Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | 1 Timothy 5:23 ¶ No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Timothy 5:23 ¶ No longer continue drinking [only] water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. |
Subject: wine and acohol |
Bible Note: Believe it or not, I didn’t ask the question about “New Wine” to justify alcoholism. Your statement about “new wine” containing little or no alcohol appeared to contradict the reference to “new wine” in Acts 2:13, which is clearly referring to an intoxicating beverage, not grape juice. Based on that, I could not reach the same conclusion that you did regarding the wine Jesus created as being alcohol free. If the Greek words used for “wine” in these verses are different, then it is possible that they refer to two different types of beverage. Possible, but not conclusive. Thru some research on the internet, I have found some “commentaries” that both support and refute the idea that the wine Jesus created and/or drank was alcohol free. The pro view runs along the same lines as some of your statements. The con view states the lack of refrigeration, sanitation, pasteurization along with the natural occurrence of yeast and sugars in grapes as facts that make it unlikely that alcohol free wine could exist in biblical times. Grape juice sealed in wineskins or barrels will ferment and become wine. Grape juice not sealed, not refrigerated, and not pasteurized becomes vinegar. Then there is the issue of whether or not biblical wine was mixed with water. More pros and cons. I will continue researching these issues until I satisfy myself and can justify my conclusion. Right now, I would have to say that I lean towards the wine being alcoholic. I have to say that I am not particularly fond of your reference to the "excrement of sugar eating bacteria”. Can I assume that you do not eat any bread products, like most store bought breads, or bagels, or pizza dough or drink naturally carbonated soft drinks (soda pop)? While the yeast used for baking may be a different kind of yeast than that used for brewing or winemaking (there are about 160 different species), the principle is the same. That same bacteria excrement is what makes bread dough rise and adds carbon dioxide to some soft drinks. And then there is yogurt, which I don’t think uses yeast, but does usually contain active living organisms. These cultures act as friendly bacteria that "pre-digest" the lactose. Yogurt can be a good source of calcium for some people who suffer from lactose intolerance. If you abstain from eating or drinking anything made from or containing yeast, then I say go ahead, use the "sugar eating bacteria" example. But if you consume any of these products then you may be ingesting similar "excrement". EdB, you are right that drunkenness, alcoholism, wife-beating, drunken-driving, drug abuse, etc. are not defensible actions or lifestyles. I don’t think anybody here would attempt to defend that. Your last paragraph leads me to believe that this subject is quite personal to you. I can understand that. But just as all husbands are not wife-beaters and all wife-beaters are not drunks, not everyone who drinks is a drunk or an alcoholic. There are people who enjoy wine or beer for the flavor and not the buzz, who drink infrequently and who behave responsibly when they do have a drink. Does it glorify God? Probably not. But I can say the same about television, the movies, theater, most books and magazines, the newspaper, the internet, most peoples’ hobbies and quite possibly their jobs. Please understand, I really was just trying to understand your comments regarding “New Wine”. I plan to continue researching the issues regarding wine, the Bible, Jesus and how they relate to one another and the proper interpretation of scripture. I think I will refrain from commenting about this subject on this forum as these discussions always appear to get emotional rather than scriptural. I am afraid I have followed that same trend. Peace to all. |