Christians and Wine? #3
What God says
Part Three
by
Keith Hunt
FROM THE "INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA"
....'to be or become drunk"; in the same root as sugar,
saccharine: With the exception of Nu 28 7, "strong drink" is
always coupled with "wine." The two terms are commonly used as
mutually exclusive, and as together exhaustive of all kinds of
intoxicants.
Originally shekhar seems to have been a general term,
intoxicating drinks of all kinds, without reference to the
material out of which they were made; and in that sense, it would
include wine.
Reminiscences of this older usage may be found in Nu. 28:7 (where
shekhar is clearly equivalent to wine, as may be seen by
comparing it with verse 14, and with Ex 29:40, where the material
of the drink offering is expressly designated "wine").
When the Hebrews were living a nomadic life, before their
settlement in Canaan, the grape-wine was practically unknown to
them, and there would be no need of a special term to describe
it. But when they settled down to an agricultural life, and came
to cultivate the vine, it would become necessary to distinguish
it
from the other kinds of intoxicants; hence the borrowed word
'yayin' ("wine") was applied to the former, while the latter
would be classed together under the old term 'shekhar', which
would then come to mean all intoxicating beverages other than
wine (Lev.10 9; Nu.6 3; Dt.14 26; Prov.20 1; Isa.24 9). The
exact nature of these drinks not clearly indicated in the Bible
itself. The only fermented beverage other than grape-wine
specifically named is pomegranate-wine (Cant 8 2: "the juice of
my pomegranate," RVin "sweet wine" - of my pomegranate"); but we
may infer that other kinds of shekhar besides that obtained from
pomegranates were in use, such as drinks made from dates, honey,
raisins, barley, apples, etc. Probably Jerome (c 400 AD) was near
the mark when he wrote, "Sikera in the Heb tongue means every
kind of drink which can intoxicate, whether made from grain or
from the juice of apples, or when honeycombs are boiled down into
a sweet and strange drink or the fruit of palm oppressed into
liquor, and when water is coloured and thickened from boiled
herbs" (Ep. ad Nepotianum). Thus shekhar is a comprehensive term
for all kinds of fermented drinks, excluding wine.
Probably the most common sort of shekhar used in Bible times was
palm or date-wine. This is not actually mentioned in the Bible,
and we do not meet with its Heb name 'yen temarim' ("wine of
dates") until the Talmudic period. But it is frequently referred
to in the Assyr-Bab contract tablets (cuneiform), and from this
and other evidence we infer that it was very well known among the
ancient Sem peoples. Moreover, it is a known thirst-quenching
beverage. Of course, drink as such is not condemned in either the
OT or the NT (see DRUNKENNESS); Moses and the elders eat and
drink before God on Mount Sinai (Exod.24:9-11), and only the
ungodly withhold drink from the thirsty (Isa.32:6). Furthermore,
Jesus refers to his gospel as "water welling up to eternal life"
(John 4:14) and to his blood as "drink indeed" (John 6:55).
Nevertheless, although Koheleth claims that there is nothing
better for a man than to eat, drink, and take pleasure in his
work (Eccl.2:24; 3:13; 5:18-H 5:17; cf. 8:15), Paul says that
"the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom.14:17).
J. F. Ross
End quote
EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
WINE
'yayin' - "wine." Cognates of this word appear in Akkadian,
Ugaritic, Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic. It appears about 141
times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.
This is the usual Hebrew word for fermented grape. It is usually
rendered "wine." Such "wine" was commonly drunk for refreshment:
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine..."
(Gen.14:18; cf. 27:25). Passages such as Ezek.27:18 inform us
that "wine" was an article of commerce: "Damascus was thy
merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the
multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool."
Strongholds were supplied with "wine" in case of siege (2 Chron.
11:11). Proverbs recommends that kings avoid "wine" and strong
drink but that it be given to those troubled with problems that
they might drink and forget their problems (Prov.31:4-7). "Wine"
was used to make merry, to make one feel good without being
intoxicated (2 Sam.13:28).
Second, "wine" was used in rejoicing before the Lord. Once a year
all Israel is to gather in Jerusalem. The money realized from the
sale of a tithe of all their harvest was to be spent "for
whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for
wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth:
and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt
rejoice..." (Deut.14:26). "Wine" was offered to God at His
command as part of the prescribed ritual (Exod.29:40). Thus it
was part of the temple supplies available for purchase by
pilgrims so that they could offer it to God (1 Chron.9:29).
Pagans used "wine" in their worship, but "their wine is the
poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps" (Deut.32:33).
Yayin clearly represents an intoxicating beverage. This is
evident in its first biblical appearance: "And Noah began to be a
husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine,
and was drunken..." (Gen.9:20-21). The word is used as a synonym
of tirosh, "new wine," in Hos.4:11, where it is evident that both
can be intoxicating. Tirosh is distinguished from yayin by
referring only to new wine not fully fermented; yayin includes
"wine" at any stage. In Gen.27:28 (the first biblical occurrence
of the word) Jacob's blessing includes the divine bestowal of an
abundance of new wine. In 1 Sam.1:15 yayin parallels shekar,
"strong drink." Shikar in early times included wine (Num.28:7)
but meant strong drink made from any fruit or grain (Num.6:3).
People in special states of holiness were forbidden to drink
"wine," such as the Nazarites (Num.6:3), Samson's mother (Judg.
13:4), and priests approaching God (Lev.10:9).
In Gen. 9:24 yayin means drunkenness: "And Noah awoke from his
wine...."
VINES EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WORDS
WINE
1. OINOS ... is the general word for wine. The mention of the
bursting of the wineskins, Matt.9:17; Mark 2:2; Luke 5:37,
implies fermentation. See also Eph.5:18 (cp. John 2:10; 1 Tim.3:
8; Tit.2:3). In Matt.27:34, the R.V. has "wine" (A.V., "vinegar,"
translating the inferior reading oxos).
The drinking of wine could be a stumbling-block and the Apostle
enjoins abstinence in this respect, as in others, so as to avoid
giving an occasion of stumbling to a brother, Rom.14:21. Contrast
1 Tim.5:23, which has an entirely different connection. The word
is used metaphorically (a) of the evils ministered to the nations
by religious Babylon, 14:8; 17:2; 18:3 (b) of the contents of the
cup of Divine wrath upon the nations and Babylon, Rev.14:10; 16:
19; 19:15.
2. GLEUKOS ... denotes sweet "new wine," or must, Acts 24:13,
where the accusation shows that it was intoxicant and must have
been undergoing fermentation some time. In the Sept., Job 32:19
Note: In instituting the Lord's Supper He speaks of the contents
of the cup as the "fruit of the vine." So Mark 14 : 25.
GIVEN TO WINE see BRAWLER, No. 1
WINE-BIBBER
OINOPOTES ... a wine-drinker (oinos, and poles, a drinker), is
used in Matt.11:19; Luke 7:34. In the Sept., Prov.23:20.
For WINEBIBBINGS see EXCESS, Note (2)
WINEPRESS, WINE-FAT
1. LENOS ... denotes a trough or vat, used especially for the
treading of grapes, Matt.21:33. Not infrequently they were dug
out in the soil or excavated in a rock, as in the rock-vats in
Palestine to-day.
In Rev.14:19,20 (twice) and 19:15 (where oinos is added, lit.,
'the winepress of the wine') the word is used metaphorically with
reference to the execution of Divine judgment upon the gathered
foes of the Jews at the close of this age preliminary to the
establishment of the Millennial kingdom.
2. HUPOLENION ... was a vessel or trough beneath the press itself
(hupo, beneath, and No.1), for receiving the juice, Mark 12:1,
R.V., "a pit for the winepress." In the Sept., Isa.16:10; Joel 3
:13; Hag.2:16; Zech.14:10.
For WINE-SKINS see SKIN
One thing I have learned over the many years of studying the word
of God, is that on the important doctrines of salvation and life
that the Lord wants us to know about, He gives us MANY ways to
arrive at the same ONE truth. This issue we are studying is no
exception.
I now ask the reader to restudy what the enclosed Bible
Dictionaries gave concerning the words STRONG DRINK as used in
the Bible. I will especially draw your attention to THE
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA on pages 18 and 19 of
this article.
I am not going to use the word WINE (Heb. Yayin) to try and prove
that the Lord does not disapprove of Christians using alcoholic
beverages in moderation, for as we have seen, those like Mr.
Saunders will just answer "So we find that 'yayin' is a
generic word applied to the juice of the grape in all conditions
.... fermented or unfermented. In view of the fact that the Bible
speaks so strongly against the use of alcoholic wine in many
places, reason would dictate that where the word is used in the
positive sense it would refer to the unfermented 'wine'."
And this is exactly the case taken by Dr. Samuele Bacciocchi in
his 300 plus page book on "Wine and the Christian."
The truth of this matter does not hinge just on the word 'wine.'
The Hebrew word for STRONG DRINK is 'shekar' (shaykawr). It is
No.7941 in Strong's Concordance. Here is what that concordance
has to say regarding this word:
"shekar, shaykawr; from 7937; an intoxicant, i.e. intensely
alcoholic liquor: - strong drink, + drunkard, strong wine."
As for the Hebrew word 7937 in the above concordance, we read:
"shakar, shawkar; a prime root; to become tipsy; ....."
This word 'shekar' is used 20 times in the OT. The word itself
and the twenty places where it is used will clearly show it is
not referring to apple juice, orange juice, lime juice, 7UP, or
Coca-Cola. It is always referring to a fermented alcoholic
beverage!
Let's look at two scriptures which I think are very revealing.
"And the Lord spoke unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor
STRONG DRINK, (shekar) you nor your sons with you, WHEN YOU GO
INTO THE TABERNACLE of the congregation, lest you die...."
(Lev.10:9).
Now if it was already known by Moses and Israel that it was not
Godly to drink alcoholic beverages - that it would be a sin to
drink fermented juices - that fermented drinks were in themselves
wrong, there would have been no need for the Lord to specific
have had to mention to Aaron that he was not to partake of Strong
Drink when officiating in the tabernacle. He would have known
that as he would have known that partaking of fermented drinks at
ANY TIME was not allowed by God, if indeed that was and is what
God teaches. The clear inference from this verse is that it was
not wrong for Aaron and his sons to drink wine or strong drink
except when working in the tabernacle.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them, When (it was only done for certain
periods in a persons life) either man or woman shall separate
themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves
unto the Lord. He shall separate himself from wine and STRONG
DRINK (shekar) and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of
STRONG DRINK, neither shall he drink any liquor of grape (grape
juice) nor eat moist grapes or dried .... All the days of the vow
of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: UNTIL
the days be fulfilled..." (Numbers 6:1-5).
Notice, the man or woman who undertakes a Nazarite vow for a
period of time, is only to refrain from the things mentioned in
verses 3 to 6, for and during that period of time. The clear
inference is that when NOT under a Nazarite vow ALL of the things
in these verses were quite permissable. Was it wrong in Israel to
cut ones hair, to touch a dead body, to drink unfermented grape
juice, or eat moist or dried grapes? Of course not! So likewise,
if we are willing to be honest with all these verses and what is
said in them, it was NOT WRONG for the men and women of Israel to
drink WINE or STRONG DRINK when not under a Nazarite vow !!
Do you see also how in verse 3 WINE and STRONG DRINK are put in
contrast to "liquor of grapes ." It should be obvious to even a
casual reader that wine and strong drink is here meaning
fermented beverages, while liquor of the grapes means unfermented
grape juice. If all in Israel had been instructed already (as
surely they would have on such an evil thing as sipping fermented
drinks - as many look at it) by God about never at any time
partaking of alcoholic beverages, there would have been no need
at all to tell them that they must refrain from drinking wine and
strong drink when under a Nazarite vow, as all would have known
that they were never to drink such liquids. The truth is, no such
total condemnation by God was ever given to Israel. Surely, if it
is so un-Godly and so un-Christian as to let a drop of fermented
wine ever pass your lips as some maintain, we would be able to
find at least one verse in the first five book of the Bible, or
any of the other books of the OT, which would state something to
the effect, "Wine or Strong drink shall in no way pass your
lips." With all that God's word says AGAINST drunkenness with no
command or instruction such as, "Wine and strong drink is sin,
you shall not partake of it" I would say, immediately leaves us
no room but to question the accuracy and logic of such articles
and booklets as that of Mr.Saunders and others.
GOD TAUGHT ISRAEL TO DRINK FERMENTED BEVERAGES!
Friend, do you love the TRUTH of God's word more than the ideas,
the opinions, the guesses, the half truths and the ways that seem
right unto men? Are you willing to admit your error when shown
you are in error. If you hold views similar to Mr.Saunders (and
I can show you from the Eternal's own mouth that He actually
TAUGHT all of Israel to drink alcoholic beverages) will you be
able to shout for joy at finding the pure truth of God, or will
your self-righteous stubborn ideas lead you to pervert and twist
the clear word of the Lord?
We shall now find out the answer to the above questions.
Concerning the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles, God said to
Israel:
" You shall surely tithe all the yield of your seed .... And
you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place in which He
will cause His name (and presence) to dwell ... And if the
distance is too long for you to carry your tithe ... then you
shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and
shall go to the place (of worship) which the Lord your God has
chosen. And you may spend that money for whatever your appetite
craves, for oxen, or sheep, or new wine or strong drink, or
whatever you desire..." (Deut.14:22-26 Amp.Bible).
DID YOU SEE IT ?
The Israelites were instructed from the mouth of God Himself,
that when attending the Feasts of the Lord they could spend their
money on oxen, sheep, wine (yayin) and notice it - STRONG DRINK
(shekar) !!
There is no way around it - for the honest of heart - for the
lover of God's truth more than man's cleaver twistings of
scripture. Here in Deut.14 the great Eternal God INSTRUCTED the
people of Israel that they could, IF they desired, BUY and
CONSUME at His festivals, as a part of the festive worshipping of
Him - STRONG DRINK - fermented and intoxicating beverages! This
is not talking about strong apple juice or orange juice. This is
not talking about strong fig tea, or strong Pepsi-Cola, its
talking about SHEKAR - STRONG FERMENTED LIQUIDS! Its talking
about buying and consuming fermented beverages that are strong
enough to make you drunk if you over indulge.
As shocking and maybe as angry as this will make some, your
Bible, the very word of God teaches that the Lord God is not a
teetotaller, He does not preach total abstinence, He is not a
prohibitionist. The Lord God does not teach or preach that
fermented wine or other strong alcoholic beverages are sin! He
does very strongly preach that it is sin to get DRUNK - He
teaches that it is the wrong USE of fermented liquids that is
SIN!
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS CONTRASTED
Announcing that John the Baptist would be born, the angel told
his father that he "shall drink neither wine nor strong drink..."
(Lk.1:15). Are we to suppose this means that he would not drink
grape juice, apple cider and the like? Our religious total
abstinence preachers would probably have us believe that this is
what was meant. More the truth is that John was prophesied to be
a Nazarite - that is, under a Nazarite vow from birth to death.
Jesus was never prophesied to be under such a vow. John preached
in the wilderness, dressed in camels hair, ate locusts and wild
honey, and as we have seen did not drink wine or strong drink.
The religious leaders rejected him as coming from God - they even
said he was demon possessed. He was not what they expected a
"man of the cloth" to be. When Jesus came on the scene He lived
in such a way that they still could not accept His activities as
being Godly. Their attitude was, we have our own ideas as to what
a man of God should look like, dress like, eat and drink like,
regardless of what the word of God says. Their teaching was, we
demand you dance to our tune - to the way we look at it. Notice
the way Jesus put it:
"What shall I liken the men of this generation to? They are like
unto small Children sitting in the market square, and calling to
each other, and saying, We have played our musical instruments
but you have not danced to our beat; we have been mournful but
you have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread
nor drinking wine in banquets and you say, he is demon
possessed. The Son of man is come EATING and DRINKING..."
Are we to understand this to mean that John did not eat loaves of
bread or drink grape juice while Jesus did eat bread and did
drink grape juice? Some would say so. But Jesus gives us the
answer as to what they accused Him of. Continuing:
"and you say, Behold a GLUTTONOUS man, and a WINEBIBBER, a friend
of tax collectors and sinners." (Luke 7:31-34 paraphrased
myself).
Jesus was not a glutton, but He did attend enough festivals and
what we would call house parties put on by the wealthy, that the
religious bigots of His day could exaggerate His activities and
call Him names by saying He was a glutton.
Notice what else they called Jesus. A GRAPEJUICE-bibber! He drank
so much grape juice that they could easily hang on Him the very
shameful name of someone who tarried long at sipping grape juice
- a grape juice bibber! Really? I say that with tongue in cheek.
No! Jesus was called a winebibber because unlike John who never
partook of wine or strong drink from birth, Jesus did partake of
the same. The natural understanding of such accusations hurled at
Him would I submit, lead the unbiased mind to recognize that
Jesus did indeed partake of fermented wine. Jesus never got drunk
nor did He tarry long at wine, He never over indulged, but He
used it enough that the pompous, holier-than-thou religious
leaders once again blew His "liberty in the Lord" all out of
proportion and called Him a winebibber.
Jesus knew the scriptures and teachings of the OT - He knew that
there was never one command or verse that made fermented wine or
strong drink of themselves, sin! Jesus knew the scriptures where
the Lord had taught Israel that if they so desired at the
festivals they could buy and drink wine and strong drink, (It
would seem that Mr.Saunders did not know this verse as it was not
mentioned anywhere in his entire 52 page booklet. He accuses
others in no uncertain terms of, 'the blind leading the blind'
but I say he has forgotten the saying, 'He that lives in glass
houses should never throw stones'). It is just as true that Jesus
knew the many verses of the OT that condemn drunkenness - those
that are deceived and led astray in heart and mind by alcoholic
drinks. Jesus knew all this because He was the one who inspired
all these Scriptures to be written - He was the God of the OLD
TESTAMENT - the God of the OT was the one who became Jesus Christ
of the New Testament. If you have never had this shown to you
then study my article "Jesus Christ - God of the Old Testament".
……………
TO BE CONTINUED
Christians and Wine? #4
What the Bible says
by
Keith Hunt
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHOOSING SERVANTS
The letters Paul wrote to Timothy have become known as Pastoral
Epistles, because they contain information for Pastors that,
"....you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house
of God, which is the church of the living God.." (1 Tim. 3:15 ).
Among the many instructions these letters contain is the
qualifications for DEACONS or those that will be appointed to
serve in an official way within the church. Notice 1 Tim.3:8
"Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given
to MUCH wine..." The NIV translates, "....not indulging in
much wine..." The Fenton translation is "...nor addicted
to much wine..." The Modern Language also renders it the same
as Fenton. The Living Bible says,"They must not be heavy
drinkers..." The Amplified Bible is as the KJV. The literal Greek
reads, "not to much wine."
For the Greek word 'much' the ENGLISHMAN'S GREEK CONCORDANCE
gives among other words these: abundant, great, long, much,
plenteous, great deal.
The ANALYTICAL GREEK LEXICON gives: great in magnitude or
quantity, much, large, the many, the mass, greatly, vehemently.
This Greek word is used dozens of times in the NT - some of the
passages where it is found are:
Mt.6:30; 13:5; Mk.12:41; Lk.7:11; 12:19,48; John 3:23; 6:10; Acts
10:2; 15:7; Rom.16:6; James 5:16; Rev.19:1.
It is obvious the word means - plenteous, great deal, mass, much
or great in quantity.
Now are we to suppose that what Paul was laying down to Timothy
for the qualifications to deaconship was that a man must not
drink much grape juice? What if he did drink a great deal of
unfermented grape juice - would that disqualify him from becoming
a deacon? What if he drank very little grape juice but drank
prodigious amounts of orange juice - would that be okay and so
qualify for deaconship? I will say with Paul "I speak as a
fool." Surely no person is going to say that Paul was here
teaching Timothy that a deacon could not drink much unfermented
grape juice!!
It should be plain to see that Paul was referring to alcoholic
wine. He was telling Timothy that a man who is being considered
for the office of deacon can not be someone who is given to
drinking much, plenteous, a great quantity of wine as a
practicing way of life. Paul is not saying that he can not drink
fermented wine PERIOD! The very structure and use of the Greek
word 'much' should make that truth plain to the unbiased mind.
If Paul had wanted to teach Timothy that no servant of the Lord
should ever drink alcoholic wine, he could have easily said and
used the greek words "not to wine" or "shall not drink wine" or
some other emphatic phrase. The truth is Paul was being inspired
by the Holy Spirit to write these words "not given to much
wine."
There is no way around it - neither the OT or the NT, neither
Moses or Jesus or Paul or any other inspired writer of the Bible
ever condemned anyone for drinking fermented beverages. What they
did condemn was lusting after such drinks, being deceived by such
drinks and getting drunk or tarrying long at them and becoming an
alcoholic.
VARIOUS QUESTIONS ANSWERED
ALCOHOLISM
It is often pointed out by such individuals as Mr.Saunders (which
he does in his booklet) that NO ONE is immune to alcoholism. I
would answer that with the ungenerated heart no one is immune to,
lying, stealing, profanity, hate, covetousness, sexual lust and
immorality and under the right (or should I say wrong)
circumstances, even murder. All of these are SINS just as
alcoholism is. Should we not talk because we may lie? Should
we not look at a man or woman because we are not immune to lust?
Shall we not pick up and use a knife because some have become
murderers with such a tool? Should we not get married because no
one is immune (without God's grace and help) to divorce?
There are many things in life that the Lord gives us to use
(i.e. our sex drive) either for good or for evil. The thing
itself is not always evil, but yes the Lord knows that in giving
it to us - allowing us to use it - even saying at times we are to
use it(such as marriage and reproduction) - He knows it may be
used wrongly, to hurt ourselves and others. That's why He gives
us MUCH instruction on the right use of the things He says we are
allowed to do and handle in life. He knows that the ungenerated
heart of man is prone to evil, that what the Lord intended to be
a BLESSING for us, man would abuse, twist and pervert into EVIL .
Does the Eternal come along and take away our mouth, eyes, sexual
organs, marriage, childrearing, talents and inventive abilities
because we often do not use them the correct way as He intended ?
No, He does not. He cries out to us to come to Him, learn HOW to
use the things He has given us to use CORRECTLY and for our
BLESSING and right enjoyment.
The Lord cries out to mankind to come and partake of His very
divine NATURE - His POWER and LIFE so that man can have the
STRENGTH and the self-control to be able to properly CONTROL all
that He gives and allows us to use. One of the things the Lord
allows us to use is alcoholic beverages!
For individuals like Mr.E.L.Saunders to write and talk about
having more of the Spirit of God and then in essence by what they
say about this subject and those "sipping Christians" deny
that the very Holy Spirit of Power can keep you from ever
becoming an alcoholic, is to me, a denial of the Spirit they so
earnestly want to preach. Let me say again, I have known and
still know dozens of Spirit filled Christians who for many many
years have been drinking fermented wine and other strong drink
and are no nearer becoming alcoholics than this PC I'm using - I
happen to be one of them. The POWER of the Holy Spirit is
POWERFUL - it does give you the power and self-control to be
temperate in all things. I have never been drunk in my entire
life - no not once, and that credit goes to the Lord not me and
His Spirit that He has so freely given me.
To those who may be alcoholics let me say this. You can, with
the wonderful help from the Spirit of God, and good organizations
like the AA, OVERCOME!! It is also true that in many cases many
such individuals may have to stay away from alcohol completely,
although I have know some who were able to be moderate drinkers.
The Lord does not command you to drink alcohol - it is not a sin
to be a teetotaller.
MODERATION
In the booklet "Should Christians Drink Fermented Wine?" by
Pastor Saunders he says on page 27, ".. Mr.Rowe says,'The
Key to Christian drinking is moderation.' Of course he dare not
tell us what 'moderation' means...But let me ask this question,
How is one to make known to all men what 'moderation' is in
consuming alcoholic wine? Who 'draws the line' and where? As a
Pastor and Shepherd of the flock of God, am I to tell the people
that one glass of wine is 'moderation' or is it two glasses, or
perhaps more?"
Now Mr.Rowe in his article did not legislate what 'moderation'
is. Neither do I legislate moderation. Why? Very simple - the
Lord does not legislate moderation! This is what the Lord God
legislates:
"..be not addicted to wine ..." (Barclay) or be not "one who
sits long at his wine" (Earle - Word Meanings in the NT)
1 Tim.3:3. ".....not given to much wine......" 1 Tim.3:8, "Be not
drunk with wine...." Eph.5:18.
The Eternal teaches us we can eat clean meat if we desire - He
does not legislate how much! The Lord taught that a Christian
would pray - He did not legislate how many minutes a day.
Jesus said a Christian would fast - He did not legislate how many
times a year!
Our heavenly Father says His children can wear Jewelry and
Make-up (though some will argue that also) if they desire (if you
have never had that proved to you then study my studies on this
Website) but He does not legislate how much! I could go on with
other examples, but I hope you see the point. Within the bounds
of what God has said is lawful for us a Christian is to use the
Spirit of God, which is the very nature of God (2 Pet.1:4 the
divine power (chap. 1:3), to let the mind of Christ be in them so
they are growing up in Him unto a mature and perfect man
(Eph.4:13-15 ).
This is the development of RIGHTEOUS GODLY CHARACTER The Lord
does not have hundreds of do's and don'ts that He has legislated
for us on keeping the Sabbath - He has given us a few broad
principles only, and then expects us to use His Spirit of
sound-mindedness and wisdom to handle all the many circumstances
and questions that may arise on Sabbath keeping. Ministers should
be on the whole more spiritually mature than those they are
serving, but to think that they must legislate things to their
congregations that not even the Lord has legislated is not only
becoming as the Pharisees of Jesus' day, but worse still it is
setting oneself up as God Himself. Woe unto those ministers who
want to dictate what color of tie, shoes, blouse, suit etc. their
people should wear to services or how long the men's side-burns
should be or the ladies dresses. Woe unto those ministers who
want to dictate how many pieces of jewelry the women should or
should not wear. Woe unto those ministers who want to legislate
how many hours of T.V. a week their members are to watch. Such
ministers are no longer "a help of your joy" but have become
religious legislating dictators.
Some seem to want God or their minister to legislate every act of
their lives - some ministers seem to want to legislate every act
of those they pastor, when to come in, when to go out, how many
glasses of apple juice to drink, what time to go to bed etc. They
perhaps feel some kind of safety in this - no decisions to make,
no personal responsibility, no having to go to the Lord for His
help and guidance under different and specific situations. This
may seem the neat and clean way to do things, "Oh if only the
Lord would legislate for me what moderate drinking is, then I
would not have to make all these mental judgments" is what some
desire, but God's way is not to have us as robots. Sure He gives
us some rules that are cut and dry, such as "You shall not steal"
but often it is the broad outline He gives and we are to use His
spirit and wisdom to stay within the bounds - and that develops
CHARACTER!
As for alcoholic beverages, the one boundary line is, you MAY or
you MAY NOT drink such beverages, and the other boundary line is,
do not sit long, get ADDICTED or get DRUNK on wine. The Christian
is to stay within that boundary, and that is moderation!
IS DRINKING ALCOHOL HABIT FORMING?
Mr.Saunders writes on page 17 of his booklet,"Consuming
alcoholic beverages whether it's wine, liquor, or just 'coke'
is habit forming..."
This statement is totally incorrect!
To say "Consuming alcoholic drinks MAY be habit forming" is one
thing, but saying "Consuming alcoholic beverages IS habit
forming" is altogether another. How do I know that Mr.Saunders'
statement is wrong? I know from the experience of a person
as close to me as you can get - myself. I at times, such as when
observing the seven day Feast of Tabernacles, may consume
anywhere from one to four alcoholic drinks per day, some weekly
Sabbath days I may enjoy 1 or 3 glasses of wine, BUT THEN a
number of weeks may go by without drinking any fermented
beverage. Drinking wine or any alcoholic beverage is only habit
forming if you let it be!
DON'T LOOK ON WINE?
In answer to my statement that there is no direct command of the
Lord that we should not drink alcoholic beverages, some will say
yes there is, and turn quickly to Prov.23:31 "Look not thou
upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup.
..." and declare, "There you are, if we are not even to look
upon wine how much more are we not to drink it." Some say this
statement is very EMPHATIC and emphasize the word emphatic. The
comment in the WYCLIFFE BIBLE COMMENTARY is an example of this
teaching.
If we are to be EMPHATIC with the first part of this clause
should we not be as willing to be just as emphatic with the last
part? " Look not thou upon wine WHEN IT IS RED..." So it is only
RED wine that we are emphatically told not to look at - WHITE
wine and STRONG DRINK (shekar) are excluded!! Oh the silly
reasonings of men that desire to uphold their personal emotional
whims and are not willing to let the word of God correct them so
they maybe, "not unwise but understanding what the will
of the LORD is" (Eph.5:17).
Look at the CONTEXT of Prov.23:31. Verse 30 says, "They that
tarry long at wine ..." Verse 32, At the last it bites like
a serpent..." ADAM CLARKE was being honest with this verse
when he wrote in his commentary:
"Let neither the color, the odour, the sparkling, etc., of the
wine, when poured out, induce you to drink it. However good and
pure it may be, it will be to THEE a snare, because THOU ART
addicted to it, and hast NO SELF-COMMAND." (emphasis mine).
The context shows: clearly that this proverbial advice was given
to those "that tarry long at wine" to those who are addicted to
it. They should not be tempted to drink it when its poured out -
they had better stay away from it altogether because they will
get drunk, and when awake will seek it yet again (verses 33-35).
This is instruction is for those who are addicted to
alcoholic beverages.
STRONG DRINK - HARD LIQUOR
It is very important to note that when you relate the words
"strong drink" (Heb. is 'shekar') as used in the Bible, you
do not think of this as meaning what we today call 'hard liquor.'
It may refer to a type of 'beer' that the ancients used, but it
should not be acquainted with our hard drinks like 'gin' or
'brandy.' As for the health benefits of our hard liquors, see my
next comments.
ALCOHOL AND ITS EFFECTS ON HEALTH
In trying to drive the nail home for the case of 'total
abstinence' Mr.Saunders quotes a Doctor Haven Emerson as
saying, "Alcohol is a ... protoplasmic poison ... causes
disease .... causes death from acute and chronic poisoning
... decreases expectancy of life ..."
Here is my answer to this argument.
FIRST. The word 'alcohol' is a very broad term, applied to all
fermented intoxicating beverages from mild wines to beer to hard
liquor. There is enough data available to show that a prolonged
and regular use of our modern HARD LIQUORS is detrimental to ones
health. Their usefulness may be seen in the famous stories of
the snowy Alpines, where the St.Bernard dogs were sent out to
rescue lost or trapped people in the snow. They would carry a
little bottle of brandy around their necks which would often make
the difference between life or death for the stranded But on the
whole, hard drinks should be used very sparingly and not in any
way as a regular diet or your health could be adversely effected.
SECONDLY. As shocking as this may sound to many, Doctors and
Researchers are often to say the least, very BIASED and to say
the worst - plain LIARS! They will often twist the facts or give
you half truths to comply with what they want you to believe
because of their personal views on that particular subject. You
don't believe me? You want proof of this statement of mine? I
will give it to you from the pen of a well known and respected
doctor - DR. ROBERT S. MENDELSOHN, Chairman of the Medical
Licensing Committee of the State of Illinois (who is now dead as
I put this study up to my Website. I wrote this study in 1985).
"Doctors have been shown not to be above fudging and even
fabricating research results when the stakes were high enough.
Dr.Leroy Wolins, a psychologist at Iowa State University, had a
student write to thirty-seven authors of scientific reports
asking for the raw data on which they based their conclusions. Of
the thirty-two who replied, twenty-one said their data either had
been lost or accidentally destroyed. Dr.Wolins analyzed seven
sets of the data that did come in and found errors in three
significant enough to invalidate what had been passed off as
scientific fact." (Confessions of a Medical Heretic, pages 205
and 206).
It should also be remembered that Doctors disagree among
themselves on various subjects as much as the Theologians do on
what the word of God teaches. You should handle the statements of
Doctors as you should Theologians - get ALL the facts from
various sources, PROVE all things as Paul wrote and then hold
fast to that which is good!
THIRDLY. Whatever case can be brought against the use of HARD
LIQUOR on a prolonged basis, such can not be brought against
WINE. It has now been proved beyond a reasonable doubt that wine
is GOOD FOR YOU!!
FOURTHLY. As the LORD has instructed in His word that we can if
we desire, partake of fermented wine and Biblical 'strong drink'
I know that it must be under normal conditions, HEALTHY for you!
The Eternal God would not give us positive instructions
relating to anything if it was "that alcohol(or something else
I will add)in any form should never be introduced into the
human body" as E.L.Saunders writes (page 46 of his booklet).
The Lord God was the creator of man, He knows what is good
for man to take into his body to promote health - He is the one
who gave the clean and unclean food laws, not some doctor in his
clinic or research lab. Why I have read articles by doctors who
claim pork, horse meat or crabs are good for you, listing the
amount of protein, vitamins and minerals in each. The Eternal
says such is not good for you - they should not be consumed, but
some learned doctors think otherwise. The Eternal says wine and
strong drink you may consume, but some educated doctors say it is
'poison.' Such have rejected the revealed revelation of God and
have as Paul wrote, "Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools" (Rom. 1:22). We are admonished to AVOID science
when it is in direct contradiction to the revelation of God,
"...avoiding profane and vain babblings and opposition of science
falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning
the faith..." (1 Tim.6:20,21).
THE PRESERVATION OF GRAPE JUICE?
I have not chosen to enter this area of contention, as to whether
the ancients knew how to preserve grape juice unfermented,
because it has no bearing on proving or not whether it is
Christian to drink alcoholic beverages.
WINE IS GOOD FOR YOU !
For more information you may want to
purchase the book: GATEWAY TO WINE AND HEALTH by Herbert M.Baus.
Obtainable from Cole's Book Stores or from Deborah Bond, 4
Ireland Court, Islington, Ont. M9A2C9. Phone (416) 233-9407.
(I'm not sure if that book is still in print in this year of 2023
Keith Hunt).
..............
TO BE CONTINUED
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