Please say this prayer;

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the liberty we have in Christ. Help us not to judge one another in regard to the issue of drinking a little wine, but rather to be honest before You as to the issue in our own hearts in this regard. May we be a good witness before those in the world. When we make our choices in this life, may they be pleasing to You and show love to those around us. You told us the highest law is the law of love. We are first to love You, and then, to love one another. May we do this in word and deed. Keep us from temptation and sin and let our actions prove to the world that we are true Christians. Deliver those who are addicted to alcohol and who are in this snare of the devil. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
[i][/i]
Proverbs 20:1 (KJV):
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Proverbs 20:1 (AMP):
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler, and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise.

The Bible has much to say about many subjects; and drinking alcoholic beverages is one of them. There is a debate in religious circles in regard to the question - was the wine in the Bible referring to grape juice or fermented grape juice, which is alcoholic in nature? To answer this question we must study the original language in which the Bible was written.

Actually, there are fifteen words from the Hebrew and Greek languages, which are translated "wine" in the Bible. When we compare these words in the context in which they are used we can better understanding their scriptural meanings.

The first scripture in which wine is mentioned is found in the book of Genesis. The Hebrew word used there is "yayin." It always means fermented wine, primarily from grapes.

Genesis 9:20-21:
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Noah could not have become drunk by drinking grape juice, so we must assume he drank an alcoholic beverage made from the grapes of his vineyard.

The New Testament word translated wine is usually the Greek word "oinos." We also find in the New Testament the account of Jesus performing his first miracle which was turning water into wine. You can read the entire account of this miracle in John 2: 1-11.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Notice in verse 10 the comment that men usually served the good wine first and kept the wine that was not as good to be served lastly so that its quality was not noticed. This had to be a reference to fermented wine, as the alcoholic content of the wine would be more inclined to cause them not to notice bad wine later in the evening after they had a few drinks.

There are many other references to wine throughout the Bible showing that it is actually an alcoholic drink. Now with this scriptural evidence, comes the next question. Is it sinful to drink wine? The answer to this question is that the wine itself is not sinful, because sin is in the heart of man and does not exist in any object of itself. It is the drunkenness and intoxication that comes about when a man drinks too much that causes him sin. The Bible teaches discipline and moderation; even eating too much food is a sin and is called the sin of gluttony in the Bible.

The scripture in Proverbs 20:1 warns us what wine and strong drink can do to a man. Men can end up raging and brawling and doing things in a drunken stupor that are very unwise and that they will also regret. How many times have we heard the expression when someone talks unwisely after drinking too much -- "That was the alcohol talking." The Bible does make a distinction, as to the affect that strong drinks (alcoholic beverages like whiskey, vodka, etc.) have on a person, as opposed to wine, showing that the strong alcoholic drinks are far worse at causing men to become out of their heads and violent. The wine is bad enough, as it can cause men to loose their senses and mock others. People will also mock them for their out of control inebriation.

So what should our position be as Christians since we know the many sorrows that drunkenness causes? We know that alcoholism is responsible for many broken homes because of the abusive behavior toward family and others. We know the many deaths on our highways caused by drinking and driving. What about the many premature deaths caused by health problems stemming from alcoholism? Alcoholism has now become a costly drug addiction problem. Yes, drunkenness is a very evil sin that hurts the whole nation. The Bible says all drunkards who do not repent will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Although, a Christian may be free to drink moderately as long as they do not become drunk, is that the highest thing we should do? Paul stated in the New Testament that he would not allow his liberty to be a license to sin, nor would he do anything that would cause a brother to stumble.

Galatians 5:13: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

1 Corinthians 8:9: "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak."

In the Old Testament there was a group of people known as Nazarites that took a vow to separate themselves unto the Lord and therefore they would not drink any wine or alcoholic beverages.

Numbers 6:2-3: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When 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, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried."

We must all give an account of ourselves before our Lord. What would please Him? Would it not be pleasing to Him if we loved others enough to give up those things we could have, for a greater cause? Would it not be a more powerful witness to others in our age to stand out as one who did not drink alcoholic beverages because we had no need to do so. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, His spirit gives us the joy and release that many are seeking by drinking. May we instead desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have no need for "spirits."

Ephesians 5:18-20:
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

@Duncan

I am very happy that you have made good points in your submission and I most grateful may the excellent spirit in you be increased and prepared for his coming

I will however STATE STRONGLY.

MAN SHOULD FLEE THIS EVIL DRUG CALLED ALCOHOL !

However because at the time of the bible the Drug had not been well understood but now it is very clear that this Organic Compound is very Dangerous.

H
|
H-C-O-H THIS IS METHYL OR METHANOL VERY POISONOUS SPIRIT
|
H


THE SIMPLEST FORM OF ALCOHOL IT COMPLETELY DESTROY THE LIVER PEOPLE DON'T DRINK IT OH BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT KILL THEM OH.


H H
| |
H-C-C-OH
| |
H H

THIS IS ETHANOL OR ETHYL ANOTHER TYPE OF ALCOHOL

THERE IS PROPANOL OR ISOPROPYL

ALL THIS IN CHEMISTRY IS CALLED ALKYL GROUP

THIS IS AN EVIL DRUG

http://www.poison.org/prevent/dangerous.asp
Alcohol: when children swallow alcohol, they can have seizures, go into a coma, or even die. This is true no matter where the alcohol comes from. Mouthwash, facial cleaners, and hair tonics can have as much alcohol in them as alcoholic beverages.

SOME USE THIS DRUG TO CAUSE ABORTION !


WELL AFTER ALL SAID BRETHREN IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE NOT CONVINCED SO BE IT. LET YOUR CONSCIENCE JUDGE THIS ISSUE.

LET LOVE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BE SUPREME IN OUR HEARTS. I HAVE MADE ALL THIS SUBMISSION IN LOVE. WOE UNTO ME IF I DO THIS WITH HATRED FOR ANYONE, FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS BEST.


MAY THE POWER OF LOVE EMPOWER US TO HATE THIS DRUG AND ALL OTHER DRUGS.

You told us the highest law is the law of love.  We are first to love You, and then, to love one another.  May we do this in word and deed.  Keep us from temptation and sin and let our actions prove to the world that we are true Christians. Deliver those who are addicted to alcohol and who are in this snare of the devil. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lisa11


alcoholism treatment

Christians are drinking wine and they know that one of the first miracle performed is that Jesus changed water into wine. It even seems that Jesus drank wine on occasion (John 2:1-11; Matthew 26:29).

@ALL
kindly address the following verses:

Deuteronomy 14:26:
26 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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passage Luke 7:33-34:

  33 For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, [b]‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, [/b]and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

Footnotes:

Luke 7:34 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.

(Evidently our Lord Jesus christ himself was a social drinker   )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passage 1 Timothy 5:23:

  23 Don’t drink only water. You ought to [b]drink a little wine [/b]for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.

My christian brethen you should learn not to preach your opinions as the word of God, ( Matthew 15:9:
9 Their worship is a farce,
     for they teach [b]man-made ideas [/b]as commands from God.’) the bible never said we should not drink, it only encouraged us to drink in moderation.

@ Duncan

Let me say this much about the wine that Jesus made from water. It was not fermented. Why would it be anyway? The remarks made about that wine being good and being served last has nothing to do with it being fermented, but speaks of its strength in terms of its concentration.

The other point I'd like to make is that men of old who were called by God had done things that were not exemplary at times, as in the case of Noah's use of fermented wine, but it should not be seen as an excuse for us Christians to indulge in the use of alcohol.

In the case of adultery some of the patriarchs, and most of the kings of Israel were guilty, but it would appear that nothing was wrong with it because of God's apparent silence on the matter, but upon closer inspection we see the consequences that often followed such a practice.

My advice to Christians is to avoid the use of that which is harmful, and to use judiciously that which is good, because even a good thing when used intemperately can become harmful.

drinking isnt bad but drunkeness is, just like the bible doesnt critisize eating but it does gluttony.

@ italo

drinking isnt bad but drunkeness is, just like the bible doesnt critisize eating but it does gluttony.

All it takes is just one sip in most cases. I once heard of a case in which a mother used to put the empty beer bottle to her baby's mouth thinking nothing of it. By the time the little girl turned 7 she was already an alcoholic. When the parents were at work, she would help herself to vodka, and other types of alcoholic beverages. By the time they found out it was already too late.

King Solomon was on target when he said that "wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise, " The deception rests with the thought that drinking alcohol conservatively is reasonable enough. Where the drinking of alcohol is concerned there is nothing conservative about it.

italo:

drinking isnt bad but drunkeness is, just like the bible doesnt critisize eating but it does gluttony.

I completely agree.

Bobbyaf:

@ italo

All it takes is just one sip in most cases. I once heard of a case in which a mother used to put the empty beer bottle to her baby's mouth thinking nothing of it. By the time the little girl turned 7 she was already an alcoholic. When the parents were at work, she would help herself to vodka, and other types of alcoholic beverages. By the time they found out it was already too late.

King Solomon was on target when he said that "wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise, " The deception rests with the thought that drinking alcohol conservatively is reasonable enough. Where the drinking of alcohol is concerned there is nothing conservative about it.

I think the mother is crazy in the story mentioned. Obviously it's psychotic anyway to put a beer bottle to a baby's mouth, like what is that supposed to achieve. No right thinking person thinks that it's okay to make a minor simulate drinking or to give alcohol to children so that's a special situation. I think wine is one of those things that isn't necessary so if one has problems with self-control in general, it may not be the best choice to tempt oneself and have alcohol, or another situation where abstinence may be required is if your drinking is causing your neighbour to stumble (whether because they have self-control issues or alcohol has been a problem in their families in the past).

In moderation, wine is good for heart health (not that everyone has to now go and start drinking wine for a healthy heart o) and has lots of antioxidants, plus the right wine can really enhance the taste of certain foods. However, as to what the bible says about wine (i.e. the original topic), I don't think the bible is against wine specifically (wine was a part of the (Jewish) culture at the time), but I think it is against alcohol abuse or substance abuse in general to the point where the substance use controls your life and actions. Wine CAN be a mocker but I don't think it necessarily is if it is not leading you or those around you into sin.