Subject: making wine.Did Jesus make a mistake. |
Bible Note: Dear Ed, I understand and appreciate your position and all you have said on the topic has been, in the main quite reasonable. However, as christians, are appeal is to the Bible and not the A.M.A. Besides which you seem to accept medical opinion that supports your position while rejecting that which is opposed to it. You can't have it both ways! As an unregenerate man I drank for one reason, to get drunk. As a new creature in Christ, I do all things, whether eating or drinkingor working etc., to glorify God. I praise Him for He has set me free from the dominion of sin! When I became convinced that alcoholism was not a disease but spiritual bondage to sin, I was set free to enjoy all the blessings that God has bestowed upon me. This includes an occasional glass of wine with my spaghetti or a glass of beer during Monday Night Football. I praise Him for the liberty He has given me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life without the fear of sin's rule over me. I enjoy the taste of red wine and of dark beer. I also enjoy the pleasent effects which follow it's consumption. Pleasure is not a sin when it is in accordance with righteousness. Ed, you asked: "However since alcohol in fact impairs most every trait the bible says we should cultivate in our lives, and since it serves no useful purpose it is actually detracting from our experience with God. Is that sin? You tell me" My reply is that the abuse of alcohol is the reason for the problems you cited and that moderate use of alcohol does, at least from my perspective, provide a useful purpose which is the enjoyment of one of God's gifts. I would warn anyone that considers alcoholic drinks as unclean not to partake of them! For to them it would be unclean. As I have said before, my interest is in the protection of christian liberty. I am not a crusader for alcohol. I hope you understand. John |