|
WINE DRINKING
CHRISTIANITY OASIS
HAS
PROVIDED YOU WITH THIS WINE DRINKING STUDY. MANY
ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE WINE DRINKING LAWS IN THE BIBLE. SOME
HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WINE DRINKING IS A SIN. SOME HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT
WINE IN THE BIBLE DID NOT GET YOU DRUNK SO IT IS NOT THE SAME AS
TODAY'S WINE. COME AND LET'S SEEK AND FIND THE TRUTH OF
WINE DRINKING, SHALL WE?
You may have considered becoming a
Christian, in the past, and for one reason or another, decided against
it. I have been told by many of those I encounter that some Christians
and even some Christian leaders, make it very hard for those who would
become Christians to do so ...
|
Matthew
23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of Heaven
against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in.
|
This is because they elect to preach
LAW to the potential Christian,
instead of
God's Grace
by saying such things as "If
you have done this or that, you will be damned."
For example ... If a potential
Christian ever divorced their spouse, stole, abused
drugs, had sex out of marriage, or anything else one can think
of ... It somehow makes these "holier than thou" teachers of law
feel they have the right to find the potential Christian
unworthy of
God's Grace
and to pass judgment, causing the
potential Christian to walk away and never consider
becoming a Christian again.
They even condemn these
potential Christians for drinking.
If one suggests that
people in the Bible drank, as the Word of God reveals ... They usually say that the wine
in the Bible was not "fermented"
and that it was not the kind of wine that gets you drunk.
Wow ... That sounds kinda strange.
We best seek the TRUTH in God's Word.
The Bible is
clear that there are many of God's chosen people who drank wine.
From Noah to the Apostles.
|
Genesis 9:20-21
And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he
planted a vineyard: And he drank of the
wine,
and was drunken; |
|
Genesis
14:18
And Melchizedek king of
Salem brought forth bread and
wine: and he
was the priest of the most high God. |
|
Genesis
27:25
And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's
venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to
him, and he did eat: and he brought him
wine and he
drank. |
In TRUTH ... Even our Lord Jesus
drank wine.
|
Matthew
11:19
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. |
And Jesus said
that He will drink wine again in God's Kingdom.
|
Matthew
26:29
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. |
Sooooooo, we
have established that Chosen people of God and even Jesus Himself
drank wine and that there is wine in Heaven.
However ... Some like to
say that the wine that Jesus drank and the wine that Jesus said would
be in Heaven was not fermented. They even say that wine in the Bible was not able to get one drunk.
Why would people say this?
Simple ... Most folks think of drinking
as a sin and they believe to suggest that Jesus drank fermented wine
is calling Him a sinner.
But ... Is it a sin to drink wine?
THAT IS THE TRUE QUESTION
Another reason
they believe that Jesus drank fermented
wine
is ... They suggest that there are variations of the word
"Wine" in the Greek and Hebrew text that may mean fermented or
unfermented wine.
One can Google the words "Greek words for Wine" or "Winebibber" or
other variations of this topic and find MANY web sites that say one
thing and others that say the complete opposite, each defending their
own point of view and/or beliefs.
Make sure you do not read one study and take it as the Gospel tho ...
NOT EVEN THIS STUDY
It is ALWAYS best to use your Bible to confirm and to read it IN
CONTEXT.
Then discern for yourselves, what you believe the TRUTH ... To be.
Soooooooo, the first question becomes ...
Does the Wine spoken of in the Bible intoxicate or not?
We just read
that Noah created a vineyard and the wine he made got him DRUNK.
|
Genesis 9:20-21
And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he
planted a vineyard: And he drank of the
wine, and was drunken; |
So, obviously
THAT wine DID intoxicate the one who consumed it.
In fact all throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, it
indicates that wine and strong drink were in TRUTH able to get one
intoxicated. So everyone should agree that there IS wine in the Bible
that DOES intoxicate.
And most do ... But, some suggest that
there is OTHER wine which was consumed that was NOT able to
intoxicate.
So, the question in everyone's mind and
heart becomes ...
WAS THE WINE THAT JESUS DRANK, THE SAME
KIND OF WINE AS OTHER PLACES IN THE BIBLE ... THAT OBVIOUSLY DID
INTOXICATE?
Interesting question ...
Ponder on this ...
Why would Jesus
say the following, if the wine was not able to intoxicate?
|
Matthew
11:18-19
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,
He hath a devil. 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. |
Why would they
call Jesus a "Winebibber" if it was not fermented?
Who would care
that Jesus was drinking Grape juice?
Very peculiar huh?
ANOTHER INTERESTING POINT ...
Jesus even turned water to wine so others could drink wine.
|
John 2:1-11
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. |
Why would the ruler of the feast say,
That people usually serve good wine at first and then a "worse" wine
was served
when men had WELL DRUNK? But, that GOOD wine was brought out afterward
in this case?
Why would one serve a lesser wine after
men had well drunk?
What made the wine that was served
...GOOD?
The taste or that it was able to
lift the spirits?
In TRUTH it reveals
in the Bible that wine was and IS TO BE used to make the heart merry,
which fermented wine does. It was also to be given to those who suffer from a heavy heart, stomach ailments and is
even to be given to those that are near death.
|
Psalm
104:15
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his
face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. |
|
Proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready
to perish, and
wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. |
|
1
Timothy 5:23
Drink no longer
water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine
often infirmities. |
Jesus even used wine to symbolize His Blood for the New Covenant
and had His Apostles drink it at the last Supper.
|
Matthew
26:27-28
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. |
This act has become known as "Communion" in many Churches.
|
1
Corinthians 10:16
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of
the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the
communion of the body of Christ? |
Now a stern warning is shared with us by Paul concerning communion ...
Back in the early Church days, Paul
found that the Christians were gathering together to honor the Lord's
Supper by having this Communion and some people would show up late so
others would begin drinking the wine early and were getting DRUNK at
this gathering.
Paul said this:
|
1
Corinthians 11:17-29
Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye
come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first
of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there
be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must
be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be
made manifest among you. 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. 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. But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself,
not discerning the Lord's body. |
So ... It
appears that wine that DID intoxicate was
used by the early Christians during Communion.
Which brings us to the problem with drinking wine and strong
drink ...
It is habit forming,
becoming addictive for many and it tends to
make you drink more and more.
Drinking in excess can make you do foolish
things.
It is excess of drinking and one's
reactions from being intoxicated that can end up becoming sin.
|
Proverbs
20:1
Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. |
|
Proverbs 21:17
He that loveth pleasure
shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be
rich. |
|
Proverbs
23:29-30
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath
babbling? who hath wounds without cause?
who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry
long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
|
|
Isaiah 5:11
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow
strong drink; that continue until night,
till wine inflame them! |
|
Isaiah 28:7
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. |
|
Hosea 4:11-12
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people ask
counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the
spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a
whoring from under their God. |
So, what have we learned from this
study?
YES ... God's people and even Jesus
Himself drank wine.
YES ... The wine in the Bible was able to intoxicate.
YES ... There will be wine in Heaven.
YES ... Wine has good uses.
YES ... Wine can become a problem if taken in excess.
Paul says it best ...
|
Ephesians 5:18
And be not
DRUNK with wine,
wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit; |
Paul just revealed that Wine DID get
one drunk when it is consumed in excess.
So the wine in the New Testament that
Paul spoke of ... WAS able to get one drunk.
WAS THE WINE THAT JESUS DRANK
FERMENTED OR NOT?
As Jesus said ...
Wisdom is
justified of her children ...
Take
care and have a SON-derful day.
Search the entire Christianity Oasis Website
|
|
|