If We Be Woke, We Can Drink Wine

[newton3005]

What does it mean to be woke? In political circles, certain people are mocked as being woke for their ‘ostensible’ awareness of social issues, being accused of not knowing the full story by those who mock them. But being woke can have a meaning more focused on social issues as they pertain to God. After all, are the First and Second great commandments of Jesus not socially focused, whether on God or on eachother? So anyone who is aware of God and carries that awareness forward to having faith in Him and acting in accordance with that faith, is woke.

The Bible tells us to be focused on God. Ephesians 5:14 says “For anything that becomes visible is light.” Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” To be awake is a form of being focused. And commentators tell us that the “dead” referred to here are the sinners in our midst. And to sleep is to not be focused on God and related matters.

So, the Bible tells us to be ever mindful, watchful, and sober in God. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 says to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men and be strong. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 says to “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

What’s that? You ask how is it possible to drink wine and be sober? Well, God through the Scriptures infers that it’s possible, and the Scriptures encourage us to drink wine in certain circumstances. 1 Timothy 5:23 says “(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)”

And Jesus had no objection to wine being imbibed at a wedding. There is a faintly humorous incident described in John 2:1-11 in which Jesus and his mother attended a wedding. When the wine at the wedding ran out, Jesus’ mother says to him in Verse 3 that there’s no wine left. Jesus’ reaction in Verse 4 is, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” One may wonder why Jesus doesn’t call his mother ‘Mom,’ or something similar, but commentators assure us that to call his mom “woman” was a sign of respect n those days. Commentators in Verse 4 say that Jesus’ “hour” he’s referring to, is the time when he is to publicly perform miracles. This is important, because Jesus does end up performing a miracle at the wedding involving the wine, when he turns pitchers of water into it. And the miracle here is not really public because Verse 9 infers that only the servants who brought the pitchers of water-turned-into-wine to the master of the wedding feast knew of the water having been turned into wine.

So what is the Bible telling us? It tells us we can drink wine, but we are to be sober to God’s Endeavors concerning us. So, drink wine responsibly so as to avoid the sins and neglectfulness that too much drinking can lead us to. And keep God in your thoughts and prayers and not waver.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

What does it mean to be woke? In political circles, certain people are mocked as being woke for their ‘ostensible’ awareness of social issues, being accused of not knowing the full story by those who mock them. But being woke can have a meaning more focused on social issues as they pertain to God. After all, are the First and Second great commandments of Jesus not socially focused, whether on God or on eachother? So anyone who is aware of God and carries that awareness forward to having faith in Him and acting in accordance with that faith, is woke.

Thanks for sharing this. I often wonder why being woke is considered a bad thing in some Christian circles when it means to" be alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Blessings.

 

[BobRyan]

What does it mean to be woke? In political circles, certain people are mocked as being woke for their ‘ostensible’ awareness of social issues, being accused of not knowing the full story by those who mock them. But being woke can have a meaning more focused on social issues as they pertain to God. After all, are the First and Second great commandments of Jesus not socially focused, whether on God or on eachother? So anyone who is aware of God and carries that awareness forward to having faith in Him and acting in accordance with that faith, is woke.

The Bible tells us to be focused on God. Ephesians 5:14 says “For anything that becomes visible is light.” Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” To be awake is a form of being focused. And commentators tell us that the “dead” referred to here are the sinners in our midst. And to sleep is to not be focused on God and related matters.

So, the Bible tells us to be ever mindful, watchful, and sober in God. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 says to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men and be strong. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 says to “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

What’s that? You ask how is it possible to drink wine and be sober? Well, God through the Scriptures infers that it’s possible, and the Scriptures encourage us to drink wine in certain circumstances. 1 Timothy 5:23 says “(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)”

And Jesus had no objection to wine being imbibed at a wedding. There is a faintly humorous incident described in John 2:1-11 in which Jesus and his mother attended a wedding. When the wine at the wedding ran out, Jesus’ mother says to him in Verse 3 that there’s no wine left. Jesus’ reaction in Verse 4 is, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” One may wonder why Jesus doesn’t call is mother ‘Mom,’ or something similar, but commentators assure us that to call his mom “woman” was a sign of respect n those days. Commentators in Verse 4 say that Jesus’ “hour” he’s referring to, is the time when he is to publicly perform miracles. This is important, because Jesus does end up performing a miracle at the wedding involving the wine, when he turns pitchers of water into it. And the miracle here is not really public because Verse 9 infers that only the servants who brought the pitchers of water-turned-into-wine to the master of the wedding feast knew of the water having been turned into wine.

So what is the Bible telling us? It tells us we can drink wine, but we are to be sober to God’s Endeavors concerning us. So, drink wine responsibly so as to avoid the sins and neglectfulness that too much drinking can lead us to. And keep God in your thoughts and prayers and not waver.

The Bible says not to drink "grape beverage" when "it moves in the cup" --
Jesus made "grape beverage" but it was not fermented.

The Bible condemns the drug-abuse to the body of drinking alcohol for recreation - i.e. alcoholic wine

 

[Blade]

We all know what being "woke" means. It has nothing what so ever to do with Christ. I know how you mean it but I am not woke. I am born from above I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Every moment I put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. I always have to renew my mind and put off the old man. Sure I guess I could say woke but the world would never attribute that to Christ. I'd rather say it my way.. shines Christ.

As for wine.. Christ gave them the best wine that alone should answer this. I love Christ so I would never drink! Haha.. well the reason is oh I cannot stand the taste. My wife now likes it and she drinks those wine coolers sometimes. Again it was wine.. there is nothing wrong with drinking wine. Some like beer. Its drinking to get drunk. I can not stand the taste.

So don't drink because you find some believer that says its ok. Then the flip because some believer says its wrong don't do it. You pray you find out for your self what He said in His word. We do not answer to what any believer says. ITs what we know Christ by His sweet sweet spirit has told us taught us.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I have no qualms about drinking wine or even beer. As long as it does not result in drunkenness or addiction.
As one who lost a mother to alcoholism as a child, I choose not to drink solely for that reason. I have seen excess destroy too many lives.
Do all things in moderation. Peace and be safe.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Thanks for sharing this. I often wonder why being woke is considered a bad thing in some Christian circles when it means to" be alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Blessings.

If it was just that, I think most Christians would agree. Unfortunately it is not just a matter of just racial and gender (male female) discrimination. We see people making up imaginary conditions and demanding that others play into their fantasies. The problem increases exponentially when laws and rules are made by the gov and other institutions that require you to bow to these flat earth religions.

 

[Red Gold]

The Bible says not to drink "grape beverage" when "it moves in the cup" --
Jesus made "grape beverage" but it was not fermented.

The Bible condemns the drug-abuse to the body of drinking alcohol for recreation - i.e. alcoholic wine

IT WAS FERMENTED!

And enjoying wine is NO DRUG ABUSE.

Q.E.D.

 

[Red Gold]

Since when is it "woke" to accuse others of "drug abuse" when they enjoy drinking real wine?

 

[BobRyan]

IT WAS FERMENTED!

No it was not .. God forbade it. The word used in the text is the one for "grape beverage".
scripture appears to condemn it

And enjoying wine is NO DRUG ABUSE.

until you notice what Alcohol is a drug, an intoxicant - it affects the central nervous system as to almost all drugs. IT is science fact..


"All people who drink alcohol undergo some baseline changes in the short-term function of their nervous systems. In addition, people who drink heavily can experience serious or severe changes in their nervous system health.
...

"Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant. When consumed even in small amounts, it increases the number of neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for slowing down neuron-to-neuron communications. Under the influence of this change, brain activity decreases. In turn, messages travel more slowly and/or less frequently to parts of the body under control of the peripheral nervous system. Messages also travel more slowly or less often within the brain itself.


"Many of the most notable effects of drinking are caused by alcohol’s impact on the central nervous system. They include:

• Slurred speech
• Visual impairment
• Slowed muscle reactions
• Declining body coordination
• Memory disruptions
• A reduced ability to think clearly or logically

 

[Red Gold]

If We Be Woke, We Can Drink Wine​

I agree

 

[SavedByGrace3]

If We Be Woke, We Can Drink Wine​

Hmmmm...
I am not sure how the two are related.
It is like asking "If we be tall, can we read War and Peace?"

 

[LW97Nils]

We once in central Wisconsin which is the the heart of a massive alcohol drinking culture. In fact that state sadly ranks as one of the TOP states for beer consumption nationally. Due to this fact, for the believer it is always a topic of debate or concern and so it must be addressed biblically and not from opinions or traditions of men. We are thankful God delivered us from a life of drunken ways! Today we drink very little alcohol (wine is all, at times) but we find no command against it in scripture.

What we find is that Baptists are among the harshest critics of a NO alcohol consumption policy and they say it is per God's Word that they claim this truth. Recently we had a "so called believer" tell us they believe that any alcohol for ANYONE is a sin and not allowed for any believer per God's Word. While we agree that anyone can choose to NOT drink any alcohol, we would totally disagree with that stance biblically for all people as God's Word does not teach that. We offered this man clear biblical proof, but he didn't consider it.

Please note: we are not social drinkers nor do we support any Christian who imbibes on a regular basis either. What we will show you here is truth and that God's Word forbids ALL drunkenness but it does also teach some alcohol for medicinal purposes is allowed as well.
Here are the following claims this "NO alcohol for anyone" man made with our rebuttal back to him from the Word. Let this be as a training exercise on how to discern truth from error on a topic:

1) He argued for NO alcohol and said that the bible talked of ONLY new wine that had no alcohol to it.
Genesis 27:28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine
Proverbs 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
The Hebrew word for wine here is tiyrowsh (tee-roshe')
and it means wine, fresh or new wine, must, freshly pressed wine

*We would agree in these verses that is new wine but as anyone who knows about wine also knows you have to have NEW wine before you can ever have fermented wine. It is not true they only drank new wine at all! Let's take more of the scriptures in to see what we find about wine in the Old Testament.
It also talks about wine that could and did get men drunk as well. We see this with Noah in Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
The Hebrew word for wine here is:
yayin {yah'-yin}
effervesce; banqueting, winebibbers
Clearly we showed him by this that Noah had to drink wine with alcohol to get drunk on it.

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

2) Next he tried to use this verse to say that the bible says 'do not drink ANY wine'.

Judges 13:4
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

*We refuted that by showing him in context this is a instruction to a specific woman who will bear a son. Also the Hebrew word for wine here is yayin and it means: wine, fermented, intoxication
This again shows some of the wine even in the OT was fermented wine indeed.

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

3) Next he tried to use this verse to say no man should ever drink alcohol.

Proverbs 20:1Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

*We showed him and refuted his theology by pointing out that this is the same word for wine yayin (wine with alcohol in it) and the verse only means if you're deceived by wine (if you get drunk) it is NOT wise. There is no instruction to not drink it here as we see many verses where they did drink alcoholic wine as we go on.

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

4) He also tried to use this verse to say that the New Testament teaches NO alcohol at all.

Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

*We showed him again using context, this verse gives him a real issue as it is all about John the baptist. He was a prophet of God, who had a special Nazarite vow. (They did not eat or drink anything of the grape at all.) We reminded him that John also wore animal skins, lived in the wilderness, ate locust and honey but we don't do that today do we?

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

5) He offered us this verse to claim we can NEVER drink alcohol?

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit

*We showed him that this verse shows the wine they drank INDEED had alcohol and it doesn't say don't drink any it says don't do excess/get drunk! The Greek word here for wine is oinos and it means; wine that had alcohol (just like the wine in the Old Testament)

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

6) He then offered up a whole bunch of verses (75 of them) referring to wine.

We showed him that the truth is that not one of them said you can.t drink any wine. They ALL warned about drunkenness! If you read other wine verses in the NT Word we see they did drink alcohol wine (the kind that could get you drunk) but again not one verse that says don't drink any wine at all. We also had to correct him as one of the words added in was changed from saying don't associate with drunkards to read don't associate with drinkers. That is changing God's Word is it not? The sin of wine is only drunkenness.


NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

7) He also tried to make it a Romans 14 issue about not causing a brother to stumble.

We told him that we would never have a small glass of wine if he was around us to NOT cause him to stumble but that the text in Romans 14 does not say just because it is a stumble issue for some, that NO ONE can ever have it. (We all have homes to do things privately in that won't cause others to stumble.)

NOTE: he was unable to refute this very argument.

In the end; sadly this brother refused to see ANY real biblical truth, he would not even discuss it. We fully support anyone's right to NOT drink any alcohol but they have NO biblical standing to ban it from others as the bible just does not teach that.

To go deeper on our own with this topic, we offered up to him the verses about qualifications for elders:

In Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3 Paul says this about leaders:
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous

Now you may say, see it says no to drinking wine at all. Well that cannot be true as why then did Paul say this to Timothy who WAS a leader?

1 Timothy 5
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Note: the word for wine here is oinos that comes from the Hebrew word yayin and it means intoxication.
This again shows they drank wine with alcohol and all over the bible it is drunkenness that was the sin.

By using ALL of God's Word we know that Paul would not say "DON'T EVER DRINK WINE" to elders only to turn around and tell the young pastor/elder Timothy to drink some for his ailments would he? (We only use wine for that purpose ourselves and yet we would be judged for that by those will ill theology.)

Clearly Paul is telling elders to not be "given to wine" as far as don't drink a lot or get drunk. Paul says drunkards won't inherit God's kingdom not wine drinkers won't inherit God's kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:10
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Jesus even made a wine miracle in John 2 that was said to be the best and that wine (oinos) caused intoxication.
We know this as it says " when men had well drunk" and the word in Greek is methuo. It means to drink to get drunk. Does Christ promote drunkenness? NO, not at all but does God's Word show people drinking a type of wine that COULD get you drunk, yes indeed! We are all responsible for our choices and drinking but not getting drunk is clearly one of them.

It is clear to see that in the Word we see NO command to not drink wine and we see wine drinking done with limitation. It is the drunkness that is never allowed!

So in conclusion we have shown the truth about drinking wine/alcohol in limitation. We also agree that men have every liberty (Romans 14) to not drink any but they have NO biblical standing at all to forbid wine drinking for others who can do it and not be drunken. Again we would NEVER use it around anyone if they choose to not drink as to NOT make them stumble.


We hope this article will help you be biblical on your theology regarding alcohol and let it be a example of how to test ALL things (Thessalonians 5:21) to God's Holy Word!