God created the plant (hemp), which is edible and used as vegetables, oil, juice, etc. However, humans found a way to smoke it as marijuana (weed) just to get high. Are we now going to say hemp is a sin because people use it to get high?
God created the human body parts for sexual intercourse. It was created to be enjoyable and pleasurable for couples. However, humans found a way to use these parts for fornication and adultery. Are we now going to say sexual intercourse is a sin because people fornicate and/or commit adultery?
There are more uses for alcohol/wine than just getting drunk. Are we now going to say alcohol is a sin because people use it to get drunk? Are we going to stop using alcohol to clean open wounds simply because some of the alcohol will end up inside your body through the open wound?
Manipulative teachings are frequent in most congregations, especially when it is organized by a group of preachers, who think they're smarter than the bible. They want to have a controlling message instead of letting the bible speak. Even the good ones are too afraid to break out of the arrogant pack to just focus on teaching the bible message instead of trying to co-ordinate the same storyline with other congregations. This is often linked to fear of telling the truth simply because of pride and unwillingness to admit wrong. But most importantly, the assumption that the truth will lead to an endorsement, often gets in the way and creates manipulation of God's word. Wine or alcohol is NOT a sin but getting drunk is a sin - simple.
You have probably heard John 2:1-12 quoted in defense of why drinking wine is not a sin. For this piece, I'll deliberately stay away from this water to wine miracle by Jesus because it has been overly used and debated. Alcohol is in many ways, a part of our everyday lives. It can be found in one form or another in the food or fruit we eat; it is used by hospitals to prep people for surgery; used by many people to sanitize their dirty hands and it is also contained in cold/flu medicines like NyQuil and the list goes on.
Wine will lead you to sin and then help others make fun of you after you fall because wine is a mocker (Proverbs 20:1). When Paul told Timothy to have a little wine for medicinal purpose to help with his stomach, the inspired message did not just come out of the blue. Wine was readily available to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23) but some have argued that this was just for medicinal use only. This argument fall flat because it clearly shows that drinking wine is not a sin. If it is, then you are basically saying that Paul, through the Holy Spirit told Timothy to go and sin just to get better. When a young adult is burning with sexual desire, you don't tell them to go get a one night stand. Your will, instead, be like Paul when he said through the Holy Spirit - "...it is better to marry than to burn with passion." - 1 Corinthians 7:9. We need to end the characterization of things that lead to sin as sin itself. Timothy drinking only water is a clear indication that he was an abstainer. We can't say for sure if Paul consulted with Luke the physician before suggesting wine to Timothy but we do know from Paul's second letter that he was often around the apostle Luke, who should know more about the medicinal use of wine (2 Timothy 4:11).Some have said people get drunk with a little wine. We can obviously conclude that Paul is not asking Timothy to go get drunk based on his previous statement to Timothy in chapter three. Paul outlined the qualifications of an Elder or Bishop (1 Timothy 3:3) and said: "... not given to much wine". The wine that Paul referenced in 1 Timothy 3 did not change in chapter 5. Chapter 3 is focused on "much wine" or avoiding dependency on it. If the amount of wine in chapter 3:3 can get you drunk, so can the wine in chapter 5:23. The wine in chapter 3 and 5 share the same Greek root word but you don't need to know Greek to know the meaning of "little" and "not much" wine.
We know that Timothy didn't just have a simple stomach ache because Paul had prior knowledge about it. Also, the time lapse from Paul's letter being written to when it was delivered to Timothy, shows that Paul knew that the stomach problem will still be there by the time Timothy gets the letter. Paul himself also acknowledged the frequency of Timothy's other illnesses that the wine is needed for in 1 Timothy 5:23. Yet, all we mostly talk about is the stomach. Yes, it could be that the other illness were a result of his stomach problem but this is not the point I'm here to discuss. The point is, the recommended wine is NOT water and it was good enough for medicinal use. The fact that Paul felt the need to tell Timothy to do this, also shows that Timothy was NOT dependent on alcohol use and definitely an abstainer.
This was an ongoing issue with Timothy's stomach, so it is safe to say that nothing else has worked for the treatment, hence the advice to use a little wine. Medicinal purpose or not, the fact remains that he was asked to have a little wine - not water or other beverage. Paul knew Timothy will understand exactly what he meant, so Paul didn't have to say "white" or "red" wine. Starting with their very strong relationship, scriptural references and Paul's mentoring of Timothy, we can easily conclude that Paul and Timothy have both talked about this wine issue in the past. I can't tell you if or not, they discussed in the past on what kind of wine will get the healing job done but it's obvious that Paul assumed Timothy should know exactly what to do by not going into too much details. Yet, he was specific by saying "not much wine" in chapter 3 and "little wine" in chapter 5.
THE TAKEAWAY FROM ALL THESE:
Wine is not a sin but do not abuse your freedom. Drinking any alcoholic beverage including wine MAY also give the appearance of evil (1 Corinthians 8:8-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:22) or as some will slang it by saying it gives the wrong, twisted or bad vibe to others especially unbelievers. Just imagine showing up to a new convert's house, smelling like alcohol even when you are sober, it send the wrong message. Drinking too much wine, being drunk, or allowing drinking of alcoholic beverage to have control over you or your lifestyle is a SIN. If you know that there is a line especially knowing how much the devil will love for you to get close to that line, just so he wouldn't have to do much work to pull you across; do you really want to test how close you can get to the line or stay away from it as far as you can? The damage that comes with being an alcoholic cannot be underestimated (Proverbs 23:29-35).
The sin is not the wine. It's how the wine is used (1 Corinthians 11:20-21)
The sin is not with the money. It's unconditional love for it (1 Timothy 6:10)
The sin is not the sex. It's with the participants (1 Corinthians 7:9)
The sin is not with sleeping. It's with the laziness (Proverbs 20:13)
The sin is not looking. It's looking lustfully (Matthew 5:27-28)
The sin is not with the outfit. It's with immodesty (I Timothy 2:9-10)
The sin is not the temptation. It's yielding to it (James 1:14-15)
It is true that we should avoid anything that will lead us to sin but this is different from flat out calling wine or alcohol a sin. It's a misuse of the scriptures because money can lead us to sin too. When you prioritize anything in life above God, it automatically becomes your idol. Money is root of all evil so are we now going to avoid touching money? The best way to handle this topic is to tell someone that drinking wine or alcohol can lead to drunkenness. So avoid craving or chasing it if you don't want to become a drunk ESPECIALLY if you have no medical need for it. Drinking nothing, nada, zero wine is a guaranteed solution when trying to avoid drunkenness, so choose wisely.
I made a personal choice to not make alcoholic beverages a necessity in my life but this doesn't mean I haven't tasted it or will not taste it again in the future if I wanted to do so with self-control. However, it is my personal choice is to do without it and never make it a priority. I highly recommend you do the same but this doesn't mean I now have the right to tell people that "wine is a sin." I cannot make my personal choice into law. There are a lot of factors that influenced my decision to abstain from alcoholic beverage consumption.
10 REASONS WHY I DON'T LIKE TO DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE:
1. I'm entitled to CHOOSE wisely just like anyone else.
2. I love being AWARE of my surrounding, not drunk.
3. My TASTE bud is not tuned into beer taste. Lucky me!
4. My guaranteed way to not get DRUNK is to not consume alcohol.
5. Alcoholic SLURRED speech cannot be understood.
6. I like to be productive and sobriety is KEY to productivity.
7. I like to DRIVE more than I like to fly.
8. I did not GROW up in a house where alcoholic beverages was prevalent. So, I didn't like the look of my uncle flat on his face from being drunk.
9. The health of my LIVER means a lot to me.
10. I'm not going to make the alcohol company richer so they can make more of what could potentially make my life be MISERABLE.
As always, I'm open for any healthy biblical debate and all other messages filled with hate and personal attacks/opinions will be nicely referred back to read the entire blog to get a full picture. Stay Blessed My Friends.
This was an ongoing issue with Timothy's stomach, so it is safe to say that nothing else has worked for the treatment, hence the advice to use a little wine. Medicinal purpose or not, the fact remains that he was asked to have a little wine - not water or other beverage. Paul knew Timothy will understand exactly what he meant, so Paul didn't have to say "white" or "red" wine. Starting with their very strong relationship, scriptural references and Paul's mentoring of Timothy, we can easily conclude that Paul and Timothy have both talked about this wine issue in the past. I can't tell you if or not, they discussed in the past on what kind of wine will get the healing job done but it's obvious that Paul assumed Timothy should know exactly what to do by not going into too much details. Yet, he was specific by saying "not much wine" in chapter 3 and "little wine" in chapter 5.
THE TAKEAWAY FROM ALL THESE:
Wine is not a sin but do not abuse your freedom. Drinking any alcoholic beverage including wine MAY also give the appearance of evil (1 Corinthians 8:8-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:22) or as some will slang it by saying it gives the wrong, twisted or bad vibe to others especially unbelievers. Just imagine showing up to a new convert's house, smelling like alcohol even when you are sober, it send the wrong message. Drinking too much wine, being drunk, or allowing drinking of alcoholic beverage to have control over you or your lifestyle is a SIN. If you know that there is a line especially knowing how much the devil will love for you to get close to that line, just so he wouldn't have to do much work to pull you across; do you really want to test how close you can get to the line or stay away from it as far as you can? The damage that comes with being an alcoholic cannot be underestimated (Proverbs 23:29-35).
The sin is not the wine. It's how the wine is used (1 Corinthians 11:20-21)
The sin is not with the money. It's unconditional love for it (1 Timothy 6:10)
The sin is not the sex. It's with the participants (1 Corinthians 7:9)
The sin is not with sleeping. It's with the laziness (Proverbs 20:13)
The sin is not looking. It's looking lustfully (Matthew 5:27-28)
The sin is not with the outfit. It's with immodesty (I Timothy 2:9-10)
The sin is not the temptation. It's yielding to it (James 1:14-15)
It is true that we should avoid anything that will lead us to sin but this is different from flat out calling wine or alcohol a sin. It's a misuse of the scriptures because money can lead us to sin too. When you prioritize anything in life above God, it automatically becomes your idol. Money is root of all evil so are we now going to avoid touching money? The best way to handle this topic is to tell someone that drinking wine or alcohol can lead to drunkenness. So avoid craving or chasing it if you don't want to become a drunk ESPECIALLY if you have no medical need for it. Drinking nothing, nada, zero wine is a guaranteed solution when trying to avoid drunkenness, so choose wisely.
I made a personal choice to not make alcoholic beverages a necessity in my life but this doesn't mean I haven't tasted it or will not taste it again in the future if I wanted to do so with self-control. However, it is my personal choice is to do without it and never make it a priority. I highly recommend you do the same but this doesn't mean I now have the right to tell people that "wine is a sin." I cannot make my personal choice into law. There are a lot of factors that influenced my decision to abstain from alcoholic beverage consumption.
10 REASONS WHY I DON'T LIKE TO DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE:
1. I'm entitled to CHOOSE wisely just like anyone else.
2. I love being AWARE of my surrounding, not drunk.
3. My TASTE bud is not tuned into beer taste. Lucky me!
4. My guaranteed way to not get DRUNK is to not consume alcohol.
5. Alcoholic SLURRED speech cannot be understood.
6. I like to be productive and sobriety is KEY to productivity.
7. I like to DRIVE more than I like to fly.
8. I did not GROW up in a house where alcoholic beverages was prevalent. So, I didn't like the look of my uncle flat on his face from being drunk.
9. The health of my LIVER means a lot to me.
10. I'm not going to make the alcohol company richer so they can make more of what could potentially make my life be MISERABLE.
As always, I'm open for any healthy biblical debate and all other messages filled with hate and personal attacks/opinions will be nicely referred back to read the entire blog to get a full picture. Stay Blessed My Friends.
