Thanks for your comments.
I do not know which version I read but the version which I read also had "only" in it. Does this mean that only isn't in the "original" text?
oops. Sorry I missed the emphasis on "only" in your question. The original text actuallys says: "no longer only" + "be drinking water" (
mēketi hudropotei). So yes, in English that is "no longer drink only water."
And another thing which I also asked myself which you also addressed is the little. If Paul was telling Timothy to stop drinking dirty water completely then my thought was that if Timothy instead switches to wine then drinking a little wine wouldn't be enough to survive. For example if Timothy drank nothing but one glass of wine every day then it wouldn't be enoug liquid. If on the other hand Timothy started drinking like 2 litres of wine every day then he might have gotten drunk if the wine was as strong as our wine today. Maybe the little really refers to the strength of the wine this would make the most sense. But it's still a lot of speculation. I wish this was clearer.
There were many different "levels" of wine then, as today. Some was weak and some was strong. As today in some European communities, wine is used instead of water at meals, but the wine is so diluted that it couldn't make one drunk. As a note: some used to argue that the wine of that day was all non-fermented and that Jesus did not dring wine that could make Him drunk. If this were the case, then His critics would have no reason to call Him and His disciples drunkards or winebibbers.
And another thing I also don't understand is, why didn't Paul simply tell Timothy to claim his healing or to pray over the dirty water for it to be made clean or to do anything along these lines? After all Jesus also said that no deadly thing would harm them if they drink it. Why didn't Paul tell Timothy to just proclaim this promise and to stand on it?
I don't know; Paul didn't tell us. But as with nazareth in Mark 6:5, some simply were not strong enough in faith to achieve their healing without natural help. It is possible that Timothy was such a one. We know that Jesus many times told his disciples that they were "of little faith." But the final answer is: Paul didn't tell us.
That's also one problem which I have with wof theology because a lot of the things which they say we must do like commanding sicknesses to go or speaking to a sickness are things which Paul never did or mentioned. Why didn't Paul simply tell Timothy to speak to his infirmities and to be made whole? Somehow this doesn't really fit together. It's as if there is a difference between how Jesus handled diseases and how Paul handled diseases.
Not really, and why stick with just Paul? Peter and John met a man asking for alms, and what did they do? Told him to get up and walk! They didn't tell him to go to a doctor; didn't tell him to get some crutches; didn't give him leg braces. No, they commanded him with the Word to get up and walk in Jesus name.
It is easy to point to verses that "look" like they refute WoF because of one's lack of faith, but this only dismisses the verses that tell us how we should act and how we should be without doubt.
Mar 11:24 (CEV) Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.
Jas 1:6 (CEV) But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7 If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.
1Jn 5:14 (CEV) We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him. 15 And if we know that God listens when we pray, we are sure that our prayers have already been answered.
The whole debate about healing would never have come up if Paul had only once said something like "just claim your healing" or "speak to your sickness" or "healing belongs to us". Why didn't he just say it? This would have ended all guessing and arguing about healing.
No it wouldn't have; he would have simply been ignored as Jesus, James and John are ignored in the above quoted verses when we talk about healing. Other verses would be found that seem to invalidate the healing claim. Sorry, Sam, but that argument simply does not fly.
Mat 9:28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30a And their eyes were opened;
What happened here? Blind men believed and they received. Why (according to Jesus)? Because they had faith. And the answer back is "yeah, but Jesus healed them by laying on His hands." Ok....
Mar 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
The woman knew that she only need to touch Jesus: she needed to reach out and take her healing v28.
Jesus didn't know who touched Him v30. But he felt power go out of him...
Luk 8:46 (CEV) But Jesus answered, "Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me."
So Jesus didn't even lay hands or even KNOW this healing was about to happen. She touched, she took, she got healed.
Jesus said "who touched me?" The disciples said "Everyone!!!!" Jesus said, someone just took their healing. The woman comes forward.
And Jesus says: "why did you think such a fool thing as you being able to reach out and take your healing!!!"
ummm. No. No.
Jesus says: Well done!! Your faith in My power has made you whole. Go and be healed forever of this thing.
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Sam, I must stress at this point as you have nudged up to the edge of the CF rules: you've asked questions and you may ask more; but because you do not carry a WoF icon you may not debate these answers here, but take them for what they are. There are places on CF for non-WoFers to debate such answers, but the WoF house is not the place. Thanks ahead of time for your understanding of the rules.