Thursday, May 17, 2007

A Biblical Study on Wine - Acts to Revelation

This is the end of our journey through the Scriptures looking at verses about wine and the vine. After this I will post some thoughts and conclusions.

Romans 14:21 "It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles."
In the context of this verse Paul says that the kingdom of God is not about eating or drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy. This verse shows how drinking wine can be a sensitive issue with people. This shows how some people struggle with it. God is saying that all things are clean. Wine is acceptable, but it might be hurtful to some. Discretion and sensitivity with your liberty is very important.
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble."
This verse shows that we do have a liberty with things like wine, but that some people struggle with it and we should care more about them than our liberty. I honestly get frustrated with this passage (not just for wine) because I always want to show people the truth of something and help them change instead of just caving into their ignorance. I don't think this verse says that we should just always cave into people's wrong views of what is sin and what isn't. If someone thinks it is sinful for me to drive a car or use a computer, should I stop? It's just tough to figure out how far to go with this verse. I do think that no matter what it shows us that we should be careful about how we display our liberty.
Ephesians 5:18 "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."
This one is pretty obvious. Don't get drunk. God wants us to be filled and intoxicated with Him.
1 Timothy 3:3 "An overseer...not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money."
This says the same thing about deacons in verse 8. A Christian leader should not be addicted to wine. It doesn't say they shouldn't drink wine, but they shouldn't be addicted to it. Titus 1:7 says the same thing as this verse.
1 Timothy 5:23 "No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments."
A little wine can help out the tummy when it doesn't feel good. I know that wine does have some medicinal value. My mom is encouraged to drink a glass of red wine for her heart by her doctor. They actually say her previous practice of a glass of red wine almost every day has probably saved her life.
1 Peter 4:3 "For the time already past is sufficient {for} {you} to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries."
Drunkenness is bad.
Revelation 18:13 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
Here wine is used as a metaphor for something negative. It is used as metaphor in Scripture for things like judgment and immorality as well as for things like God himself and forgiveness.

1 comment:

Brooke said...

i love that you're doing this indepth study. thanks for sharing.