Wine & Strong Drink – Part 11 – Conclusion

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.

——————————————

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).

——————————————

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