Wine: Can I drink OR SHOULD I abstain?
INSTEAD OF DISCRIMINATING
SOMEONE FOR SINNING, EACH ONE OUGHT TO ALLOW THAT JESUS USE HIM FOR SALVATION
THE NEIGHBOR
I see many people concerned if they can or not drink
alcoholic beverage. In fact this is an important
theme. Notwithstanding, instead of we try to resolve all based in laws, we
ought to search what please the Eternal and is better to all. In other words,
we ought to see from whence we fallen (Rev 2.5) so that we have the relationship
restored.
When we thought in laws, we pass to measure the
persons with base in them. We pass to valorize works and laws and to consider
the human being as mere tool to make works and the laws, as the way to oblige
them to make of mode that we find right.
In the past, Jesus rebuke the Pharisees about this:
o “And
he said unto them, the sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the sabbath:” (Mark
2.27).
The law wasn’t made to obligate persons to work to
God. Instead of this, the Eternal use His laws to work His will and character
in life one another. In other words, the law is for that the fleshy individuals
stay together in the works until that the Eternal had worked in each heart.
Hence Paul to write:
o “[
It is ] good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
nor [ any thing ] whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou
faith? have [ it ] to thyself before God. Happy [ is ] he that condemneth not
himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because [ he eateth ]
not of faith: for whatsoever [ is ] not of faith is sin.” (Rom 14.21-23).
Instead of we think if something is right or wrong, we
ought to think: this will help the neighbor, or not? If the person haven’t certain if something is good or evil for the neighbor,
then they are sinning (Romans 14.23):
1. Such person isn’t following Jesus, but what suit to
them;
2. His concerning isn’t in love the neighbor such as
Jesus (John
13.34,35).
In this case, such person turned from the truth (Titus 1.14).
Resulted:
o “Unto
the pure all things [ are ] pure: but unto them that
are defiled and unbelieving [ is ] nothing pure; but even their mind and
conscience is defiled.” (Titus
1.15).
The conscience of such individual is contaminated with
commandments of men that don’t aim the communion in Jesus. Rather, they desire
only what pleases his flesh.
To prove this, see what the Sacred Scripture says:
o “And
the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness
where God [ was ].” (Exo
20.21).
o “He
bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness [ was
] under his feet.” (Psalms
18.9).
o “Then
spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in
the thick darkness.” (1Kings
8.12).
How is it possible that God was in the thick darkness,
if in other part is said that He dwells in light unapproachable?
o “Who
only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [ be ] honour and power everlasting. Amen.” (1Tim 6.16).
God is in the darkness of the law and of those who are
prisoner of it (Isa
9.1,2; Matt 4.15,16).
To be more exact: while we insist in clinging us to
the law, never ever we will see the Eternal, much less will have plentiful
communion with Him. We can feel His presence, hear His voice, but don’t get to
glare what He have to us, much less all that He really is.
His habitation is in the light, which is inaccessible
to the law. Only if we dispose ourselves to be moved for the Favor of the
Eternal (grace)
toward people is that we will be able to walk in the light of His presence and
have true fellowship one with another.
o “But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.” (1John
1.7).
But after all, an individual ought to drink wine, or
ought to refrain himself?
Let’s analyze the excuses given by who doesn’t want to
left this practice:
A LITTLE WINE HAS NO
PROBLEM
To
you all that think a little bit of wine doesn’t hurt, I do remember to you some
very interesting passages:
·
“And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment
of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have
established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now
thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own
heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [ to be ]
captain over his people, because thou hast not kept [ that ] which the LORD
commanded thee.” (1Samuel
13.13,14). – Saul tarried seven
days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed .
Yet, the people were scattered from him (1Sam 13.8) and, on account of a few minutes,
he lost the kingdom.
·
“And when they came to Nachon's
threshingfloor, Uzzah put
forth [ his hand ] to the ark of God, and took hold of
it; for the oxen shook [ it ]. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [ his
] error; and there he died by the ark of God.” (2Samuel 6.6,7). – Uzzah
died because, in his “good intention”, he disobeyed the Eternal (and, how we
know, rebellion [ is as ] the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness [ is as ] iniquity and idolatry – 1Sam 15.23).
·
“And Moses and Aaron gathered the
congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this
rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice:
and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts
[ also ].” (Numbers
20.10,11). – For the sake of a
few seconds, Moses, that was faithful for forty years (Hebrews 3.5), didn’t enter in
the promise land:
o “They
angered [ him ] also at the waters of strife, so that
it went ill with Moses for their sakes: because they provoked his spirit, so
that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.” (Psalms 106.33).
·
“And he went up from thence unto Bethel:
and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the
city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou
bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and
cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of
the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.” (2Kings
2.23,24) – On account of a “simple”
mockery, forty and two children died.
·
“And a certain man of the sons of the
prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the
LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to
smite him. Then said he unto him, Because thou hast
not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me,
a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found
him, and slew him.” (1Kings
20.35,36) – a man died because
of a gesture of compassion at the wrong time.
And
don’t think that was only in the Old Testament. The Eternal is the same, not
change (Malachi
3.6; Hebrews 13.8). See examples of the New Covenant:
·
“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back [ part ] of the price, his wife also being privy [ to it ],
and brought a certain part, and laid [ it ] at the apostles' feet. But Peter
said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and
to keep back [ part ] of the price of the land? Whiles
it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine
own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not
lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and
gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And
the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [ him ]
out, and buried [ him ]. And it was about the space of three hours after, when
his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said,
Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed
together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have
buried thy husband [ are ] at the door, and shall
carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the
ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying [ her ] forth, buried [ her ] by her husband.” (Acts 5.1-10). – How many times we
say a “little” lie and think that haven’t problem.
·
“And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal
apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people
gave a shout, [ saying, It is ] the voice of a god,
and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he
gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12.21-23) – How many times we
forget to give glory to the Eternal for all that we have and are.
·
“And there were seven sons of [ one ] Sceva, a Jew, [ and ] chief
of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I
know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was
leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled
out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts
19.14-16). – How many believers
accommodate themselves, thinking that isn’t important to know Jesus and His
will deeply (SEE
Matthew 7.21-27). These seven sons of Sceva
died because they don’t know who they are to the eyes of the Eternal, even not
was known in the heavenly regions.
And
the motive of all this severity is:
·
“Your glorying [ is ]
not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [ bread ] of sincerity and truth.” (!Corinthians 5.6-8).
To
illustrate this, think in a race:
·
“Know ye not that they which run in a race
run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye
may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery
is temperate in all things. Now they [ do it ] to
obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring [ it ] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1Corinthians
9.24-27).
Did
you already consider the difference between the first-placed and the second
one? Perhaps hundredths of seconds. To discover the winner, is need to review
the footage. Now think: imagine you training four years, for example, to be the
first placed in the Olympiad and, for the sake of a paltry hundredths of
seconds, you were the second placed. Remember that only the first placed is
that get fame, wealth (with publicity, marketing, etc.), glory, etc.
Maybe
you left of gaining why you decided to hang out with friends on a night out.
Considering the period of four years, it seems little thing. Nevertheless,
hundredths of seconds is too.
Did
you already think that, on account of a simple bowl of wine you can be giving
up all heavenly heritage? See the example of Esau:
·
“Lest there [ be ]
any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the
blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he
sought it carefully with tears.” (Hebrews
12.16,17).
After
all, if you yearn to drink wine (or any other alcoholic beverage), the only
thing that I can do for you it’s to regret deeply the way of death in which you
are walking (see
Deut 30.19) and to pray so that God,
peradventure, give to you all repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and
to that you may recover yourselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken
captive by him at his will (2Timothy 2.25,26).
NOT GIVEN TO WINE x NOT
GIVEN TO MUCH WINE
o “A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of
good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not
given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a
brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own
house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; ( For if a man know not how to rule his own
house, how shall he take care of the church of God? ) Not
a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a
good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare
of the devil.” (1Tim 3.2-7).
o “For
a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled,
not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;” (Titus 1.7).
o “Likewise
must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not
given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;” (1Tim
3.8).
o “The
aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things;” (Tit
2.3).
Considering
that all the requirements to the bishop are very exigent, wouldn’t sense to
slacken in an area so severe. It is sufficient to think that:
o “Wine
[ is ] a mocker, strong drink [ is ] raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Prov 20.1).
o “He
that loveth pleasure [ shall be ]
a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be
rich.” (Prov
21.17).
o “Woe
unto [ them that are ] mighty to drink wine, and men
of strength to mingle strong drink: which justify the wicked for reward, and
take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Is 5.22,23).
Perceive
that to drink wine is associated with justify the wicked for reward. This can
be seen below:
o “But
they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are
out of the way;
the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed
up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision,
they stumble [ in ] judgment.” (Isa 28.7)
Note
that even the wine (grape juice that isn’t strong drink) leads
the person to err.
Hence
the mother of the king Lemuel advice
him:
o “[
It is ] not for kings, O Lemuel, [ it is ] not for
kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget
the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink
unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Open
thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to
destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor
and needy” (Prov
31.4-9).
Also
is for this that is ordained to the priests and nazarites:
o “Do
not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into
the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: [ it shall be
] a statute for ever throughout your
generations:” (Lev 10.9).
o “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.” (Num 6.3).
Considering
that we ought to stay all time at the presence of the Eternal (we are His
temple – 1Corinthians 3.16; 6.19; 2Corínthians 6.16) consecrated to
Him, therefore isn’t allowed to us to drink any kind of alcoholic beverage.
Besides,
when the Eternal wanted that everybody knew Him, two of the deprivation that Israel
experienced was about wine and strong drink:
o “Ye
have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might
know that I [ am ] the LORD your God.” (Deut 29.6).
See
what says the Testament of the Grace:
o “And
be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit;” (Eph
5:18)
o “For
the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the
Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and
abominable idolatries:” (1Pe
4:3).
At
first, the adepts of the wine, beer, etc., state that the problem is in the
quantity of alcohol beverage drunk. Nevertheless, see what Hosea says:
o “Whoredom and wine and new wine take away
the heart.” (Oséias 4.11)
Note
how even the new wine (juice of grape) take away the heart. Therefore,
the wine is much worse (ver 1Corinthians 5.6; Galatians
5.9). We ought to run away of all appearance of the evil (1Thessalonians
5.22).
For
this is that, when Samson was consecrated since the womb, the order was clear:
o “Now
therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean [ thing ]:”
(Judge
13.4).
o “But
he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink
no wine nor
strong drink, neither eat any unclean [ thing ]:
for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
” (Judge
13.7).
o “She
may not eat of any [ thing ] that cometh of the vine,
neither let her drink wine or strong drink,
nor eat any unclean [ thing ]: all that I commanded her let her observe.” (Judge 13.14).
See
who likes of wine and strong drink:
o “If
a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, [ saying ],
I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this
people.” (Micah 2.11).
o “His
watchmen [ are ] blind: they are all ignorant, they [
are ] all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Yea, [ they are ] greedy dogs [ which ] can never have
enough, and they [ are ] shepherds [ that ] cannot understand: they all look to
their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, [ say they ], I will fetch wine,
and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow
shall be as this day, [ and ] much more abundant.” (Isa
56.10-12).
o “For
he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;
and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.” (Luke 1.15).
See
that the false prophets and pastors prophesy about strong drink and wine (certainly
grape juice, inasmuch as alcoholic wine is strong drink):
With
base on all this, the wine in 1Tim 3.3 is grape juice. But why does the bishop
might not be given to grape juice? Note that there isn’t any requirement about
this. It’s clear that gormandize is critical sin (see Prov
23.1-8,20; Luke 21.34; Rom 13.13; Gal 5.21; 1Peter 4.3).
The
wine, here, symbolize meal. This aliment is used like symbol against gormandize
and drunkenness because of its attractive flavor. So what so that, at Corinth,
they was drinking grape juice (wine) in excess using like
excuse that they was celebrating the Lord’s supper (1Cor 11.20-22):
o “When
ye come together therefore into one place, [ this ] is
not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before [ other ] his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is
drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the
church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I
praise you in this? I praise [ you ] not.” (1Cor 11.20-22).
Considering
that in that time there isn’t refrigerator, it was easy the wine to begin to
ferment. This, unfortunately, worsen the evil (its power of attraction). So
that, if some drink grape juice in excess, they could become drunkard, like can
be seen in this mockery:
o “Others
mocking said, these men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the
eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ ye ] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and
hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [
but ] the third hour of the day.” (Acts
2.13-15).
Hence
the restriction shown above about nazarites and
priests, as well as to the deacons:
o “Likewise
[ must ] the deacons [ be ] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of
filthy lucre;” (1Tim 3.8).
The
bishop can’t deliver himself to the meal, because thus he would go to prefer
the house of a brother to of other.
The
deacon, on the other hand, for being under the authority of the bishop, don’t
need concern himself with give himself to wine, inasmuch as he would follow the
bishop.
Notwithstanding,
being him that serve to the tables, he can’t profit himself of this condition
to eat in surplus.
As
to the aged women, they can’t be given to much wine (deliver themselves to the pleasure of
eating and drinking) in order that they wouldn’t incite
the young women to worship the
flesh pleasure. Rather, they should be sober to keep themselves in the role
that the Eternal reserved them by the husband.
INSTRUCTION OF PAUL TO
TIMOTHY
o “Drink
no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often
infirmities.” (1Tim 5.23).
Note
that Timothy was drinking only water. However, because of problems of healthiness,
Paul stimulate Timothy to don’t drink only water, but to put in the water a
little of wine. Even if such wine was alcoholic, besides to be in small
quantity, it would be much diluted.
However,
considering the ordains of Paul to the bishops and the extreme fidelity of
Timothy (2Tim
1.5), certainly Timothy don’t take even not grape juice (to don’t run
the risk of exposing himself to a little bit of alcohol coming of beginning of
the fermentation of juice – following the advice of Paul in 1Cor 10.12).
JESUS SERVED WINE IN THE
LORD’S SUPPER
·
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread,
and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take,
eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say
unto you, I
will not drink henceforth of this fruit
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my
Father's kingdom.” (Matthew 26.26-29).
·
“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and
blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it
to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for
many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine,
until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14.22-25).
·
“And when the hour was come, he sat down,
and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover
with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he
took the cup, and
gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among
yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall
come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which is given for you:
this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the
cup
after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in
my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22.14-20).
·
“For I have received of the Lord that which
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was
betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake
it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in
remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new
testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of
me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye
do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1Corinthians
11.23-27).
Note
that at no time is mentioned the word “wine” in none of these excerpts. On the
contrary: they show clearly that He drank and gave of drinking of see of the
fruit of the vine (and, as well know, all vine bear grapes, not wine).
Therefore,
the cup was full of grape’s juice.
JESUS TRANSFORM WATER INTO
WINE
o “And
the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus
was there: and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And
when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto
him, They have no wine. Jesus saith
unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His
mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do [ it ]. And
there were set there six waterpots of stone, after
the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins
apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto
the governor of the feast. And they bare [ it ]. 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, 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. This beginning
of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and
his disciples believed on him.” (John
2.1-11).
In
according to the book of Song, the wine used in the feast of marriage was grape
juice:
o “A
garden inclosed [ is ] my sister,
[ my ] spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants [ are ] an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh
and aloes, with all the chief spices: a fountain of gardens, a well of living
waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south;
blow upon my garden, [ that ] the spices thereof may
flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. I
am come into my garden, my sister, [ my ] spouse: I
have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved.” (Song
4.12-Song 5.1).
Note
that all the substances quoted above were found in the garden. As nobody find
wine alcoholic in a garden, therefore the wine here is grape juice.
Come
to question: why the wine of Jesus was the good wine?
Two
things characterized the inferior wine:
o It was diluted;
o It had lost a little
of his sweetness for sake of commencing of the fermentation.
The
wine of Jesus was 100% pure: without dilution or fermentation. This wine grants
to all people full satisfaction without collaterals effects:
o “The
blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Prov 10.22).
With
this Jesus was showing His glory, that is, that He doesn’t against the
happiness. So much so that in the law was written:
o “And
thou shalt bestow that money 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, thou, and thine
household,” (Deut
14.26).
Nevertheless,
in the law, each person will have that to make effort preternatural to not
enjoy oneself beyond of measure:
o “Rejoice
not, O Israel, for joy, as [ other ] people: for thou
hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.” (Hosea
9.1).
Everything
that the Eternal give us it is for our happiness and satisfaction:
o “Charge
them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all
things to enjoy;” (1Tim
6.17).
This
includes the wine:
o “And
wine
that maketh glad the heart of man, And
oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth
man's heart.” (Psa
104:15)
o “A
feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh
merry: but money answereth all things.” (Ecc 10:19).
o “Therefore
prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall
roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall
mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread [
the grapes ],
against all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Jer 25.30).
o “And
gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards
there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in
[ their ] presses; I have made [ their vintage ]
shouting to cease.” (Isa
16.10).
However,
it is like said Paul:
o “All
things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1Cor 6.12).
o “All
things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1Cor
10.23).
In
other words, the material goods are to our happiness, but we have that discern
about how to use:
o
How much to consume;
o
What it is for us and what it is to we have excuse to approach of the
Eternal in the life of the neighbor (see Exo 23.15; 34.20; Deut 16.16).
All
it is for our benefit (1Cor 3.21-23). To us is given liberty to use
all things (1Cor
6.12; 10.23). However, for all these things God will bring each one
into judgment (Ecc 11.9).
Therefore,
for the law (which
is linked with wine), we never ever will get the complete
satisfaction and always will have be careful to not be subdued for our object
of self-satisfaction and become us inconvenient.
When,
nevertheless, we allow Jesus to bless the people through us, His joy will be
our strength (Nehemiah
8.10) and nobody can rob it.
JESUS, SUPPOSELY, DRANK
WINE
o “The
Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man
gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is
justified of her children.” (Mat
11:19).
Many
people use this verse to say that Jesus drank wine.
Jesus
wasn’t gluttonous and winebibber. This was what the people said about Him.
Certainly Jesus drank grape juice. However, to libel Him, they backbite Him
saying that was wine.
Many,
to justify their yearning of drinking, excuse themselves, ensuring that Jesus
drank wine. However, Jesus isn’t simply the best man, but the only true man
that existed (and
among those who still will exist).
·
“And so it is written, The first man Adam
was made a living soul; the last Adam [ was made ]
a quickening spirit. The first man [ is ] of the
earth, earthy: the second man [ is ] the Lord from heaven. As [ is ] the earthy, such [ are ] they also that are earthy: and
as [ is ] the heavenly, such [ are ] they also that are heavenly. And as we
have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.” (1Corinthians 15.45,47-49).
This
is why all of us have to die and born again (1Cor 15.36;
John 3.3,5): for us to be implanted in Christ, the true man, the
only that have access to the Father (John 1.18; 3.13; 14.6):
·
“For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.” (Ephesian 2.10).
And
to who insist on saying that Jesus drank, see what He said:
·
“Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5.17).
And
what did the law say about the high-priest (after all, Jesus is our High-Priest – Hebrews 4.14; 5.5;
6.20)?
·
“Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou,
nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation,
lest ye die: [ it shall be ] a statute for ever throughout your generations:” (Leviticus 10.9).
Maybe
you are saying: but the prohibition to drink wine was only when went into the
tabernacle. Yet, see:
·
“And [ he that is ]
the high
priest among
his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is
consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his
clothes; Neither
shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for
the crown of the anointing oil of his God [ is ] upon him: I [ am ] the LORD.” (Leviticus 21.10,12).
And,
how we know, Jesus never ever left the presence of the Father to care of His
business (see
Luke 1.49). Therefore, if Jesus had drunk wine (or other else alcoholic beverage)
He would have stopped to care about the desires of His flesh (something that
He didn’t make even not when tried by Ha-Satan in the wilderness - Matthew
4.1-11).
Unfortunately,
it exists a “modern” gospel (which, in truth, isn’t so new thus, but come being
preached since the Middle Ages) that says that Jesus drank wine. Since
the Middle Ages, the clericals, because they enjoy wine, they accustom the
people to think that the use of sacred wine wasn’t harmful. The people liked of
the idea and, when the clericals was to translate the Sacred Scripture for each
idiom, didn’t distinguish precisely between grape juice and wine. (yet, note that
nowhere in Holy Scripture is said that had wine in holy supper).
Fortunately,
it’s possible to surmount such deficiencies. It’s enough to take heed to the
context, guided by Jesus’ voice.
Howsoever,
this “modern” gospel comes rendering the grace of our Lord Jesus into
riotousness:
·
“For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,
turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord
God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude
4).
Finally,
I ONLY MAKE AN APPEAL: PLEASE, don’t pervert the character holy, pure, perfect
of Jesus Christ. Much less misstate the Sacred Scripture to justify your
craving to satisfy your flesh.
Please: don’t misunderstand me! I love you all in Christ and, if I am being a
little harsh it is because I don’t wish a curse be upon you. After all, if some
brother in Christ to shipwreck in faith for seeing you, that have knowledge (see 1Cor 8.10),
drinking, the judgment on you will be severe (what is bad for us all):
·
“But whoso shall offend one of these little
ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck, and [ that ] he were drowned in the
depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be
that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore
if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [ them ] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life
halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into
everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [ it ] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life
with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed
that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my
Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew
18.6-10).
CONCLUSION
We must never
ingest any alcoholic beverage. The big question is not whether you can or
cannot, but whether or not it should.
·
"All things are lawful for me, but all
things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all
things edify not." (1 Corinthians 10.23).
·
" All things are lawful unto me, but all
things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will
not be brought under the power of any." (1 Corinthians 6.12).
Behold the dangers of
drinking alcoholic beverage:
Possibility to vitiate
You may say: "But I won't addict".
However, see what the apostle Paul says:
·
"There hath no temptation taken you
but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way
to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1
Corinthians 10.13).
We should never think that we are
totally immune to sin. See the warnings of the Apostle Paul:
·
"Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law." (Galatians 5.23).
·
" Neither give place to the devil." (Ephesians
4.27).
·
"Abstain from all appearance of
evil." (1 Thessalonians 5.22).
See that we ought to escape even
from all appearance of evil (and not only of evil). After all, the wiles of Ha-Satan are very subtle
and, if you fall into any of them, will be a terrible loss for the kingdom of
heaven. Have you ever thought about how many people won’t be blessed if
you apostatize from the faith?
The wine reduces the
concentration (Hosea 4.8)
Who becomes accustomed to the pleasures, never will enrich (either in the mind, feelings, spirit, etc.), nor hold of
the paths of life (Prov 2.19):
·
"Which forsaketh
the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant
of her God." (Proverbs 21.17).
See, for example, Jesus' prophecy about the end times:
·
" And as it was in the
days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the
Son of man. They did eat, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed
them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of
Lot; they did eat, they drank,
they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but
the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the
Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17.26-30).
When the two witnesses are
killed, the people will be so seared by the pleasures of life that, instead of mourning
the loss of two messengers of truth, they celebrate:
·
"And when they shall have finished
their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the
bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill
them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city,
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was
crucified. And they of the people and kindreds
and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in
graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and
make merry, and shall
send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented
them that dwelt on the earth.” (Revelation
11.7-10).
If someone see you
drinking wine, he may stumble and even apostatize of faith forever
Not to mention that a brother weak in
faith, which has just been freed from addiction of drinking, can have his
conscience stricken and finally sinking in the faith because saw you drinking.
After all, an unexpected visitor can knock on your door:
·
"Let us therefore follow after the
things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For
meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil
for that man who eateth with offence." (Romans
14.19,20).
·
" For if any man see
thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the
conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are
offered to idols; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish,
for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound
their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my
brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth,
lest I make my brother to offend" (1 Corinthians 8.10-13).
·
"If any of them that believe not
bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you,
eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat
not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the
Lord's, and the fullness thereof: conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the
other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I
by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give
thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the
Gentiles, nor to the church of God: even as I please all men in all
things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be
saved. " (1 Corinthians 10.27-33).
Note: what is in square brackets was
added in order to make clear how this passage applies in the case of alcoholic
beverage.
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