Wine in the Bible: The Alcohol debate
The Wine Debate in the Church
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A survey showed that 81% of all Roman Catholics and 64% of all Protestants drink alcoholic beverages. Because of such staggering evidence, the subject of wine deserves a thorough investigation.
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The Wisdom from above
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There are several scriptures I want to discuss, but before doing that I want to address how we should look at the issue of wine consummation. Many Christians have listed drinking wine as a sin. But this is not always the case in scripture. It is only when a person would get drunk that it would be a sin. And because of this fact in scripture many think that this gives the okay to drink in moderation. Since they are not sinning, then what is the big deal? In this study I will show reasons why drinking even in moderation is not good. But it is not in most cases an issue of sin, but of wisdom. We are faced with many decisions in life as Christians that have nothing to do with sin, but they can affect our personal effectiveness or even hinder others. So we must pray and get the wisdom of God in every situation, and not just trust what seems acceptable in our own minds.
Many have run through their own minds with their own ideas of what scripture says or allows. Because they figure Jesus drank wine, and Paul instructed Timothy to drink a little wine for the stomach sake, that this makes it okay for us today. Most do not think things through completely, but once they hear of read something that appeals to their own fleshly desires, or allows them to keep from being confrontational with others and keep from offending them, they just take it and run with it. But this is why we need the wisdom from above. We need to know how God really feels about the issue. The book of Proverbs instructs us to seek wisdom as fine jewels and Gold. In read in Proverbs 4:7-9 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”
It is not hard to see that alcohol consumption has destroyed many lives. Although such destruction is accomplished through the misuse and overindulgence of alcohol, we also know that alcohol is the agent that causes it. All the Alcoholic’s Anonymous groups across America are many, and they are full of people who will testify of the destruction it has brought them. The jails also have a large amount of people who have been arrested for drinking and driving, while some have even caused the death of innocent people because of it. Children are being or have been abused. Families have gone without their needs being met because of so much going to pay for the habit of a parent. The list of destruction goes on and on.
The world partakes in their sinful lifestyles by having parties that include alcohol, which lead to the many sins they commit. These can include violence, fornication, adultery, and an endless amount of demonic activities and works of the flesh. With alcohol being a major part of all of these things, why would any Christian want anything to do with it?
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 8:10-13 “For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” Then also in Romans 14:21 “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.”
If we teach that it is okay to consume alcoholic beverages, those who have seen the destruction of it personally could be greatly offended. Those who have escaped the bondage of alcoholism could be caused to stumble. In Churches of our day, many use real wine in their communion services. They do this all in the name of authenticity, thinking they are using the real thing as they did in Bible times. The Church of our day is also filled with many who have come from harsh lifestyles that included alcoholism. Why would we want to take a person who have been set free and tempt them once again with the taste of their previous bondage? If there is truly nothing wrong with moderate drinking of wine, then such things should not be an issue. So if we cause a brother to stumble because of our choice to drink wine, then we “do” sin. Since so many Christians are offended by the use of alcohol by any Christian, then why would we want to take any chances with something that is so closely linked to sin, a possible cause for one stumbling, and something so powerfully used by the devil to destroy lives? Is Jesus not worth this sacrifice in our lives? Wisdom will lead us to see things much deeper than what we think we see in a few scriptures. It will lead us to believe that how others are affected by our decisions really does matter.
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What do the Scriptures say?
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Now I want to cover a few scriptures that are often used when discussing this subject, without forgetting what has just been mentioned. We are told in Proverbs 23:31, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.” Why would we be given instruction to not even look upon Red wine that moves? There must have been something different about this wine than others. Some will say that it refers to a wine that is more intoxicating. Others will say that this wine is intoxicating, while other wines are not at all. Many people believe that wine was merely grape juice. This is true is some cases, but is usually what would be called “the fruit of the vine”. Grapes would be freshly squeezed for kings, giving them pure juice to drink. Fermentation of wine was the only possibility in keeping wine throughout the year. There were no preservatives, canning, or refrigeration in those days. So grape juice could not be kept without fermenting. Today, we have so many different types of drinks to choose from, because of refrigeration and other technologies. In Bible times they did not have much choice of drinks at all. Especially if the water was bad, as it was in some areas, or if the season would not allow for growing fruits for juices. Today we have no excuses. With so much to choose from, there is no reason to ever drink any alcoholic drinks. In Bible times they drank out of necessity. Today people to out of pleasure and self-indulgence.
Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” It can be easily assumed that the mockery spoken of here only speaks of those who get drunk. But it does not say, “One who drinks too much wine is a mocker”. It is not taking about a person at all! It is talking about wine. Neither does it specify any particular wine, red or white. Although many did drink fermented wine in Bible times, wine was still seen as something that served as a mockery to all that God stood for and commanded. As shown by all the effects in homes today, alcohol has always caused problems. We can read of how it affected Noah, and caused judgment to come upon his son Ham. Wine is and always has been a mockery to the ways of God. If a Christian is seen drinking wine by someone who knows they are a Christian (whether those seeing them are sinners or other Christians), judgment will follow. It is an issue that we should not try to justify in our minds or in the minds of others. Wine itself, not the person, is a mocker in this scripture. Any man who partakes of it may also become a mocker. Why take any chances with something so controversial?
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Jesus drank Wine, and turned the water into wine
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These are both true statements and can be supported by the scriptures. But it is not a fact concerning what kind of wine Jesus drank. If grapes were in season at the time, then it is likely that He was given grape juice. But there is yet another certain likelihood. The time when grapes could not be grown, and that all stored wine would begin to ferment would certain come. There is evidence in history to show that even before Christ that men had the ability to filter all the alcoholic content out of the vine, so that intoxication would no longer be possible.
Horace, born 65 BC, says, “There is no wine sweeter to drink than Lesopian. It is like nectar, and resembles ambrosia more than wine. It is perfectly harmless, and will not produce intoxication.”
Anti-Bacchus p. 220. “The Mishna states that the Jews were in the habit of using boiled wine.” —Kitto, Volume II, p. 477.
W. C. Brown, who traveled extensively in Africa, Egypt, and Syria from AD 1792 to 1798, states, “Most of the wines of Syria are prepared by boiling immediately after they are pressed from the grape, until they are considerably reduced in quantity, when they are put into jars or large bottles and preserved for use.” He adds, “There is reason to believe that this mode of boiling was a general practice among the ancients.”
Caspar Neuman, MD, professor of chemistry said, ”It is observable that when sweet juices are boiled down to a thick consistency, they not only do not ferment in that state, but are not easily brought into fermentation even when diluted with as much water as they had lost in the evaporation.”
By filtration, the gluten or yeast is separated from the juice of the grape. While the juice will pass through the filtering implements, the gluten will not, and, being thus separated, the necessary conditions of fermentation are destroyed. The ancient writers, when speaking of the removal of the potency or fermentable power of the wine, use the following strong words: eunuchrum, castratum, effaeminatum–thus expressing the thoroughness of the process by which all fermentation was destroyed.
Plutarch, born AD 60 (During the ministry of the Apostles), in his Symposium, says: “Wine is rendered old or feeble in strength when it is frequently filtered. The strength or spirit being thus excluded, the wine neither inflames the brain nor infests the mind and the passions, and is much more pleasant to drink.”
Again, Pliny said, “Wines were rendered old and castrated or deprived of all their vigor by filtering.” Pliny lived in Rome during the same time of the ministry of Jesus and all of the Apostles. He describes the common wines used in those days as being stripped of all intoxicants. Although we can be absolutely sure that this did not describe all wines, it did certainly describe a lot of it. Especially household wines used with meals and given to children.
Now, we know that Jesus turned the water into wine. We also know that He supplied a very large amount of wine for a marriage celebration where people stayed all day long. And the Bible says they drank until they were very full. If Jesus turned this water into an intoxicating wine, then He would be guilty of supplying a keg party for many who would have been getting very drunk. Not only would Jesus be guilty of mockery, but He would also be guilty of causing men to sin, since we know that drunkenness is listed in many places in the Bible as a sin.
A very common argument is that Jesus was called a Winebibber and a glutton, proving that He drank alcoholic wine. This was an accusation against Jesus because He was spending time with sinners and going to their houses for dinner. In Matthew 11:19, it says, “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.” Jesus was accused of being a glutton because He ate at the homes of sinners often. It was only what “they say”, and not what was actually true. So they assumed He was doing a lot of eating. They did the same with His drinking of wine. They not only assumed that He drank a lot, but they also assumed that He was drinking fermented wine. But all of their accusations were all wrong! These things could not be known by His accusers, since they were not present in the homes of these sinners where Jesus went. To say that Jesus drank alcoholic wine is nothing more than an assumption. But worse than that, it is making Jesus Himself was a mocker of the scriptures.
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The Historical Data Regarding Wine
1. Unfermented wine
Because of no refrigeration in ancient times, wine was often boiled until the liquid evaporated, leaving behind a thick, unintoxicating paste that stored well. It was somewhat similar to modern grape jelly. The people would spread it on bread like a jam, and some still do today in the Middle East.
a) Pliny the Elder–This Roman historian in his Natural Histories said such wine could last as long as ten years. He wrote of wine that had the consistency of honey.
b) Horace–This Latin poet wrote in his Odes of unintoxicating wine, that he recommended quaffing under the shade (I:18).
c) Plutarch–This Greek essayist wrote in his Moralia that filtered wine neither inflames the brain nor infects the mind and the passions, and is much more pleasant to drink. He liked the kind of wine with no alcoholic content.
d) Aristotle–This Greek philosopher spoke of wine that was so thick, it was necessary to scrape it from the skins it was stored in and to dissolve the scrapings in water.”
e) Virgil–This Latin writer spoke of the necessity of boiling down wine.
f) Homer–The celebrated bard, in the ninth book of The Odyssey tells of Ulysses, who took with him in his visit to the Cyclops a goatskin of sweet, black wine that needed to be diluted with twenty parts of water before being consumed as a beverage.
g) Columella–This Latin agronomist, a contemporary of the apostles, wrote that it was common in Italy and Greece to boil wine. That would not have been done if they had wanted to preserve the alcoholic content.
h) Archbishop Potter–Archbishop Potter, born in 1674, wrote in his Grecian Antiquities wrote to boil down their wines and then drink them four years later (Edinburg, 1813, vol. 2, p. 360). He also refers to Democritus, a celebrated philosopher, and Palladius, a Greek physician, as making similar statements concerning wine at that time. These ancient authorities referred to the boiled juice of the grape as wine.
i) Professor Donovan–Donovan in his Bible Commentary said, “In order to preserve their wines … the Romans concentrated the must or grape juice, of which they were made, by evaporation, either spontaneous in the air or over a fire, so as to render them thick and syrupy” (p. 295).
j) The Talmud–The Talmud, the codification of Jewish law, mentions repeatedly that the Jews were in the habit of using boiled wine (e.g., ‘Erabin 29a).
k) W. G. Brown–Brown, who traveled extensively in Africa, Egypt, and Asia from 1792 to 1798 said that the wines of Syria are mostly prepared by boiling immediately after they are pressed from the grape until they are considerably reduced in quantity, when they are then put into bottles and preserved for use.
l) Caspar Neumann–Dr. Neumann, Professor of Chemistry in Berlin, 1795, said, “It is observable that when sweet juices are boiled down to a thick consistency, they not only do not ferment in that state, but are not easily brought into fermentation when diluted with as much water as they had lost in the evaporation, or even with the very individual water that exhaled from them” (Nott, London edition, p. 81). The wine evidently lost much of its intoxicating properties after being reconstituted.
m) Dr. A. Russell–Russell, in his Natural History of Aleppo (London: G.G. and J. Robinson, 1794), said that the concentrated wine juice, called “dibbs,” was brought to the city in skins and sold in the public markets. He said it had the appearance of a coarse honey.
The common household wines that was consumed in biblical times was not what we know as wine today. It was more of a concentrated grape juice with its intoxicating properties basically removed. You cannot defend wine-drinking today on the basis of drinking these wines used in Bible times, because the two are totally different.
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2. Fermented wine
a) The procedure
Wine stored as a liquid would ferment. Professor Robert Stein, in his “Wine-drinking in New Testament Times” (Christianity Today, 20 June 1975: 9-11), tells us liquid wine was stored in large jugs called amphorae. The pure, unmixed wine would be drawn out of these jugs and poured into large bowls called kraters, where it was mixed with water. From these kraters, it would then be poured into kylix, or cups. Wine would never be served directly from the amphora without first being mixed. And according to other historical data on this period, the mixture could be as high as a 20:1 ratio or lower than 1:1.
b) The perception
Drinking unmixed wine was looked upon by Greek culture as barbaric. Jesus, the Jews, and the first Church lived within this culture, having their scriptures translated into the Greek. Stein quotes Mnesitheus of Athens as saying, “The gods have revealed wine to mortals, to be the greatest blessing for those who use it aright, but for those who use it without measure, the reverse. For it gives food to them that take it and strength in mind and body. In medicine it is most beneficial; it can be mixed with liquid and drugs and it brings aid to the wounded. In daily intercourse, to those who mix and drink it moderately, it gives good cheer; but if you overstep the bounds, it brings violence. Mix it half and half, and you get madness; unmixed, bodily collapse.”
As a beverage, wine was always thought of as a mixed drink in Greek culture. The ratio of water might have varied but only barbarians drank it unmixed. Stein cites patristic writings that show the early church served mixed wine.
c) The present
Beer has approximately 4% alcohol, wine 9-11%, brandy 15- 20%, and hard liquor 40-50% (80-100 proof). So, unmixed wine in biblical times measured at approximately 9-11%. Mixed wine, at a 3:1 ratio, would therefore be between 2.25 to 2.75%. By today’s standards, a drink has to exceed 3.2% to be considered an alcoholic beverage. The wine they consumed was either completely non-alcoholic or sub-alcoholic by today’s standards. To become drunk with wine in those days you would have to drink all day. That is why the Bible commands elders in the church not to be addicted to much wine (1 Tim. 3:3). With such a low alcoholic content in the typical household wine, you would have to purpose to become drunk. But even then, the wine they drank was out of necessity, and it was much less intoxicating, if not completely void of all intoxicants.
1 Timothy 3:8 “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre”.
Titus 2:3 “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things”.
According to the standards they had in those days with very low alcoholic content, today’s alcohol would have been avoided because of it’s high content. If Jesus and the Apostles were here today, I have no doubt that they would completely abstain from all alcohol, and that they would highly discourage any Christian from ever drinking any at all.
1 Timothy 3:2-3 “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous”.
Titus 1:7 “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre”
Isn’t it interesting that a Bishop was instructed to never drink wine at all? Why do you think this was? If it was okay for the rest of the Church, then why was it not okay for a bishop? And was it only the deacon who was to not drink much wine? Drunkenness is a sin for all, not just for some. So the instruction given to the deacons would apply to all Christians. But the Bishop seems to have a more strict instruction given to him. If something is restricted from anyone, then there has to be a reason. God never does anything without good cause or reason. Obviously, to prevent drunkenness is one reason. Exampleship is one reason for the Bishop. How can he effectively instruct Christians to not drink much when they know he drinks wine as well, and how can they know that even he has such self-control? We need to be an example to Christians everywhere that we do not need alcohol, that we can completely abstain from it, and that it would be best for them if they would do as we do. Although those in the Church were not told they could not drink the wine with the low alcohol content, exampleship was given to lead them away from it, if possible. Of course today it is more than possible! We simply do not need wine at all. And true wisdom will cause us to completely eliminate it from our diet and to give it to the Lord. He will honor such a heart in any person who is wiling to do so.
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75 WARNINGS
There is more Scripture condemning the use of alcoholic beverages than will be found on the subjects of lying, adultery, swearing, cheating, hypocrisy, pride, or even blasphemy.
1) Genesis 9:20-26 – Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.
2) Genesis 19:30-38 – Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality
3) Leviticus 10:9-11 – God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.
4) Numbers 6:3 – The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine.
5) Deuteronomy 21:20 – A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious.
6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 – God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.
7) Deuteronomy 32:33 – Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 – Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink.
9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 – Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine.
10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 – Nabal died after a drunken spree.
11) 2 Samuel 11:13 – By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.
12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 – Amnon was drunk when he was killed.
13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 – The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated
14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 – Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.
15) Esther 1:5-12 – The king gave each one all the drink he wanted. The king was intoxicated when he commanded the queen to come.
16) Psalm 75:8 – The Lord’s anger is pictured as mixed wine poured out and drunk by the wicked.
17) Proverbs 4:17 – Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.
18) Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.
19) Proverbs 23:19-20 – A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.
20) Proverbs 23:21 – Drunkenness causes poverty.
21) Proverbs 23:29-30 – Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.
22) Proverbs 23:31 – God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.
23) Proverbs 23:32 – Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.
24) Proverbs 23:33 – Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces willfulness, and prevents reformation.
25) Proverbs 23:34 – Alcohol makes the drinker unstable
26) Proverbs 23:35 – Alcohol makes the drinker insensitive to pain so he does not perceive it as a warning. Alcohol is habit forming.
27) Proverb 31:4-5 – Kings, Princes, and others who rule and judge must not drink alcohol. Alcohol perverts good judgment.
28) Proverbs 31:6-7 – Strong drink could be given to those about to perish or those in pain. Better anesthetics are available today.
29) Ecclesiastes 2:3 – The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
30) Ecclesiastes 10:17 – A land is blessed when its leaders do not drink.
31) Isaiah 5:11-12 – Woe to those who get up early to drink and stay up late at night to get drunk.
32) Isaiah 5:22 – Woe to “champion” drinkers and “experts” at mixing drinks.
33) Isaiah 19:14 – Drunken men stagger in their vomit.
34) Isaiah 22:12-13 – The Israelites choose to drink; their future looks hopeless to them.
35) Isaiah 24:9 – Drinkers cannot escape the consequences when God judges.
36) Isaiah 28:1 – God pronounces woe on the drunkards of Ephraim.
37) Isaiah 28:3 – Proud drunkards shall be trodden down.
38) Isaiah 28:7 – Priests and prophets stagger and reel from beer and wine, err in vision, and stumble in judgment.
39) Isaiah 28:8 – Drinkers’ tables are covered with vomit and filth.
40) Isaiah 56:9-12 – Drinkers seek their own gain and expect tomorrow to be just like today.
41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 – The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.
42) Ezekiel 44:21 – Again God instructed the priests not to drink wine.
43) Daniel 1:5-17 – Daniel refused the king’s intoxicating wine and was blessed for it along with his abstaining friends.
44) Daniel 5:1 – Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon; led his people in drinking.
45) Daniel 5:2-3 – The king, along with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank from the goblets which had been taken from God’s temple.
46) Daniel 5:4 – Drinking wine was combined with praising false gods.
47) Daniel 5:23 – God sent word to Belshazzar that punishment would be swift for the evil he had committed.
48) Hosea 4:11 – Intoxicating wine takes away intelligence.
49) Hosea 7:5 – God reproves princes for drinking.
50) Joel 1:5 – Drunkards awake to see God’s judgment.
51) Joel 3:3 – The enemy is judged for selling girls for wine.
52) Amos 2:8 – Unrighteous acts of Israel included the drinking of wine which had been taken for the payment of fines.
53) Amos 2:12 – Israel is condemned for forcing Nazarites to drink wine.
54) Micah 2:11 – Israelites are eager to follow false teachers who prophesy plenty of intoxicating drinks.
55) Nahum 1:10 – The drunkards of Nineveh will be destroyed by God.
56) Habakkuk 2:5 – A man is betrayed by wine.
57) Habakkuk 2:15 – Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink.
58) Habakkuk 2:16 – Drinking leads to shame.
59) Matthew 24:48-51 – A drinking servant is unprepared for his Lord’s return.
60) Luke 1:15 – John the Baptist drank neither grape juice nor wine.
61) Luke 12:45 – Christ warned against drunkenness.
62) Luke 21:34 – Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.
63) Romans 13:13 – Do not walk in drunkenness or immorality.
64) Romans 14:21 – Do not do anything that will hurt your testimony as a believer.
65) 1 Corinthians 5:11 – If a Christian brother is a drinker, do not associate with him.
66) 1 Corinthians 6:10 – Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God
67) Galatians 5:21 – Acts of the flesh, such as drunkenness, will prohibit a person from inheriting the kingdom of God.
68) Ephesians 5:18 – In contrast to being drunk with wine, the believer is to be filled with the Spirit.
69) 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7 – Christians are to be alert and self-controlled, belonging to the day. Drunkards belong to the night and darkness.
70) 1 Timothy 3:2-3 – Bishops (elders) are to be temperate, sober, and not near any wine.
71) 1 Timothy 3:8 – Deacons are to be worthy of respect and not drinkers.
72) 1 Timothy 3:11 – Deacons’ wives are to be temperate and sober.
73) Titus 1:7-8 – An overseer is to be disciplined.
74) Titus 2:2-3 – The older men and older women of the church are to be temperate and not addicted to wine.
75) 1 Peter 4:3-4 – The past life of drunkenness and carousing has no place in the Christian’s life.
Why take any chances at all? Why try to justify such a destructive agent? If I am wrong, I will miss out on something that is easily replaced in the first place, therefore missing out on nothing at all. But if I am right, and alcohol is an agent of the enemy to destroy the lives of men and it can hinder the lives of Christians at the very least, and destroy the lives and even the salvation of some – then I love nothing and do no harm to anyone, while those of the opposite view bring possible destruction and judgment on themselves and the lives of those they teach – whether by words or by example. This is why ministers are told to keep from alcohol completely. But are we not all called to be ministers? Are we not all to be examples? Are we not all to stand against the appearances of evil? When it is something that is so not necessary in life today (As it was in Bible times), it should not even be an issue for Christians today. If we are willing to consecrate ourselves unto him, then we will not touch alcoholic beverages ever.