Social Drinking Part 2

Introduction

Greetings…

We have been studying recently from the theme based off of Colossians 3:5, “Put To Death Immorality.”

We have seen what God’s word teaches on…

Immodesty, gambling, abortion, social drinking.

Though the bible clearly teaches against drinking alcoholic beverages, as we noticed, that doesn’t stop people from trying to defend “moderate drinking” of alcoholic beverages.

In Social Drinking Part 1 we easily demonstrated that “one sip equals drunk” in God’s eyes because one is no longer sober-minded nor filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 5:18).

That should be enough but unfortunately people will still give forth arguments for social drinking ranging from the absurd to the more complex.

One of the easiest to demonstrate as absurd is that the word “wine” in the Greek always refers to alcoholic wine.

Not Given To Much Wine

Deacons & Older Women.

For years I have heard those that would tell us “drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation” is biblically implied by these two passages 1 Timothy 3:3 for elders and 1 Timothy 3:8 for deacons.

1 Timothy 3:3 (NKJV)

3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous

1 Timothy 3:8 (NKJV)

8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money

The argument goes that if it is not ok for elders or pastors to drink wine but deacons can drink “some wine” it must be permissible for everyone but elderships.

It should be pointed out that this same phrase is found in Titus 2:3 wherein older women were not to be given to much wine as well.

Let’s look at that argument more closely.

First notice that this qualification for deacon is directly connected to the elders qualification.

1 Timothy 3:8 (ESV)

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

1 Timothy 3:8 (MSG)

8 The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church…

Second notice that this is speech that is consistently used throughout scripture for emphasis.

James 1:21 (ESV)

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 4:4 (ESV)

4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you

1 Timothy 3:8 (ESV)

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Summary

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Water To Wine

Jesus In Cana.

The arguments goes that Jesus made alcoholic wine for a wedding or party and therefore this authorizes moderate drinking.

As one young lady commented in a discussion on this topic, “Jesus was a social drinker.”

Another person actually said, “Jesus was the bartender for the wedding in Cana.”

Is this true?

Was Jesus’ first recorded miracle making alcoholic wine?

As we discussed a few weeks ago, both drinking alcoholic wine and offering it to others was sinful for a Jew.

Proverbs 23:31 ESV

31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

Habakkuk 2:15 NKJV

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!

Though Jesus preached the “kingdom at hand” he lived a Jew under the Law of Moses.

This very fact makes it impossible for Jesus to have made this water into alcoholic wine.

Well, weren’t those at the party already “well drunk” and thus intoxicated proving they had been drinking alcoholic wine?

First, remember Jesus’ mother Mary was there as one that was putting on the wedding feast.

It would have been just as sinful for her to offer it as to drink it.

Second, if the guest were “well drunk” and this meant intoxicated, and Jesus made alcoholic wine for people that were already drunk.

This would fly in the face of those that argue the Bible only drinking unto drunkenness is sin.

So, what does “well drunk mean” then?

Well drunk simply means “very full.”

Deuteronomy 32:42 (ESV)

42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’

Psalm 36:8 (ESV)

8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

Psalm 23:5 (ESV)

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

The guest had simply drank a lot of grape juice, that is all.

Summary

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A Little Wine For The Stomach

Alcohol Must Be The Cure?

This one has always been odd to me because there is no way of justifying social drinking with it.

Either Paul is telling Timothy to drink alcoholic wine for a medical reason not pleasurable reason or he is telling him to drink grape juice for medical reasons not pleasurable reasons.

Either way it doesn’t justify social drinking.

However, it doesn’t take much to realize Paul couldn’t be talking about alcoholic wine.

First, let’s remove the idea that just because Paul used the Greek word for wine as alcoholic in 1 Timothy 3:3, 8 doesn’t require it to be alcoholic wine in 1 Timothy 5:23.

1 Timothy 5:23 (ESV)

23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Notice Timothy had not been drinking anything but water as his beverage and Paul is telling him he doesn’t have to “continue to do such.”

Second, scientifically speaking alcohol hurts the stomach it does not help an upset stomach.

In an article “Drink Aware: Is Alcohol Harming Your Stomach” we find this…

“Drinking alcohol is associated with acid rising up from your stomach into your throat (known as acid reflux), or causing heartburn. Some evidence suggests alcoholic drinks can make your stomach produce more acid than usual, which can gradually wear away your stomach lining and make it inflamed and painful (gastritis). Over weeks or months, this could mean you develop painful ulcers in your stomach lining.”

While we are on the subject of alcohol and medical benefits that are false let me point out what Georgetown University researcher Jane Feedman MD had to say on the subject of drinking alcoholic wine for the heart…

“Wine only prevents blood from clotting (when it’s consumed) at levels high enough to declare someone legally drunk.”

Time Magazine wrote on August 24th, 2018, “A new study concludes there’s no amount of alcohol consumption that’s safe for overall health — a finding that’s likely to surprise moderate drinkers…”

The author of the study, a professor of global health and health metrics sciences at the University of Washington, told Time Magazine, “The evidence is adding up that no amount of drinking is safe.”

The point God, our Creator, knows there is there is no medical advantage to drinking alcoholic wine only harm that could come from it.

Summary

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That All They Had

Grape Juice Was Always Fermented.

This could not be further from the truth.

It is true that many of the ancient people drank very diluted alcoholic wine i.e, mixed with water, and it is also true that drinking wine at the percentage of alcohol that is in common day wine was considered barbaric.

Anacreon called unmixed wine “a Scythian draught” which is considerable considering Scythians and cannibals were considered equally barbaric.

Archippus said that those that drank wine only half and half wine were “wretches.”

Mnesitheus of Athens wrote that to those, “who mix [wine] 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.”

The point is even if the Jews did not have God telling them not to drink alcoholic wine it still was not consider proper to drink wine in any capacity like it is served today at an alcohol percentage of 12.5 to 14 percent.

What we often don’t hear talked about is that people back then did have the ability to keep grape juice from fermenting during these ancient days.

They had many methods of keep wine free from fermentation but one of the most interesting is that of was called fumigated wine.

In the book titled “Wine in the Bible” several ancient writers that date back to before 100 AD talk about various methods of keeping wine from fermenting.

They would…

Boil it into a paste to be placed in sealed jars for later.

Filtration system using sackcloth, though this was less effective.

Sulfur Fumigation

Air Exclusion

Temperature Reduction i.e., below 40 degrees.

All of this points to what God had already stated.

Proverbs 23:31 ESV

31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

Summary

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Conclusion

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Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Acts 17:30 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Matthew 10:32–33 NKJV

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Romans 6:3–5 ESV

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

1 John 1:7 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.