November 11, 2006

Can Christians drink wine?

Someone has asked me...christians can drink wine meh? I found an answer here: http://www.rbc.org/bible_study/answers_to_tough_questions/answers/30797.aspx

=>If the wine Jesus created at the wedding of Cana was alcoholic, does this mean that He approved the consumption of alcohol?

The Greek word oinos, translated as "wine" in the New Testament, simply means wine. The Greeks had a different word for grape juice. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia suggests that in New Testament times wine usually existed in a fermented form.

It states: Unfermented grape juice is a very difficult thing to keep without the aid of modern antiseptic precautions, and its preservation in the warm and not overly clean conditions of ancient Palestine is impossible (p.3086).

The references to wine in the New Testament are both positive and negative. For example, John the Baptist's refusal to drink wine was a sign of his special responsibility as the last prophet in the Old Testament tradition, and Jesus was not willing to take wine while on the cross because of His desire to experience fully the "cup of suffering" that His Father had given Him.

On the other hand, Jesus used wine to illustrate His teaching. His first miracle was the creation of wine at the marriage in Cana (
John 2:1-11 ), and He used the illustration of "new wine" and "new skins" to stress the need for a change of perspective about the law ( Matthew 9:16-17 ).

Timothy was exhorted by Paul to take a little wine as medicine, while drunkenness is severely condemned ( Romans 13:13 ).

To sum up, "it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother to fall" (Romans 14:21).

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