Whether weak or strong, the point is God is God over all. We regard each other, that are in Christ, as brothers and equals. God our Father loves the weaker just as much as He does the stronger. Let no divisions be among you.
He would mostly agree with this.When a person posts without using scripture as a basis for the post......it does not offer much...
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Perhaps the conversation isnt worth the effort....."Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6).
We could easily turn the tables on this one. Those who believe that a Christian has the privilege of drinking is not very knowledgeable about what the Bible says about alcohol, and is therefore the weaker brother.
He doesn't know his Bible well.
He is unable to make Biblical application properly.
He is the one who is the stumbling block both to the saved and the unsaved alike.
Because of his testimony many are not coming to the Lord ("his religion is no better than mine").
It can easily be argued the other way. Those that drink are ignorant of what the Bible teaches and therefore the weaker brother.
You have yet to prove that exercising Christian liberty in the arena of drinking alcohol is a sin.
Once you are able to do that the rest of your post will be a valid debate.
Until then you are putting the cart before the horse.
This so-called fact I saw at Wikipedia. Is that where you gleaned it from--the most scholarly source on the internet? Is that the depth of your scholarship? It is probably why it is not documented either.
The other reason it is not documented is that it is a logical fallacy and cannot be proven.
Another logical fallacy. Have you read every word of every Church Father that ever lived--every document in every language--ALL of them. Then you wouldn't know that would you? It is a universal statement which you can't prove. We don't even have all of their writings in existence today.
Well pilgrim, I am not one of them.
Your definition of Baptist is skewed.
I can show you many "Baptists" that would never drink. They were our Baptist forefathers.
You are not educated when you refuse to look at the facts. Your very refusal to see the facts of what the Bible actually teaches demonstrates an attitude of ungodliness--one that says: "I will hang on to my vices no matter what the cost."
I am not a Pentecostal and refuse to be associated with them. Are you a Roman Catholic because they believe in the Trinity and deity of Christ? Do you also believe in purgatory and the assumption of Mary?
Do we believe Luke simply because he demeans people, is arrogant and calls others names instead of engaging in meaningful debate? That is a point lost on you.
I have noticed that you like to play games of semantics. For example when MacArthur takes a stand against drinking and preaches abstinence, you play a game of semantics and say but he doesn't believe in teetotalism, as if there is a real difference. It is all semantics.
And the one that has the greater knowledge usually wins. In this case you seem to be ignorant because you only have knowledge of one side of the debate.
The proper word is abstinence. And you just called MacArthur stupid. He is not intelligent according to you. There are many others in the same camp as he is, and just as scholarly if not more so. But again, it is you who refuses to listen to knowledge. So guess which camp you are in?
And that is why many have? The sin is refusing to listen to knowledge that will prove your arrogance wrong. It is arrogance that is sin.
I don't use the word "teetotalism," for a good reason, but mostly for your sake. I am not going to play your game of semantics. The Bible teaches abstinence, if you will listen to the Bible. Is there any chance of that? Doubtful. You already wrote off the Book of Proverbs. Any other books of Scripture you would like to disregard before we go on? Perhaps all
66?
It appears I have knowledge and you don't. Who can argue it intelligently then?
actually, if we tale into account the entire Bible message, we are free to drink if we choose to do such, but there are valids reasons one may choose not to!