Where
do many believers get the idea that God has no problem with drinking? 1 - Jesus’ example. “If Jesus drank then it is okay for me
too.” 2 - The use of the word “wine” in
the Bible. It is shown in a positive
light in various passages. 3 - The
absence of a statement condemning drinking (aside from drunkenness).
I
oppose the teaching that God permits us to drink. Here are my reasons. 1 – The use of the word “wine” in the
Bible. It does not always refer to
alcohol. The meaning can refer to both,
fermented or unfermented. This is
according to the secular and biblical usages of the word in Greek and Hebrew,
Latin and old English definitions.
Biblical context often determines if wine is defined as simple grape
juice or alcohol. 2 – Ancient biblical
culture’s making of wine. It was a
common practice to mix water into the wine to dilute its alcohol potency. At the least people drank grape juice, and at
the most, a non-alcoholic beverage. 3 –
Common sense. When we say the only rule
is not getting drunk, it leads to some odd conclusions. This means bottoms up for all alcoholic
beverages beyond wine such as beer, vodka and whiskey. This means no limits on how often, just how
much. This means, as long as we do not
cross that line, God has no problem with the long-term health effects of
alcohol.
In
the midst of my opposition let me also state that I do not believe God views
drinking as a sin. The Bible clearly
lays out drunkenness as a sin, not the same with drinking. There is no “Thou shalt not drink.” Like many subjects in the arena of Christian
living it often comes down to biblical wisdom and our personal motives.
