Subject: did the wine from the water make you dr |
Bible Note: 1. Not every non-Christian I know considers drinking alcohol a sin. Paul does say, however, that if eating or drinking is going to be a problem then he will not do it (Romans 14:21). 2. The Bible clearly condemns and warns against drunkenness. If people drank alcohol according to biblical principles ther would not be any alcoholics. The man who first defined alcoholism as a disease said that it took years of abuse to produce an alcoholic. Never just one drink. In our congregation we have a man who is a "recovering alcoholic". He drinks alcoholic wine every week at the Lord's Table yet this does not send him off on another alcoholic binge. According to my biblical understanding alcoholism is a SIN and not a DISEASE. 3. If you have never drunk alcohol you may not understand this but I know my limit when drinking alcohol. I NEVER go beyond this limit and get drunk. One of my co-workers, not a Christian, commented to another of my coleagues "Tim drinks the way we all SHOULD drink". My example stands sound - an example of self control. Remember even Jesus was accused of drunkenness. He spoke of himself in Matt 11:18-19 "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." Did Jesus drink Alcohol? Yes. Did he get drunk? I don't believe so but still people knew that he drank alcoholic wine. 4. I agree. I don't want to be associated with something connected with death or which breaks up homes. However, it is not the wine that does this but the ABUSE of wine. Along with the verses in scripture that speak of the evils of wine there are also verses that speak of the BLESSINGS of wine. For example a) in the OT Law the people were commanded to give offerings of wine (Lev 23:13; Num 15:5ff et al) which were a sweet aroma to the Lord. b) Is 25:6 The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine. Is 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost." Joel 2:24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil." Joel 3:18 "And in that day The mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD To water the valley of Shittim.:" 5. Self control. Alcohol does not cause one to loose control -- ABUSE of alcohol does. I would be the first to condemn drunkenness. It is indeed an ugly and embarassing thing. There are times when I will not drink because of a weaker brother or sister but that does not mean I should never again drink what is a blessing from God. There is a danger of becoming Pharisaic about this. Jesus condemned the Phaarisees for binding their traditions on the people. Yet many of these traditions came about with the best intentions in the world. God drew a parameter -- in this case "don't get drunk". In order to protect ourselves we drew a smaller parameter -- "don't even touch the stuff". If that is what you choose to do then certainly that is your right but you cannot condemn someone for not having the same thinking. If it were a sin to drink alcohol then Jesus was a sinner -- an we know he was not. It is clearly a sin to get drunk -- that is what you must not do! In Christ The other Tim Tim Sheasby |