I have debated for a long time blogging on this topic, because I know it will offend some people whose high standard of conduct I really appreciate and whom I love dearly. Also, I know if my words are slightly misrepresented or taken to an extreme, they can empower those looking for an excuse to sin or those looking for a reason to condemn what we are doing with Equip Ekklesia of San Angelo.
First, I defer to the Apostle Paul. In Romans 14 NLT (BTW- the chapter in my bible is titled “The Danger of Criticism” I love that!) Paul makes some interesting points (I am going to paraphrase here, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Read your Bible and stop taking people’s words for it, please check all my scripture references in context to see if I am “correctly dividing the word of truth”). Anywho, in Romans 14, he says:
And here are the key principals from Romans 14:
Now about alcohol: A lot of good people believe God has forbidden any use of alcoholic beverages and it is wrong and sinful and they claim the scripture supports this belief. So what does the Bible say? Wine and other alcoholic drinks are frequently mentioned in the Bible. Sinful or beneficial, the Bible will show us. One of the first mentions of wine in Scripture is Genesis 14:18 “Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram (later Abraham) some bread and wine.” The Hebrew word for wine here is yah'•yin This word is used 138 times in the Old Testament to mean fermented wine, not grape juice. How do we know that yah'•yin is fermented? This same beverage “yah'•yin” when used excessively, causes drunkenness. •Genesis 9:21 Noah drank too much yah'•yin and became drunk •Genesis 19, Lot also became drunk on yah'•yin •1 Samuel 25:36, Nabal got tipsy on yah'•yin Now, I am really gonna ruffle some feathers. How many times when evangelicals speak about tithe, do they tell you about Deuteronomy 14:24-26? My guess is, unless you have read it for yourself, you haven’t heard this taught. Now paraphrasing is dangerous in these situations, so I’ll quote word for word then I’ll paraphrase: “Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen. When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household.” And my paraphrase: When God really blesses your harvest, and due to the distance you are unable to bring the tithe of the harvest to the temple, then you can sell the harvest tithe, go to the place of worship and, you can use the money to buy any food you want—steak, mutton, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then eat, drink and celebrate with your household in the presence of the Lord your God. If occasionally, you can use your tithe harvest to buy wine and cheese and party in the presence of the Lord, then alcohol doesn’t seem to be condemned. BTW – it also said “other alcoholic drink”, oops! In addition to enjoying yah'•yin as a beverage, In Exodus 29:40, God told the Levites/priests to include in the sacrifices a portion of yah'•yin as a drink offering. It is clear in these scriptures, there can be a right use (celebration/offering) and a wrong use of wine (getting hammered). Naturally fermented wine is between 10% and 14% alcohol. Higher alcoholic wines use modern processes and are fortified wines. On special occasions God even allowed use of what is translated as “strong drink” This term comes from a different Hebrew word shā•kär' which is used 23 times in the Old Testament, and refers to alcoholic drinks made from dates and other fruit. Note - the process to produce the high % alcohol called hard liquor today (40 - 50 % alcohol, or 80-100 proof) for the most part, did not exist in until the Middle Ages and there is no evidence linking “hard liquor” to bible times. The danger is, unless diluted, “hard liquor” easily lends itself to abuse, drunkenness and alcoholism. The Bible says that God gave “wine to make them glad” - Psalm 104:15 Why have some people turned this blessing of God into a curse? A blessing of wine was prophesied as a heritage to the chosen people in Genesis 27:28: “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine.” The Hebrew word tē•rōshe, meaning “new wine,” is used in 38 places in the Old Testament. Ah “New Wine” that’s not fermented/alcoholic, right? Some people say tē•rōshe means grape juice, or fresh-pressed juice of the vine. However, Hosea 4:11 says yah'•yin and tē•rōshe “has robbed my people of their understanding.” Does grape juice rob you of your understanding? tē•rōshe, though less alcoholic, is an intoxicating wine if used in excess. The New Testament John the Baptist did not drink wine (oi’-nos in the Greek) or “strong drink” (sē'-ke-rä) because it was prophesied that he wouldn’t (Luke 1:15). However, Jesus Christ did drink oi’-nos (wine) (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34). Jesus did not preach against the use of oi’-nos; instead he did like most other Jews of his day. He drank oi’-nos in moderation. In ancient times, it was normally diluted with water for drinking, and was one of the principal beverages at that time — as it is today. Jesus’ first miracle was to change six stone jars of 20-30 gallons each of water into oi’-nos (wine). Some people in preaching total abstinence teach he turned water into grape juice. Seriously? Imagine if you can a Jewish wedding banquet where everyone drank only grape juice! BTW – they didn’t have refrigerators or any way of preventing grape juice from fermenting. This wine was of the finest quality — “You have saved the best till now” (John 2:10). I don’t know about you but I always rave about the Welch’s at communion in evangelical churches. ;) At wedding feasts, hosts normally started with the best wine, and they would bring out the cheap wines later. In Matthew 9:17, Jesus taught a parable including fermentation of oi’-nos. Back then, instead of having metal or glass bottles, they used animal skins to hold wine. Fermentation would bust an old skin, but it wouldn’t bust a stretchable new skin. Another proof that oi’-nos is fermented wine is the fact that the apostle Paul said, “Don’t be drunk with oi’-nos (wine), because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” -Ephesians 5:18 You cannot get drunk on Welch’s, so Paul may just have been talking about fermented wine. Paul told Timothy, “Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little oi’-nos (wine) for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often” -1 Timothy 5:23. Note: He said to use only a little wine, not a whole lot Who is dumb enough to get drunk at communion? Believe it or not, Paul had to correct the Corinthians about it (1 Corinthians 11:21). Obviously they were using fermented wine for communion, Paul did not tell them they were using the wrong kind of wine. He told them to eat and drink at home, and to participate respectfully in in the Lord’s Supper. Don’t abuse alcohol and don’t get drunk Both the Old and New Testaments contain several cases against abusing alcohol and getting drunk. Drunkenness a sinful desire (Galatians 5:21). Jesus said don’t get drunk (Luke 21:34). The apostle Paul told the Corinthian church not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer but cannot control his/her drinking among other things (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). He uses the word drunkard, this refers to a lifestyle, people who won’t admit to being and alcoholic or try to beat alcoholism. Paul is not talking about people who are working on overcoming their addiction. The Bible says:
If a minister drinks at all, it should be in moderation. So one group of Christians only focus on the verses that condemn abuse of alcohol and never paint the full picture by quoting verses showing a proper moderate use. They reject the truth from the Bible about alcohol. They have made up their minds that the use of wine is always wrong. The Bible teaches us not to look down on them or to condemn those who honestly believe this way (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33). Alcohol is not a necessity. Due to the vast ruin of lives caused by alcohol abuse today, many people believe abstinence is the best policy, even if the Bible does not require it; and I would much rather hear them argue that position than twisting scripture to argue alcoholic beverages are forbidden. Alcoholics, or anyone who reacts adversely to alcohol for any reason, shouldn't drink at all; and no one should use alcohol in the presence of a recovering alcoholic (and often one does not know who that might be). Can we just love and respect each other? God saves, justifies, convicts, sanctifies and Judges. I am not God and neither are you, thank God!
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