In the first article I brought up the passage that says the deacons are not to drink much wine (I Tim. 3:8). Does this the passage that prove that you can drink a little as long as you do not drink to excess? Is the text also teaching that if you want to drink alcohol, do not become an elder as they are forbidden from drinking? From a Christian point of view, something seems odd with these conclusions.

Let’s first establish that the wine in this text is fermented. It would seem out of place for Paul to write that deacons should not be given to much unfermented grape juice. If deacons were told not to be given to much, are they allowed to have a little? If there is danger in consuming much alcohol though, why would they be permitted to take a little?

Perhaps Paul’s instruction to Timothy might have a bearing on this. It was clear that Timothy did not (or would not) drink any wine that was fermented. Timothy would not even drink it for medicinal reasons. However, he was told by Paul that he should take some for his stomach’s sake (I Tim. 5:23). This begs the question – why would Timothy, at least up to this point, not take wine for his ailment? Obviously there was an issue Timothy was aware of when it came to consuming wine that had alcohol in it. He needed to be told that it is okay for sickness.

Getting back to deacons, the phrase in I Timothy 3:8 “not given to much wine” could also be phrased as “to say not paying attention to.” This is hardly a text to support the idea of drinking socially (non-medicinal). Saints are to keep themselves unspotted from the world by being sober and righteous (James 1:27; I Pet. 5:8; Titus 2:12). Therefore, with all the dangers and abuses connected with alcohol, it would be a stretch to use this text to support the consumption of wine that is fermented to merely satisfy thirst.

Could grape juice (non-fermented) even exist throughout the year in Biblical times? This question will also be addressed in next week’s bulletin.

Chuck 

In John the second chapter, we find the story where Jesus went to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. We know that with any wedding there is going to be planning. For some reason, the master of the event (verse 9) found himself in an awkward situation – they ran out of wine (verse 3). Mary came right out and said “They have no wine.”

Jesus performed a miracle and turned the water into wine. There were six water pots that each held twenty to thirty gallons. It is safe to say that Jesus easily made between 120-160 gallons of wine (verse 6). Did the guests, including our Lord, have even more alcoholic wine to drink now after having already consumed all the alcoholic wine that was available earlier?

I have made the statement on more than one occasion that if anyone thinks Jesus made alcoholic beverages at the wedding feast, they do not know Jesus. By this I mean that they do not know what He taught concerning intoxicating, alcoholic wine. Jesus did not warn people about the abuse of wine, He spoke about drinking it. Christ, speaking through the Holy Spirit to Peter, discussed the three levels of transgression relating to drinking. First was drunkenness, then revelries (i.e. the life of the party) and finally drinking parties (I Pet. 4:3). If there was truly so much alcoholic wine at the wedding feast, would it not fit the description of a drinking party?

Some would argue that the word “wine” in the Bible always refers to fermented grape juice. If this is true, then the Bible is not just permitting us to consume alcohol but encouraging us to consume in moderation. This could not be any further from the truth. The John 2 text should be sufficient to settle that dispute, but we shall consider some other facts.

If all grape juice was fermented, how could the elders in a local church logically be forbidden to drink any wine (I Tim. 3:3)? Would this not mean that they could not partake of the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:23-26)? [Questions about deacons will be dealt with in the second article (I Tim. 3:8)]. The verses regarding elders lead to a logical conclusion that wine in the Bible can be fermented or non-fermented.

A passage that does deal clearly with fermented wine is Proverbs 23. Look what is stated by inspiration of God: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at last it bits like a serpent, and stings like a viper,” (verses 29-32). This is obviously a warning to those who are interested in alcoholic wine. The message is clear – do not even look at it! If our Savior made close to 150 gallons, it clearly must have been non-alcoholic.

Getting back to the New Testament, some contend that Christians drank fermented wine based upon I Corinthians 11:21. The text speaks about the abuse of the Lord’s Supper and how they turned it into a feast. Some would eat ahead of others while others were hungry and still others were drunk. Then Paul tells them to eat and drink at home (verse 22). The word “drunk” here means “to be filled.” The word can be used to describe one who is intoxicated, but this is not the only use. In context, Paul was contrasting those who had much to eat and drink with those who had little. Lord willing, next week I will devote another article to this subject.

Chuck                                                                                        

Jesus spoke many parables when He walked with mankind. Let’s revisit the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). Our Lord spoke about how there were ten virgin planning to go meet the bridegroom to go to a wedding. We are told that five of them took extra oil for their lamps, while the other five did not.

As the parable unfolds, we find that the virgins who did not bring extra oil asked the other five virgins if they would share what they had. Their answer was “no” (verse 9). Those who brought extra said that if they shared what they had, they too might run out of oil. The virgins who brought enough oil were praised for being wise both for bringing extra and for saying “no” to ensure they would be able to meet the bridegroom.

Wisdom dictates preparedness. There is nothing wrong with helping others – Christians are clearly admonished to do this (Gal. 6:10). However, something is wrong when the unwise of this world expect the wise to cover their mistakes. If a person chooses not to work, should those who do work provide for them? The answer is no (II Thess. 3:10).

There will always be people who, lacking wisdom, criticize those who do have wisdom for not acting the way they want them to. It should not surprise us that the unwise expect the wise to act foolishly! This happened to Jesus on many occasions. Recall when people came looking for Him because they expected Him to fill their bellies with free food (John 6:26-27). Consider the spiteful thief on the cross. He did not care for Jesus, did not believe who Jesus was and still told Jesus to save him (Luke 23:39). The list goes on and on.

There is no question that when you walk with wisdom, some will think you heartless, uncaring and selfish. The wise virgins were none of those things, but you could see how others might perceive them to be. May we learn this valuable lesson and not be found unprepared because we were encouraged to be unwise.

Chuck 

The title of this article presents a question that might seem silly to ask. From a Christian point of view, it seems obvious that one should always tell the truth. However, telling the truth does not always require you to speak. In other words, you might find it better to say nothing than to speak the truth in certain situations.

Sometimes silence is what is needed

For a perfect example, consider when Jesus was confronted by the chief priests and elders (Matt. 21:23-27). Jesus obviously knew the truth and could have spoken. However, because they refused to answer His question, He did not answer theirs. Jesus recognized the true intent of the conversation and was not under obligation to tell the truth. Still, let’s not confuse this idea with thinking there are times when we can lie. That’s not what we are talking about in the article.

The Proverb writer stated that one should not answer a fool according to his folly (26:4). You may very well be right about something, but if you are dealing with one who is just being foolish in his thinking, your truth will fall on deaf ears. This is why our Lord told His followers that when someone does not want to hear the truth, there comes a time you have to shake the dust off your feet and move on (Luke 9:5).

There are different ways to utter the truth

We must also not forget that there are many ways to say the same thing without lying. Again, the Proverb writer stated that a soft answer can turn away wrath (Prov. 15:1). Paul spoke similarly in his when instructing saints to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). It is not the intention to speak in a way to defuse a situation by withholding truth. Rather, it means to choose our words wisely.

Let your yes be yes, and your no be no

Knowing that we all need to speak the truth, Christians need to make sure they mean what they say. If we say we are going to do something, it ought to be the truth, not just a ploy to create a temporary reprieve. During His sermon on the mount, Jesus admonished his followers “But let your ‘Yes” be “Yes” and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one,” (Matt. 5:37). God’s people do not say things like, “Well, I really did not mean it.” Or, “You are not going to hold me to that are you?” God’s people are to tell the truth always, even when they say they are going to do something.

Gossip may be truth, but still gossip

It is easy to justify gossip by saying, “Well, it was the truth!” This may be correct, but such things should not be said if our intent is to malign another instead of helping them. Our Lord pointed out that if we have a matter with a brother, we are to go to him directly (Matt. 18:15). Not everyone needs to know all the “ins and outs” of our personal lives. Telling every little detail might be truthful, but we need to make sure that we are speaking with purpose, not just to create a stir. There is far too much being uttered for a lack of understanding of this principle.

Beware of uttering “white” lies

Too often, people replace the truth with what they consider a “harmless” lie. If there is no obvious harm done by the falsehood, people become more comfortable deviating from truth. The problem is that our Lord makes no distinction between “harmless” lies and “malicious” ones. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8). May we only speak truth as God’s children.

Chuck                                                                                        

I could not help but notice an incident that happened with a father and his daughter at our Bible booth last week. The dad was answering the question about James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” He pushed the button that answered that, “we are said by faith only” and he found out he was incorrect. Undeterred by the verse, the man was still convinced that we are saved by faith only. “I would argue that point!” he said.

It is interesting how people who claim to believe in God and His word are so quick to disagree with what our savior said. This is problematic for the man, but it is even more concerning to realize that he is passing this attitude on to his daughter. It is easy to disregard verses that challenge our ideas of faith, but God’s truth is unchanging (Heb. 13:8).

To specifically deal with the man at the fair, many people get defensive and think that James is teaching that faith is not essential to salvation. Of course it is! Nobody will ever get to heaven without faith (Heb. 11:6; 10:38; I Pet. 1:5, etc.). The text did not say that faith does not save – it said that faith only (sometimes translated as “faith alone”) does not save. Why is that? James answered that in verse 26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  Who would conclude that the body can live without the spirit? The person who believes faith alone saves!

Not all “faiths” are equal. For example, we are told about many individuals in Biblical times who had a faith that was dead. They did have faith though. John 12:42 describes people that believed in Jesus but did not want to confess their faith for fear of man. We are told that they loved the praise of men more than God (verse 43). James mentioned that even demons believe in God (James 2:19). Clearly, having faith in God is not the same as being faithful.

Logically speaking, who thinks that acknowledging danger means they are automatically safe? No one! If I believe I am trapped in a fire and could die, I still must do something to be saved. Likewise, if I believe in Jesus Christ and know that I am lost in sin, I am not saved yet. This is why James taught that faith without works is dead (2:26).

Arguments about “faith only” are usually connected to a misunderstanding of grace. When Paul stated that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Eph. 2:8), the apostle was not teaching that grace “does the works” that James said was necessary to be saved. Grace is the gift of the PLAN of salvation. In other words, we would all be lost without Christ coming, dying on the cross and providing a way to have the remission of sins.

Grace does not mean that man should not do good works. If works were not necessary, then everyone (faith or not) could go to heaven just based on grace. Remember, God’s word calls belief a work (John 6:28). The fact that mankind was given conditional salvation (i.e. that we must do things to be saved) does not lessen God’s grace. It would if one thought they were earning their salvation. This was the point Paul made in Ephesians 2:9: “not of works lest anyone should boast.”  Faith without works is just as useless as works without grace. Works alone cannot save a soul. No matter how many good things you do, you cannot earn your salvation. It is a gift that has conditions.

Jesus made many powerful statements about salvation: “Unless you believe I am He you will die in your sins,” (John 8:24); “Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish,” (Luke 13:3); “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16). Notice how they all contain conditions. Faith without works is dead, and works alone does not save either. May we seek God’s salvation, not our own!

Chuck