This is my conclusion to my paper. I still have a lot of work to do to it, but I hope you enjoyed it so far. Let me know what you all thought about it.

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Conclusion

As any driver knows there are many road signs they need to be aware of. Of the many signs there are “Do Not Enter” signs and “Caution” signs. The “Do Not Enter” sign tells the driver that it he should not enter the roadway. The “Caution” sign tells the driver to know where he is, to stay alert, and to pay attention; all of these things so he can avoid any possible danger. This is the same attitude the bible takes concerning alcohol use. God has warned His creation over and over again about the misuse and abuse of alcohol. At the same time, God’s word claims that He has blessed His creation with wine and strong drink and both can be used to the glory of God, for rejoicing in God, and for edifying each other. To teach that the best solution to the alcohol problem is abstinence as a biblical principle falls short from the truth. 1 Timothy 4 touches very deeply on the topic of abstaining.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

– 1 Timothy 4:1-5

It has been show that wine is a food that God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and know the truth (i.e. Christians). As Romans 14 says, if a Christian decides to drink they should do it in the honor of God, if a Christian decides to abstain they too should do it in the honor of God. It would be equally an error to say that abstaining from alcohol is wrong, but clearly as Paul tells his readers in Romans 14, “Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats.” And by all means, if you are tempted to get drunk, abstain and pray that you may not enter into temptation, remembering that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

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Wine & Strong Drink – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

This is the third section of my argument, Specific instances of alcohol use commanded in the Bible.

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Specific Instances of Alcohol Use Commanded in the Bible

In Deuteronomy 14, God tells Moses what is proper to do with the tithe. In verse 23 he specifically commands to drink their new wine (tirosh) in the presence of the Lord. Later, in verses 22-26, God talks about people who are too far away to bring their tithe. He tells them to sell their tithe and to use the money to buy whatever they want, including wine (yayin) and strong drink (shekar), and to eat what they bought in the presence of the Lord and to rejoice. One cannot make the assertion that God is commanding the people to get drunk, but it cannot be denied that He is commanding them to drink wine and strong drink. Another command to use alcohol can be found in 1 Timothy 5 when Paul directs Timothy to stop drinking water and to drink wine (oinos) to help relieve his stomach and other ailments.

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Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

This is the second part of my argument, Specific instances of alcohol use permitted in the bible.

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The Author’s Argument

Specific Instances of Alcohol Use Permitted in the Bible

Psalm 104 recounts the splendor and majesty of God. The psalmist is blessing God for all the great wonders and works He has done for the earth and its creatures. God established the Earth upon its foundations (v. 5). He causes the grass to grow for the cattle (v. 14a). He made the moon for the seasons (v. 19). The psalmist also blesses God for the fact that He causes vegetation to grow for man “so that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine (yayin) which makes man’s heart glad” (v. 14b-15a). Obviously the use of wine is permitted by God and is seen as a blessing by the psalmist.

John 2 recounts the story of Jesus turning six pots containing water into wine. The headwaiter (or the master of the feast – NKJ) tested the wine and noticed that it was good wine, as opposed to the poorer wine that would normally be served at that stage of the feast, that is, when the party-goers were drunk. If they served the good wine until the party-goers were drunk, it is easily deduced that the good wine is fermented wine, not unfermented grape juice. If this is true, then Jesus must have turned the water into fermented wine; which He could have done easily regardless of fermentation time, since this is a miracle and He is God. As a former lost person, I have been inebriated on more than one occasion. There was never a time when I was inebriated that I could not distinguish between things that tasted good and things that tasted bad. To say that the headwaiter was not inebriated because he noticed the wine was good wine is a failure in experiential logic. But as any drunkard knows, if he is already drunk, he stops caring about what he drinks; as long as it helps keep his “buzz” – which is consistent with the headwaiter’s terminology.

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives clear ordinances for the overseer and deacon regarding their lifestyle. An overseer is not to be a drunkard (or given to strong drink) and a deacon is not to be “given to much wine (oinos).” From this biblical evidence, it must be concluded that overseers and deacons are permitted to drink some wine.

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Wine & Strong Drink – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

This section begins my argument concerning the use of Wine and Strong drink. It is broken into three parts. Specific instances of abstinence commanded in the Bible, specific instances of alcohol use permitted in the Bible, and specific instance of alcohol use commanded in the Bible. Hopefully you all find the biblical evidence as overwhelming and convincing as I did.

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The Author’s Argument

Specific Instances of abstinence commanded in the Bible

Numbers 6 is an obvious text where God commands those who take the Nazarite vow to abstain from wine and strong drink, as well as other things. This same text also fits in the permitted section of this argument because when the Nazarite has completed his vow time God permits them to drink wine. It could be argued that God commanded John the Baptist to abstain from alcohol (Luke 1:15) but this could be equally interpreted as a prophecy. In Jeremiah 35, the Rechabites were commanded by their father to abstain from alcohol, as well as other things – however this command was not from God, and they were commended for their obedience, not their abstinence.

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Wine & Strong Drink – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Here is the fifth and sixth arguments from other people that I discuss in my paper. My next post will continue with my own argument.

Alcohol can be an Addictive, Mind-Altering Drug

John Piper has been cited as saying that abstinence is wise because alcohol can be addictive and mind-altering. This testimony is true; alcohol can be both addictive and mind-altering. Caffeine, television, shopping, and sex (etc.) can also be addictive and mind-altering. Granted few people have died from the alternatives, but there have been many lives wrecked from the misuse and abuse of each of them. The issue stems from the heart, the misuse of anything can be dangerous. The misuse or abuse of any activity, including Bible study, can result in sin. In the interest of piety, monks have often resorted to asceticism and flagellation, both of which are contrary to Scripture. Unfortunately, the desire to boycott alcohol is usually linked to the history of its abuse. By that reasoning Christians should also boycott firearms as well as anything else that has been abused or considered to be addictive.

Wine in the Bible is really Unfermented Grape Juice

There are some who believe that the wine described in the Bible is in reality non-alcoholic, unfermented grape juice. This idea is contrary to the majority of scriptural teachings concerning wine. The Old Testament usually links both wine (yayin) and strong drink (shekar) together, warning of their misuse (Prov. 20; 31; Isa. 5; 28; 56). In Genesis 9, Noah was “drunk on wine (yayin).” The “good wine” that Jesus made at the wedding feast was most likely alcoholic (discussed later: Specific Instances of Alcohol Use Permitted in the Bible). Paul warns that an overseer and deacon should not be “taken to much wine” (1 Tim. 3); inferring that too much wine is dangerous. Later, Paul recommends that Timothy drink wine for his stomach; obviously for medicinal purposes. Stein’s own research (discussed earlier) states that “the wine of the Bible was not unfermented grape juice” (Pg. 9).