Permission to "Wine"

     Let me begin by saying that Rob and I were raised Baptist and still consider ourselves thus. We spent 10 years as missionaries in an eastern European country were wine flowed like water and never tasted a drop (except for when we didn’t realize the grape juice we made had turned), even to the point of offending our brethren. One of the things that we learned during our time there, though, is that in a land where many grapes are grown, and there is little or no refrigeration, there will be wine. Just sayin.

When we returned to the states, Rob was complaining one evening (at a church function) about his reflux. A friend that was sitting next to us who was a church member and also a nurse replied, “Have you tried drinking a glass of wine before you go to bed at night?” Of course the reply was “no”, but that began a real study of the scripture on wine. There are scriptures in the old testament that seem to be against the drinking of any alcoholic beverage, but if taken in context are found to be to specific people in specific situations. (usually the sect of the Nasserites)

     We had read before in I Timothy were Paul instructed Timothy in I Timothy 5:23 to  “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.” We also knew from our study that this was not grape juice. Since then, we have discovered that most fermented things are actually good for digestion. And, surprise, surprise, the wine really helped.

 In Psalm 104 it speaks of many of the good gifts of God and says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty…………………………………………..

He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.” Does grape juice gladden your heart?

     So, we concluded that the drinking of alcohol is not prohibited in the Bible, but there is something that is strictly forbidden. Drunkenness is a sin. This is stressed over and over throughout the scripture. In Proverbs 23:21 it says,

     “For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty.” We need to reason all the way through to a conclusion on this one. If we say that to keep from being a drunkard we shouldn’t drink, then by that same reasoning, to keep from being a glutton, we shouldn’t eat. Not many of us have slowed down on our eating.

     This is just another instance where our reasoning and the tradition of man has trumped the scripture and the truth from God’s word. Of course we don’t want to offend a brother or do harm to our witness. That is a discussion for another day. The point I want to make is, whether we are eating or drinking or something else, we always need to practice self control and good judgement, but don’t put rules and restrictions where God didn’t place them.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self control: against such there is no law.”– Galatians 5:22-23 KJV