Are Christians Permitted To Drink??

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Wednesday April 15, 2009

There are a lot of Christians who are flat out against the consumption of alcahol. They usually quote these verses:

Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Here Paul tells us not to "get drunk", but he does NOT tell us not to drink alcahol!

1 Timothy 3:8 (NIV)
Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.

Here Paul tells Timothy that a Deacon should not indulge in MUCH wine! In other words, he was telling Timothy that a Deacon should stay "sober", but not that he shouldn't drink at all! In fact, later in the same letter to Timothy, Paul URGED Timothy (a pastor) to drink wine:

1 Timothy 5:23 (NIV)
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Yes, wine was used for centuries to treat illness!! To this day, many people treat nausea with a glass of strong wine.

We are also told in the New Testament to be "imitators of God":

Ephesians 5:1 (NIV)
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

And we are told that Jesus Christ is "the image of God" and "the exact representation of God":

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD.

Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being...

If you wanted to imitate Christ exactly, you'd have to drink enough wine that people would call you a drunkard:

Matthew 11:18,19 (NIV) (Jesus speaking)
18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon.' 19. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Notice that Jesus said that it was said of Him that He came "eating and drinking", and He said that people were calling Him a glutton AND A DRUNKARD! Why would they call Him a "drunkard" if He never drank fermented drink???

At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus turned the water into wine. Some question whether it was fermented wine, but we know from the context that it WAS fermented:

John 2:7-10 (NIV)
7. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9. and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10. 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."

The fact that the guests could have had "too much to drink" proves that the previous wine was fermented. The fact that the wine Jesus made was BETTER than the "good wine" that was served at the beginning of the feast, and that the master of the banquet thought it should have been served AT FIRST instead of the other fermented wine, proves it was fermented. In fact, it was stronger than the wine that had already been served, since the longer wine aged, the better it was considered to be (and the more fermented it would be).

No, drinking alcahol is not a bad thing. If it was, then Jesus would not have done it or encouraged it, WHICH HE DID! But we ARE told not to get DRUNK!

No Christian should ever judge what another Christian eats or drinks:

Colossians 2:16 (NIV)
16. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

PRAYER
Thank You Father for inventing wine, and for giving us wisdom about its use. Help me remember when I drink to stay sober, so I'm always ready to effectively share Your Word with others.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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