Hello, everybody! Some thought came across me which I think I may share impromptu:
I guess the KJV "built-in" dictionary defines "wine" various ways. Using ONLY THE BIBLE TO DEFINE THE BIBLE, here are my rough observations:
1. "Juice" is mentioned ONCE in the KJV and it does not refer to grape juice.
2. There is a "wine" that is "juice of my pomegranate" .
Song of Solomon 8:2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced
wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
3. There is a "wine" that can make a person "drunken".
Genesis 9:21 And he drank of
the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
4. There is a "wine" that is a "strong drink".
5. There is a "wine" that is "vinegar".
6. There is a "wine" that is a "liquor".
7. There is a "liquor" that is of "grapes".
Numbers 6:3 He shall separate himself from
wine and strong drink, and shall drink no
vinegar of wine, or
vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any
liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
8. There is a "strong wine" and it was a "drink offering".
Numbers 28:7 And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the
strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering.
9. "Wine" is either or not "strong drink".
Deuteronomy 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or
for wine, or for s
trong 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,
10. "Wine" is either or not "grapes".
Deuteronomy 28:39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of
the wine, nor gather
the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
11. "New wine" is either opposite of "old wine" or opposed to "strong drink" .
Luke 5:37 And no man putteth
new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
Luke 5:39 No man also having drunk
old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
Isaiah 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As t
he new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
Matthew 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this
fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it
new with you in my Father's kingdom.
Are Christians to drink "wine"? Yes or No, or Yes and No?
My answer would be: "Which wine?" 2 Tim. 2:15
May Christians "drink moderately" (as all wine ads on TV say) strong wine? Yes or No, or Yes and No?
My answer would be, will I be able to convince some older members of the church "who were in Christ before me" to quit buying San Miguel Beer, if they see "red wine" in my home? If I say, that's just for "cooking" or for "my stomach's sake", they would say Tanduay Rhum or Red Horse Beer are our "vitamins".
Just want to inform everybody that I was brought up in a legalistic childhood (under tutor, under the law) but trained in a liberalistic youth (under grace). I'm over 21, and as an adult(although I think I'm still a child living with my parents handling adult responsibilities), I had seen the legalist camp and the liberal camp and I felt the need to choose. One camp says, "Don't!"; the other camp says, "Why not?" Out of my liberal mind (as my personality test shows that I am "liberal", rather than "conservative"), I seem to see the advantage of
putting the fence farther away from the cliff.
I have seen first-hand and heard testimonies that faithful church members who quit drinking got back to their "works of darkness" (drinking beer with former, unsaved friends beside the street, with matching videoke and worldly singing) after hearing their pastor teach "moderation". I remember a pastor's kid (a girl) saying "God bless" as she stumbled home after drinking pomelo gin "moderately".
In this confused world, while I know I have liberty in Christ and all things are lawful unto me, I believe all things are not expedient. I will take heed lest I fall, and not condemn myself in the thing which I "alloweth". If my pastoral-liberty-drink would make my weak-brother-drunkard to offend, I would drink no wine while the world standeth. (Biblestudent Paraphrase Version 2008
)
I've heard some of my Bible teachers emphasize that there is no total abstinence of wine in the Bible. I believe that. I've also seen "big things" come from "small things", and I read in the Bible to be careful of condemning oneself with what he allows. I'll do my best to do that!
God bless us all!
Biblestudent