I have a concern that has been convicting me for some time now. I am fairly new to the SDA community but I have done much study over the past few years, as well as, graduating from a Bible school. I have a burden for outreach and do much evangelism for the cause of Christ. But I have a stumbling block in a few of the teachings of the SDA. As I talk to many of the lay people many of the them seem to agree with me yet the teachings go on. Here is my concern and conviction maybe you can help me with it.
One of the things I have notice when people try to prove something is sinful they will go right to the extreme to prove what they believe, for example. When they speak of wine being sinful they will either show you a picture or paint a mental picture in your mind of a drunkard laying in the gutter all beat up and dirty. They will use this picture to prove that God says drinking fermented wine is a sin. Anyone in their right mind would agree with the picture as being a sinful state to be in but this is not a true and accurate representation. This would be like showing all the fatherless children and single mothers on welfare and saying God says sex is sinful. Both sex and fermented wine are not sinful in themselves, but rather, how we partake of them is what makes them sinful just like anything else. God's word says sex is for marriage and do not drink to get drunk.
Now the next step.
In order to support their belief in wine being sinful they say that when the Bible speaks of wine it's really referring to grape juice. But I struggle with interpreting the Bible to fit our beliefs rather than allowing the Bible to teach us what to believe.
When we plant a seed into the minds of people teaching them that something is sinful, when in fact it is not, we cause them to look at those who partake of wine as a person sinning. This is not good ministry work. My wife likes to drink a glass of wine with her meal and sometimes at night when she comes home from work. She won't come to church because of this guilt that is brought on by saying drinking wine is sinful.
Here are some of the reasons why I believe the Bible allows God's people to drink fermented wine. Though there are many more biblical verses that allow use of fermented wine by God's people I will only use a couple.
Deuteronomy 14:20-26 But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.
These are a very clear and convincing verses here but there is more.
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?
Here we have a fellowship supper where the brothers are eating all the food and drinking all the wine and are getting drunk because of it. This is surely fermented wine at this fellowship supper.
1 Timothy 3:8-9 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
Here we are told that a deacon must not be given to MUCH wine, in other words, a drunkard. It does not say, a deacon must not drink any wine.
We know that Jesus turned water into wine. Some will say that it was grape juice because of the amount. But we could also say that there could have been 500 or more people at this wedding feast. We could also say that this wedding was going to last a few days. This would make the amount of wine Jesus made seem very small.
The Bible is very clear in that it says drunkenness is sinful in the same way it says adultery is sinful. Now we know sex is not sinful when it's done according to the word of God in like manner fermented wine is not sinful if used according to the word of God.
I say all this even though I myself don't even drink but I want to be a true witness to the truth of God's word. I also don't want to put false seeds of condemnation into the minds of God's people who see people drinking fermented wine.
Some may say this is a minor issue but I say it's not. The reason why I say it's not is because it's these kinds of teachings that keep people out of the church.
What are your thoughts?
Many blessings,
John
One of the things I have notice when people try to prove something is sinful they will go right to the extreme to prove what they believe, for example. When they speak of wine being sinful they will either show you a picture or paint a mental picture in your mind of a drunkard laying in the gutter all beat up and dirty. They will use this picture to prove that God says drinking fermented wine is a sin. Anyone in their right mind would agree with the picture as being a sinful state to be in but this is not a true and accurate representation. This would be like showing all the fatherless children and single mothers on welfare and saying God says sex is sinful. Both sex and fermented wine are not sinful in themselves, but rather, how we partake of them is what makes them sinful just like anything else. God's word says sex is for marriage and do not drink to get drunk.
Now the next step.
In order to support their belief in wine being sinful they say that when the Bible speaks of wine it's really referring to grape juice. But I struggle with interpreting the Bible to fit our beliefs rather than allowing the Bible to teach us what to believe.
When we plant a seed into the minds of people teaching them that something is sinful, when in fact it is not, we cause them to look at those who partake of wine as a person sinning. This is not good ministry work. My wife likes to drink a glass of wine with her meal and sometimes at night when she comes home from work. She won't come to church because of this guilt that is brought on by saying drinking wine is sinful.
Here are some of the reasons why I believe the Bible allows God's people to drink fermented wine. Though there are many more biblical verses that allow use of fermented wine by God's people I will only use a couple.
Deuteronomy 14:20-26 But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.
These are a very clear and convincing verses here but there is more.
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?
Here we have a fellowship supper where the brothers are eating all the food and drinking all the wine and are getting drunk because of it. This is surely fermented wine at this fellowship supper.
1 Timothy 3:8-9 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
Here we are told that a deacon must not be given to MUCH wine, in other words, a drunkard. It does not say, a deacon must not drink any wine.
We know that Jesus turned water into wine. Some will say that it was grape juice because of the amount. But we could also say that there could have been 500 or more people at this wedding feast. We could also say that this wedding was going to last a few days. This would make the amount of wine Jesus made seem very small.
The Bible is very clear in that it says drunkenness is sinful in the same way it says adultery is sinful. Now we know sex is not sinful when it's done according to the word of God in like manner fermented wine is not sinful if used according to the word of God.
I say all this even though I myself don't even drink but I want to be a true witness to the truth of God's word. I also don't want to put false seeds of condemnation into the minds of God's people who see people drinking fermented wine.
Some may say this is a minor issue but I say it's not. The reason why I say it's not is because it's these kinds of teachings that keep people out of the church.
What are your thoughts?
Many blessings,
John
