cheap passes. |
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311 | Man-Centered Theology | Rom 11:33 | EdB | 243327 | ||
Any theology that makes man the center is not theology but is falsehood of man. Reformational theology does not have a lock on that. The difference between the theologies is each school of theology believe they have a lock on the truth and everyone else is wrong, in error or even heretical. Since God can not be explained by man, man's theology be it Reformational or otherwise is incorrect. |
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312 | Who can explain God and why try | Rom 11:33 | EdB | 243326 | ||
Romans 11:33 (NLT) 33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! Scripture tells us it is impossible to explain God's ways yet we are often confronted by quotes by men that attempt to do just that. Throughout history we have seen learned scholars, people with high intellect, men and women blessed with flawless human logic that were proven wrong when they tried to explain God and God's ways. How wise and learned were those that were sure the earth was the center of universe? They even went to the extreme of putting to death those that opposed that teaching, yet now we know how very wrong they were. I believe many today are just as wrong as they try to explain or limit how the Holy Spirit will function among God's people. Who among us can explain why one person is born into disease and dies never experiencing anything but pain while others are born normal and many times live and die escaping all pain? Why do many depend on intellect, logic and deny experience of others requiring experiencing it themselves before they will believe? Yet they often insure that all chances for them to experience it is never utilized or allowed to happen. They are like a person that refuses to believe the sensations another has experienced on a roller coaster saying that is impossible that is not how Roller Coasters work. Then refuse to get on the Roller Coaster themselves? I fully understand human can be deceived and misled by emotion/experience, however when the experience serve God's purpose, when it confirms God's word, when it glorifies Jesus Christ who are we to say that is not of God? God's ways are different than man's, the Holy Spirit can function as He chooses but always remains within the boundaries set by scripture. Who can deny that? Why deny that? Because it conflicts with man's intellect or wisdom? Does it seem illogical? Is it hard to believe? Isn't God's love for us His children even more illogical? Even harder to believe? Flies in the face of man's intellect? Enough of the quotes and commentaries that limit the Holy Spirit to man's understanding, logic and sense of proper behavior. God is God it is time to allow Him to be God to us. |
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313 | Church of the Word or Word of the Church | Rom 10:7 | EdB | 243324 | ||
What the author fails to mention that there are two distinct differences between being spirit lead and claiming to be spirit lead. True leading will not take a believer outside the boundaries set by scripture. While those only claiming to be to be spirit lead often stray outside those boundaries. Because of this many want to deny the possibility that there is more to true Christianity than what they possess. Their relationship with God is one of silence where God only talks to them through His written word. They miss the fact God will and does verbally converse with us through His spirit. They fail to trust scripture that says the spirit will lead, will teach, will be a real companion. They only see the abuses because they never have the real relationship that takes man beyond acting like a Christian and being a Christian. They let their fear of being deceived over ride the promised gift of discerning spirit. They focus on the abuses so common in anything man is involved in and lose sight of what of the possibilities of a spirit led being. Thankful the Apostle's did not do this. Is that say they were always on track? No many times the had to be brought into correction. ( Paul and Peter) Today we have very specific boundaries provided for us, scripture does that today. The important thing to remember is not to seek the manifestations of the Holy Spirit but instead to develop a 2 way relationship with the Holy Spirit in which the individual has yielded his will to God. Sad commentary where the author focuses on the possible abuses and fails to talk about about the real capabilities of living a Spirit Filled a Life. How sad! |
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314 | Tension between faith and works | James 2:14 | EdB | 243323 | ||
James 2:14-26 1. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU SAY. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man CLAIMS to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such "faith" save him? (vs. 14) Matt. 7:20-23 2. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU FEEL. "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" (vs. 15-16) "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1 John 3:17 Also 3:14-16, 4:7-20 (vs. 17) 3. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU THINK. "But someone will say, You have faith - I have deeds. SHOW ME your faith without deeds, and I will SHOW YOU my faith by what I do." (vs. 18) 2 Cor. 5:17 4. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU BELIEVe. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder!" (vs. 19) 5. REAL FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO. Illustrations: Two very different people * Abraham (vs. 20-24) * Rahab (vs. 25) 2 Cor. 13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." Teaching I came across author unknown or long forgotten. |
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315 | Calvin a workman approved?????? | 2 Tim 2:15 | EdB | 243320 | ||
John Calvin came from a small town sixty miles northeast of Paris. His father was anxious for his son to have the advantages of a good education. Calvin entered the University of Paris at fourteen and mastered not only a brilliant writing style but a skill in logical argument. In later years men might not like what Calvin said but they could not misunderstand what he meant. He left the university in 1528 with his Master of Arts degree. After Paris, at his father’s insistence, John turned to the study of law in the universities of Orleans and Bourges, but his father’s death in 1531 left Calvin free to pursue his own interests. Thus he returned to Paris as a student of the classics, intent upon a scholar’s career. His studies brought Calvin into touch with reforming ideas circulating in Paris, and shortly thereafter one of those “events†in Calvin’s life turned him in a new direction. He called it an “unexpected conversion.†We can’t be certain about the date, but it was clearly more than a kind of spiritual enlightenment or the recognition of the supreme authority of the Scriptures. Calvin surrendered his will to God. He gave up his career as a classical scholar and identified with the Protestant cause in France. In the autumn of 1533 Calvin was so closely linked with his friend Nicholas Cop that when Cop gave a strongly Protestant address as rector of the university, some suspected Calvin wrote the speech. The vigorous address threw the institution into an uproar, and Calvin was forced to flee from Paris. The young reformer found refuge in Basel, where in March, 1536, he published the first edition of his highly influential Institutes of the Christian Religion. Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language, Updated 2nd ed. (Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1995), 258. So we see somewhere between 1531 and 1535 Calvin "studied" scripture so diligently that he felt qualified to write what some call great theology Institutes of Christian Religion. Excuse me if I'm not impressed with his ideas, opinions and conjecture. |
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316 | Pastors / prayer who we should listen to | Titus 1:7 | EdB | 243319 | ||
Paul told Titus that “the bishop must not be grasping and greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain)†Titus 1:7. Far too often, ministers build “their kingdom†off the financial backs of the aged and everyday, hard working person. “Preachers who do not pray become promoters. They become frustrated building contractors. When they lose the touch of God, they lose touch with their people and their needs. Preachers who don’t pray have egos that spin out of control. They want their own way. They substitute sweat for unction (anointing). Evangelists who do not pray become stars, storytellers. They lack humility, so they manipulate crowds through emotional gimmicks. The shame of this generation is that we have too many talented men of God, and only a few who have touched God in prayer†(David Wilkerson).2 |
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317 | Led by the Spirit within the Law | Gal 5:18 | EdB | 243317 | ||
Bible Note: "The 'leading of the Spirit' in view here does not refer to mystical elements in divine guidance, but to the moral character of Christian behavior; god's son's are to exhibit the family trait of holiness, and this implies putting sin to death through the power of the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:13). --Dr. Sinclair Ferguson (1948-), Ph.D. University of Aberdeen Mystical?????? What is mystical about being yielded to and lead by the Holy Spirit? That is why Christ sent the Holy Spirit to us. He is our companion. I suppose Dr. Ferguson views that relationship as "mystical" or perhaps he is not in such a relationship and is writing about something he never experienced. "Although at the popular level 'being lead by the Spirit' [Galatians 5:18] is sometimes understood to direct guidance by the Spirit [mystical elements], Paul's concern lies elsewhere. In context it functions as the other side of the coin to the imperative 'walk by the Spirit' in v16. That is, believers who walk by the Spirit do so because they are following where the spirit leads; and the pattern after Christ Himself -- whom Paul has earlier described as 'the one who loved me and gave Himself for me' (v2:20). I suppose the same author of this quote would consider being lead of our sinful nature as also be mystical? What is mystical of being lead of the Holy Spirit? Of course people that walk lead of the Spirit do so because are following where the Spirit lead and the pattern of Christ. What else could it mean? Too many people that have never fully experienced the Holy Spirit talk as worldly man that attributes everything whether of God or not as being mystical. Unless they can explain it the is isn't real and they couch it in the words "Mystical" "Another largely misunderstood verse is 1 John 4:1: 'Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God.' It's widely held that the testing of spirits in this verse refers to judging personal feelings as to whether they are divinely produced or not. In context, however, the reference is to judging the doctrinal teachings of teachers who call themselves Christian." --Dr. M. Blaine Smith, D.Min. Fuller Theological Seminary Again spoken by a someone that never fully received the gift of discernment. Of course all doctrine must be based on scripture. All preaching must agree with scripture. But the adversary is clever and many false prophets have the ability to deceive. Unless we learn to depend on discernment we can be lead to destruction. Why else would the gift be given if not to prevent the deception Jesus knew would be coming? Let me ask how many pray to be lead of the Holy Spirit? Or do they just assume that this leading is automatic? Something they don't have to learn to yield to. Which is exactly what the first passage Romans 8:13 is talking about. |
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318 | Our Great God | Jer 23:24 | EdB | 243315 | ||
Jeremiah said it better! | ||||||
319 | A Contrite Heart | Luke 7:48 | EdB | 243313 | ||
Ah yes but what produces the torn and broken heart. It is God himself through the work of Holy Spirit. It is not pithy quotes of man. In this quoted passage the silent working of the Holy Spirit on this woman's heart is evident. She sought out her salvation by seeking the righteousness that was before her. Oh that man would seek righteousness rather than all that the world seeks! |
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320 | Constitution of the Heart Cannot be Hid | Luke 6:49 | EdB | 243311 | ||
Matthew 7:5 | ||||||
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