Is it OK to drink alcohol??
Is it OK to
drink Alcohol? Some say yes, some say no. One of the most famous arguments against this is the Wedding in Canaa from John, chapter 2. This is the story of Jesus' first miracle. This miracle is what proved to the people that Jesus was the Son of God. The original Greek word for wine is "oinos," but this is also the word for un-fermented grape juice. The word for alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine is the same word. "Oinos." The original Greek Bible simply says "oinos." Think about it this way: What would have happened if alcoholic wine was used here in this story about good Jewish people? In this story, there was a feast, and Mary, the hostess of the party ran out of wine. If this was the case, and alcoholic wine was used, then that must have meant that all the guests had already drank all the wine in the house and were completely drunk. Drunkenness is not allowed by God. If this was alcoholic wine, that means that Mary, the hostess of the party (and Jesus' mother) was upset that she didn't have any more alcohol for the drunkards at this feast. This also would mean that Jesus, who would later preach out against drunkenness, would have had to have given 180 to 200 gallons of wine to a bunch of drunkards. If that were so, would a contribution of wine to a drunken feast really prove to the people that Jesus was the Son of God? I don't think so. In John 2:10, it says "and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." It's described as the "choice" wine. This choice wine that is spoken of is wine with a high sugar content and is very pure. This could not be alcoholic wine because alcoholic beverages do not have sugar content. Yeast is used to ferment the sugar content into alcohol. So alcoholic wine would be the exact opposite of choice wine. In the original Greek, this choice wine was described with the word "Callos," which means morally excellent. If this wine was "callos," and drunkenness was considered immoral, then this could not have been alcoholic wine. Also, when it says that the guests had already had enough to drink, the Greek word used is "methusco" which can mean one of two things. It can mean drunk, or satisfied without intoxication. If this wine was callos, and these guests were in the house of the Son of God, and drunkenness is immoral, then this "methusco" had to have meant that they were satisfied without intoxication. Jesus would not use something socially and morally wrong to prove that He is the Son of God. Who would put their faith in someone who gave more alcohol to a bunch of drunkards to keep them drunk?? The Bible clearly speaks out against drunkenness in Proverbs 23:29-35. It says "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 'They hit me,' you will say, 'but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?'" So why would Jesus contribute to this if it's spoken out against by Scripture? In Isaiah 24:7, it speaks of new wine drying up and the vine withering. Nothing added to it, nothing done to it. New wine could not be alcoholic because alcoholic wine must be aged to be fermented... which would make it old... plus yeast is added to ferment the sugar into alcohol. So that means that alcoholic wine could not be new wine because it has an additive and is aged. Besides, do you really find alcohol on vines? No, you find grapes on vines. So this new wine is un-fermented grape juice. Jesus talks down drunkenness time and time again in the Bible, so if He was against it, why would His first miracle be used to contribute to it? The Bible speaks again and again about the disastrous effects of alcohol as in the story of Noah and his son seeing him naked, and of Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19:32-36. Also, in Leviticus 10:9, it's said that priests are not to drink fermented drinks. It's always condemned in the Bible, so why would Jesus ever use something that is constantly condemned by the Word of His Father? Paul did say in 1 Timothy 5:3 "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses." Paul said it because it was to be used for medicine, not as a drink. Also, when it was said to have some wine for the stomach, it was in reference to it's use in removing the alkali in the water. The alkali content in the water, referred to as "bitter water," was too high for people to drink it. An ounce or two of alcoholic wine was used in about 20 gallons of water. To become drunk on water that was treated with alcoholic wine to remove the alkali, you would have to drink about 100 to 200 gallons of water. That really isn't humanly possible, so you can't be drunk on this water. The alcohol has no ill effect when used in this manner. Jesus used wine in the Last Supper, which can be found in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-26, and Luke 22:14-23. This was wine, "oinos," but not alcoholic oinos. As we all know, the Last Supper happened at the time of the Passover. During the Passover, one of the rules was that you are not allowed to have yeast, yeast products, or even anything that was made with yeast in your house, or even on your property. Alcoholic wine uses yeast to ferment the sugar into alcohol, so the use of alcoholic wine at the Last Supper would have broken a Jewish law that was still in effect... Jesus had not yet been crucified so the law was not yet abolished. If Jesus had used alcoholic wine, He would have broken a law. To break the law is to sin. Jesus is sinless so he did not break the law by using alcoholic wine at the Last Supper. Besides this, the grape juice was used to represent Jesus' pure blood. Grape juice would be more of an accurate representation because it is pure, straight from the grapes off the vine, nothing done to it, not changed. Alcoholic wine would not be an accurate representation of His blood because it is not pure. Alcoholic wine is proccessed, has additives, and is not in it's original (pure) state. Using alcohol for pleasure cannot be rationalized. The
Bible clearly has spoken out against the use of alcohol. It teaches 100% abstinence, not
temperance or moderation, complete abstinence. And before you ask... no, you cannot cook
with wine or alcohol for these same reasons. ;-) And no, non-alcoholic wine is not
permitted either because it has a .5% proof. I'm a cashier, so I know... I have to ring it
up all the time. ;-) The only time it is ever permitted in the Bible is for stomach
illnesses, and for taking the alkali out of the water. NEVER for pleasure, EVER. But
before you can say that you only drink it for medicinal purposes, think about these 2
things: 1) Has it or any medicine containing alcohol been prescribed as necessary as an
aid to healing an acutal illness by a certified doctor? 2) Don't forget, you may be able
to make people think that medicinal purposes are your real intention, but God knows your
real intention. If you are claiming to use it for medicinal purposes, but your true
intention is to drink it just to drink it... then yes, my friend, you are sinning, and you
may want to quit and ask for forgiveness ASAP. |
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Written by Shell <https://members.tripod.com/nevica10> |
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