To Drink or Not to Drink
Notes
Transcript
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1 Timothy 3:3 (ESV)
3 [an Elder] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
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8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
Introduction
A question was raised recently about Christians and drinking. Should Christians drink alcohol or should they abstain? It would appear from these two texts that Christians can drink in moderation. There is no explicit command in the Bible stating that ‘You shall not drink alcohol’. There is no doubt that wine in moderation was permitted to the Jews in Old Testament times and this may have continued with Christians in New Testament times.
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1. Principles
1. Principles
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12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.
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23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
Drunkenness
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15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
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1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
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21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
Drunk - affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one's faculties or behaviour:
Drink driving - 3 units for women and 4 units for men.
3 small glasses of wine are about 4-5 units, need to wait 5.5 hours before driving.
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2. Biblical Wine
2. Biblical Wine
Have you ever wondered if modern wine is different from biblical wine or ancient wine? Most wines that are produced today are manufactured on a large scale and contain high levels of alcohol, sugars, and additives. Biblical wine was grown and produced in the most natural way possible. Therefore, it was composed of low levels of both alcohol and sugar. It also did not include any of the modern additives that are often used today. Quite a few differences can be found when comparing biblical wine vs. modern wine.
“The sugar of grape juice can only ferment to 3 or 4% alcohol with wild yeast — airborne yeast. For grape juice to exceed 4% alcohol, then the winemaker must add yeast. The yeast added to ancient wines produced between 4–11% alcohol. Alcohol kills these yeast cells and prevents levels of alcohol from exceeding ~10%. Today, wines average 12–20% alcohol due to modern fermentation by adding sulfur dioxide and Saccharomyces (a cultured GMO yeast) to a late harvest of ripened grapes with higher fructose (Winemaker Magazine, Wines & Vines, UC Davis, International Biblical Encyclopedia, “Alcohol in the Church,” Bible Wine).”
The intertestamental period serves as a backdrop for the NT period. Rabbinic sources reveal that wine was mixed with water (usually two parts of water to one of wine) in the Mishna, but later Talmudic material gives a three to one mixture. Prior to the NT era, wine was a normal part of the Passover ritual. The Mishna mentions drinking four cups of wine during the Passover meal, of which three were mixed with water.
Mishna - A Jewish collection of oral traditions and written works redacted cad 200. A foundational document for Judaism. Includes the earliest data available about early rabbinic Judaism. The Mishnah also illustrates rabbinic ideas relevant to the study of Judaism in Jesus’ lifetime. Also: Mishna
Talmud - A collection of rabbinic Jewish texts that record the oral tradition of the early rabbis. The Talmud is primary source for the study of Judaism from the first century AD up to the date of its final redaction, as late as the seventh century. The Talmud is likewise relevant to the study of Judaism in Jesus’ and the apostles’ lifetimes.
Spirits - Distillation techniques were developed in Roman Egypt by the 3rd century, but the description of aqua ardens ("burning water", i.e., alcohol) made by distilling wine with salt appears in Latin works only by the 12th century. The process was well known among European medieval chemists by about 1300.
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3. A Kingdom of Priests
3. A Kingdom of Priests
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9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
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4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
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5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
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8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”
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4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, 5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
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1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
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Samson
7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
Samuel
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11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
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John the Baptist
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
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23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
The Lord’s Supper
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29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
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οίνος oinos 33 times the common word translated "wine" in the New Testament
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γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου genematos tes ampelou "fruit of the vine" – the only New Testament term to describe the contents of the cup at the Last Supper.
Conclusion
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6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
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8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Dilution Ratio Water:Wine
Homer 20:1 8th Century BC - Poet
Pliny 8:1 - 23 - 79 AD Roman Army Commander
Aristophanes 2:1 or 3:1 Greek Playwright