The Christian and Alcohol

If you get your "commands" from Proverbs, your theology is as weak as Joel Osteen's.

 

There are 66 books in the Bible------all to be obeyed!!!! What 'cha gonna do, Jerry?? Ignore Proberbs???

 

Proverb

Dictionary.com defines a proverb as:

a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw.

It seems to be that to attempt to make a proverb a command is to make quite a stretch. The kernel of truth can well point the way a person should take, but it is hard for me to see a proverb as a "Thou shalt ..........":tonofbricks: 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason? (AB)
Who has red eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine. (AC)

31 Don't gaze at wine when it is red, (AD)
when it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly. (AE)

32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things. (AF) [f]

34 You'll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship's mast.

35 "They struck me, but [g] I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn't know it! (AG)
When will I wake up?
I'll look for another [drink]." (AH)

I see nothing here that says a person should never drink, but lots saying that over indulgence is a very bad idea ... and over indulgence is anything is not good. After all over indulge in drinking a huge amount of water and you will die. We should approach all of life with commen sense and moderation.

As an aside, I do not drink, but there is no merit in my not drinking as I cannot stand the taste of either liver or alcoho.

From Proverbs:

 

could say that for this whole board.
you're saying the whole baptistboard is useless then?

 

You were born a little late. You shoulda been born in Paul's time, that way, you could reprimand him for promoting sin.

 

Would SFIC been one of the people that would have said Jesus was wrong for eating and drinking with publicans and sinners?

 

1. Allan, whatever argument we make for total abstinence of wine, to be consistent, we must make the same argument for meat:

"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble" (Rom 14:21, NLTse, emphasis mine).

2. But I don't hear those who make their arguments for total abstinence of wine, do the same for total abstinence of meat.

 

Oh, come on TC, you know they actually EAT meat

It is a lot easier to point the finger at practices they are not guilty of.

 

No, I'll RIGHTLY divide. Do you really want to go there Blackbird? We can start by having you build an outbuilding to put your wife in while she is unclean during her "cycle". Do you eat pork? Somewhere in one of those 66 books it says not too. If we don't rightly divide we can end up with umpteen thousands of different false gospels.

 

Short but to the point. Thank you, :thumbs: .

 

just curious, how big, and what kind of wood do i use if i choose to do that?:laugh: And does it help?

 

I'm not making an argument for 'total' abstinance, but that we should care MORE about the spiritual well being of our brothers in Christ than our personal pleasures.

There are some people who take the 'total' to a whole biblically different level to the point that anything that contains any alcohal (even medicines) are to be forbidden. You are right that Paul did not forbid it but he made his biblical case to abstain for the sake of our brothers in Christ. This however is more to the point of 'drinking' and not other aspects to which it can be used - ie. purification of water, vingar, medicines...

I agree with you that the argument should be more incompassing. Those of the TOTAL abstance state don't trample my view, but watch out cause here come my spiked shoes . If the argument stretched as it should beyond that of just wine, it would bring a better perspective on the whole and more compassion for those who are struggling.

As I quoted from 1 John 3:16:

 

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about: last year, I went to a couples home and the brother offered me a beer. I told him no, but I also noticed he had several in his freezer.

Well, that's not my business and I told him that, but I also added as long as he doesn't get drunk and abuse his wife or kids and come to the door drunk when I come to visit him.

Personally, if a brother drinks a beer it doesn't offend me but drunkenness does.