Posts Tagged ‘alcohol’
Since I became a Christian, I’ve become an alcoholic. Should I be baptized again?
Question: I was baptized in my late teens. I genuinely believed at that time everything I was supposed to based on Scripture. Since then, I have done all sorts of things that are wrong and sinful and it is now ten years later. I have a serious physical addiction to drinking alcohol and dipping, which…
Read MoreDo you have sources showing that oinos and yayin can mean both fermented and unfermented drinks?
Question: Our Baptist church is considering the elimination of the statement in the church covenant that states, “do not use or sell any alcoholic beverage”. Obviously, this is to condone moderate drinking. The basis for this is Romans 14:21. The pastor has a lexicon that shows all wine as written in the Bible means fermented. …
Read MoreWhat dictionary did you use to define the Hebrew words for wine in your article?
Question: I am doing some research on the symbolism of wine the Bible, particularly its use in the Old Testament and I came across your web site about the different Hebrew words and meanings of wine. I wanted to ask you which Hebrew lexicon you are using because I use Strong’s Lexicon and I found differences…
Read MoreDoes Matthew 5:28 apply to other sins?
Question: Matthew 5:28 says “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Does this apply to other things? If I had a desire to smoke and drink, but I actually don’t do it, does it means that I had…
Read MoreWhy didn’t Lot turn down his daughters’ advances?
Question: Why did Lot in Genesis 19, get drunk, have sex with his daughters, and get them pregnant? I wondered what was the purpose? Couldn’t he have just said no to his daughters? Answer: A major problem with all drugs, including alcohol, is that they impair a person’s judgment. Things that normally would be rejected somehow become “reasonable” to…
Read MoreI got drunk, visited a prostitute and really messed up my life. What do I do?
Question: I am a 26-year-old male and a Roman Catholic. Last month I was celebrating my birthday and I had planned a simple day for myself with my roommates: have a few drinks and dinner. I prayed for this to be my year with the help of God, and I went to the chapel to…
Read MoreHow do you answer people who try to use Jesus turning water to wine as proof for drinking alcohol?
Question: Regarding John 2 and Jesus turning water to wine: So many people refer to this story when trying to verify it’s OK to drink. They ignore all the other passages that it’s not OK. What should my response be to this when they do that? Answer: A good summary is found in “Did Jesus…
Read MoreWhat about deacons not being given to much wine, doesn’t this allow for a casual drink?
Question: I really appreciated your “New Testament Beverages.” However, how does one answer the question relating to deacons must not be given to much wine? This seems to allow for a casual drink. If this was merely grape juice, should we not ask prospective deacons how much grape juice they drink? Answer: “Likewise deacons must…
Read MoreThe Beer Can
by Kent Heaton It was lying on the side of the road on the corner to my house. A single beer can was discarded as a piece of trash by a person who had used its contents to fill a pleasure and then thrown out the window. I have seen hundreds of discarded cans and…
Read MoreIs there any reference to Jesus having drunk to excess at any time?
Question: Is there any reference to Jesus having drunk to excess at any time? Answer: To drink an alcoholic beverage would be drunkenness, which is a sin. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor…
Read MoreWhy aren’t we teaching about issues regarding how to stay saved — moral issues like sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.?
Question: I have been a member for a little while now and I have fallen short as many others. But my question is: Why is it that we, as members of the churches of Christ, always talk about what will get you saved but not keep you saved? I have problems with sex outside of…
Read MoreHow do I get my parents to see that they are enabling my sister to be a drug user?
Question: This question is about addiction and enabling and how it relates to the Bible. My sister got pregnant in high school and gave birth to my niece when she was 17 years old. My parents raised the child and formally adopted her. So, legally my niece became my sister. My parents spoiled her growing…
Read MoreAren’t the translators accurate enough so we don’t have to look at the definitions of Greek words for alcohol?
Question: I have been studying about wine in the Bible. I am convinced that we should not be using fermented wine. However, I was asked some questions for which I don’t have a good answer. Why would the translators of the different versions of the Bible make a mistake when translating oinos with the word “wine,” such as…
Read MoreCan fermented grape juice (wine) be used in the Lord’s Supper?
Question: Please answer me with biblical texts the following questions or doubts I have: Which kind of wine (intoxicating fermented wine or non-fermented wine) should be used during Lord’s Supper celebration? Can we commit sin by using fermented or alcoholic wine during the Lord’s Supper celebration? It is alleged that Christ not only partook of…
Read MoreDid Jesus Make Alcoholic Wine?
by Greg Gwin It is discouraging, even disgusting, to hear some brethren continue to use the same old, worn-out arguments to defend “social drinking.” Is it not clear that their stubborn adherence to these discredited “proofs” is evidence of a rebellious heart? Jesus turns water to wine at a wedding feast – John 2:6-8 For…
Read MoreI don’t think you considered all the passages regarding the use of alcohol in the Old Testament
Question: Hello. After reading your information about wine and the comment about biblical definitions and applications being subjected to a person’s individual bias it seems somewhat misleading that you offered no comments at all about Deut. 14:26 and placed it under the heading that there were only two places where wine was shown in Scripture to…
Read MoreWhy do you say that the wine at the marriage feast in Cana was grape juice?
Question: I read your web site. Why do you tell Christians that the wine at the marriage feast at Cana was grape juice? Read my book. You don’t need to protect the Gospel from its own truth. The wine at the marriage feast at Cana contained alcohol and you cannot make it plain grape juice…
Read MoreShould a Christian eat with a non-Christian who is having alcohol with his meal?
Question: First, I want to thank you for explaining in a previous response about why social drinking is sinful. Now, I have for you a short scenario that’s based on that fact. A Christian gets invited to go eat at a steakhouse by his non-Christian work buddy. While ordering his meal, this buddy decides to get an…
Read MoreYour misuse of Leviticus 10:9 undermines your argument
Question: I don’t drink alcohol, and I’m not trying to justify drinking alcohol, but on your “Drinking in the Old Testament” page, you are misusing Leviticus 10:9 when you claim “The priests were not allowed to drink.” It only says they were not allowed to drink “when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation.”…
Read MoreI ran into an argument that “every lexicon” defines oinos as a fermented drink. Do you have sources to disprove this?
Question: I really appreciate the work you do as a Gospel preacher and a brother in Christ. I am in the process of studying the subject of moderate drinking with a brother in Christ, and also for myself. I have no doubt the Bible condemns it and I agree with your work 100%. However, I have…
Read MoreIf gluttony and drinking are both sins, then isn’t abstaining from alcohol as ridiculous as abstaining from food?
Question: How would you answer the following argument: “Getting drunk is a sin, but gluttony is also a sin. Since the Bible doesn’t tell us at what point drunkenness or gluttony is sinful, it is up to us to determine how much is too much. To completely abstain from alcohol is as ridiculous as saying…
Read MoreThe Pride of the Drunkard
by Kent Heaton Basil said, “Drunkenness is the ruin of reason. It is premature old age. It is temporary death” (Homilies, c. 375). There are few things engaged in by men that are as self-defeating and destructive as drunkenness. Quite frankly it is stupid beyond reason. A radio commentator recently described a time he had…
Read MoreA Little Wine for Your Stomach’s Sake
by Bryan Matthew Dockens Paul advised Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (I Timothy 5:23). “No longer drink only water …” By this statement, we learn that Timothy’s habit had been one of total abstinence from wine until instructed otherwise by the…
Read MoreAm I compromising by just drinking a glass of wine a few days each week?
Question: You see, I do drink wine on occasion, in moderation. I may have a glass of wine 2 or 3 evenings a week while cooking dinner, or I may go several days without drinking any. I do not drink beer or hard liquor. I do not drink and drive. And it is extremely rare…
Read MoreI Will Take Sickness Away from the Midst of You
by Bryan Matthew Dockens The Almighty told Israel, “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus 23:25). Although the Old Testament has been done away with, having been replaced by the New Covenant, it…
Read MoreDrinking in the Old Testament
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/DrinkingInTheOldTestament2012.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Consistently in the Scriptures, drunkenness is condemned A. I Cor 6:9-10 – A drunkard cannot inherit the kingdom of God B. Rom 13:13 – Carousing and drunkenness is improper behavior C. Few people argue that being down and out drunk is acceptable. We understand that it is wrong. D. The problem is how drunk…
Read MoreTell the truth, that Alcoholics Anonymous works
Question: I have been a sober member of AA for 13 years and I am a Christian. God has removed the desire to drink from me. That miracle is the strongest evidence in my life of a loving God. I am one of the millions of exceptions to your statement that “the desire never leaves.”…
Read MoreWouldn’t wine need to be fortified in order to be used as starter fluid?
Question: A question: if strong-drink was only 15% alcohol and below in biblical times, how was it used as a starter fluid? I believe you need much stronger alcohol to light a fire, no? Answer: From a recipe: As soon as the mushrooms are colored add the marsala wine. Caution: the Marsala wine is flammable…
Read MoreDoes the blessing of wine outweigh its dangers?
Question: Generally, the Bible condemns drunkenness (in a variety of places) but nowhere condemns wine or alcoholic beverages in total. In fact, the mild exhilaration that comes from moderate imbibing of wine is seen as a blessing of God in several Old Testament passages. Health advisor says alcohol impairs the nervous system and strains the…
Read MoreDoes it matter how long was Jesus’ hair?
Question: Interesting and thank you for the insight concerning the length of Jesus’ hair, though it does not seem necessary to teach it. It is true. We don’t know if he had long hair or not. How long would it have to be to be considered long anyway? The Bible doesn’t tell us if he had…
Read MoreThe Danger of Alcohol
by Steve Wallace via Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 3 p5 February 3, 2000 Alcohol is such an accepted part of American society and society in general that our title may strike some as odd. After all, so many popular, fashionable, and successful people are known to drink. Also, commercials, movies, advertisements, etc., picture drinking as something to…
Read MoreCan a woman, wearing a covering, work in a store selling alcohol?
Question: What about women who wear covering among the regular population? Is it a sin to let the woman who wears a covering to work in a store where they sell beer or things of the sort? I need to know if I am sinning if I do not wear a covering. It is hard…
Read MoreDo members of the church of Christ believe they are the only ones going to heaven?
Question: Does the church of Christ believe they’re the only ones going to heaven? My brother married someone that goes to a church that’s a hard-core church of Christ. He’s going nuts. He will hardly look at my family and argues all the time about baptism before salvation. He has given up on the family…
Read MoreThank you for explaining why social drinking is wrong
Question: I have been reading and re-reading the articles on your website that pertain to social drinking. I’ve been surprised at the lack of articles that exist (at least through a Google search) that really address the issue. Having been “raised in the church,” so to speak, I have always “known” that drinking is sinful,…
Read MoreWhat do I do about a husband that sinned at a bachelor’s party?
Question: What do you do when alcohol and a fully nude strip club at a bachelor party tempted your Christian husband and he gives in to both temptations? Not only was he a visitor at this club, but he and the other three gentlemen had a little personal dance as well. Being the wife of…
Read MoreSuddenly Sour Grapes
By J.S. Smith ”The government said Monday that a few drinks a day may not protect against strokes and heart attacks after all.” Oops! For years, scientists, doctors, and our government have been recommending that we all hop off the wagon and moderately belly up to the bar to enhance our health. Christians searching for…
Read MorePeople Change
by Donnie V. Rader via Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 6-7, October 3, 1996 When General Motors came out with the new aerodynamic style Chevy Caprice (1990) I said that I would never have one of those “ugly” things. When cellular phones started getting popular, I thought it was dumb to carry your phone with…
Read MoreDoesn’t Ephesians 5:18 imply that some use of alcohol is permitted?
Question: God wrote in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” When God tells us not to get speeding tickets, what is He inferring? Obviously, that driving is not a sin. When God tells us not to get drunk, what is He inferring? People who…
Read MoreWhat do I do with a 20-year-old who continues to lie?
Question: My 20-year-old daughter is a liar. Her pattern of lying has been consistently punished. She knows that she will get caught and punished. From a young age, she has been told that this is unacceptable behavior and the sin nature. She feels it is best to run the risk of getting caught. Her punishments…
Read MoreWhy shouldn’t people drink alcohol?
Question: Why shouldn’t people drink alcohol? Answer: See the article “New Testament Beverages” for details. The brief answer is that the New Testament allows Christians to use alcohol for medicinal purposes, but not for recreational purposes. Christians are to strive to be sober and watchful at all times.
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