Don't look at the wine that appears a beautiful red, That makes pearls in the cup, And flows easily.proverbs 23:31

Prostitution, wine and must make you lose your senses.hosea 4:11

And I set cups full of wine and chalices before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, and said unto them, Drink ye wine: but they said, We drink no wine...jeremiah 35:5-6a

Introduction: It's hard to talk about a subject that's fraught with passion and cultural prejudice. Some people will want to defend their right to drink alcohol without wanting to know if there isn't a divine thought expressed on the subject. Is it not true that the Christian should put aside his personal position and take cognizance of the mind of God's Spirit? In modern Christian literature, some authors go to the very limits of dishonesty to justify the consumption of alcohol. What a sad necessity! Shouldn't we be like the Bereans? They sought to know if what was being said was really the truth, so as not to reject biblical teaching?

I invite you to read this study and consider whether the position presented is worthless. I am not seeking to condemn anyone.what I wish to do is to point out and justify a biblical position that is misunderstood and even despised. I admit that the position presented is not fashionable, nevertheless it is in the Bible.

john 6:60-61 Many of his disciples heard him and said, "This is a hard word; who can listen to it? Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were murmuring about it, said to them, "Does this scandalize you?

Isn't it true that the biblical doctrine concerning alcohol scandalizes many people... to the point that we prefer to remain ignorant? That's a pity! God's Word is light. We have nothing to fear from the truth.

I also understand that each person needs to reflect and take a personal stand before God.we won't all make the same decision, similar to a phrase Jesus expressed in another context: He answered and said to them, Not everyone understands this word, but only those to whom it is given (Matthew 19:11).

The aim of this study is to understand the attitude of the ancient Israelites towards wine and the teaching of the Word of God concerning alcohol.the reality of life is that alcohol is widely used today.nevertheless, you mustn't imagine that God's Word approves of alcohol consumption; it disapproves of it and warns us against this source of avoidable misfortune.

jesus Christ said: Luke 21:34 Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be heavy with excess of eating and drinking, and with the cares of life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly.

solomon said: Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a tumultuous thing; Whoever overindulges in it is not wise.

isaiah said: Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are brave enough to drink wine, And valiant enough to mix strong liquors.

paul wrote: Ephesians 5:18 Be not drunk with wine: it is debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit...

Here are the main topics covered in this study:

1. Wine in the Bible is not necessarily fermented, but it is always capable of fermentation.

2. Fermentation is an undesirable thing (according to the Bible) because it was the cause of intoxication, which in turn was (and still is) the cause of many evils. Intoxication is condemned in the Bible.

3. Jesus did not create an intoxicant at Cana.

4. Today's wines do not correspond to the biblical wines, but rather to the strong drinks mentioned in the Bible.

5. There is a clear opposition in the Bible between the search for God and the consumption of intoxicants: one excludes the other.

6. The Bible approves of those who do not drink alcohol.

I. The meanings of biblical terms.

A. The main terms.

iiiinyy [yyn] (oinoV - oinos) wine, the general term for any beverage derived from fruit and capable of fermentation.

sryt [tyrsh] from the grape (fruit) = grape juice (fruit) or pulp. Most of the time this word is found in the company of the words "wheat" and "oil".sometimes the term "must" in the Bible means something intoxicating, as if fermentation took place before the fruit was crushed.

rks [shekar] (gleukoV=gleukos; sikera=sikera) intense, intoxicating alcohol.

There are other rarer terms too, but these are the main ones.

B. Biblical qualifiers for the term "wine".

1.unqualified wine (0 to 3% alcohol).

2. new wine Proverbs 3:10 (0% alcohol).

3. old wine Luke 1:39 (up to 3% alcohol, not very intoxicating).

4. mixed or mingled wine Proverbs 9:2 and 23:30 This, along with "strong drinks", are the drinks of those who do not fear God. The ungodly also mixed drugs into wine for effect.

5. all kinds of wine Nehemiah 5:18 (probably different fruits or with spices added).

6. royal wine Pharaoh, Melchisedec.

genesis 40:9-11 The chief cupbearer related his dream to Joseph, and said to him: "In my dream, behold, there was a vine before me. The vine had three branches. When it had grown, its flower developed and its clusters yielded ripe grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes, pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh's hand. pharaoh's drink fits in with the teaching of Proverbs 31:4, suggesting that Melchisedec (Gen. 14) might have had a similar drink)

C. The French government considers any alcoholic beverage to be toxic, "a substance harmful to living organs". Because of alcohol, wine is an intoxicating beverage. In the fight against alcoholism (and yes, there is a fight!), the government recognizes five classifications of beverages [I quote part of "the classification of beverages" in "Le code des débits de boissons et des mesures de lutte contre l'alcoolisme, art. The first group is non-alcoholic beverages.here is the second group: wines, beers, ciders, perries, meads, natural sweet wines benefiting from the tax regime for wines, crèmes de cassis, fermented fruit or vegetable juices containing from 1 to 3 degrees of alcohol.these are the "wines" known to the Jews at the time of Jesus, beverages of natural fermentation.by "wine" in the biblical context, we mean "from grape juice to light wine", i.e. between 0 and 3% alcohol, similar to beverage classifications one and two.

The ancients had no technological means of stopping natural fermentation. Fermentation, and therefore alcohol production, could not be prevented. Knowing that grape juice would certainly ferment, the ancients applied the word "wine" without taking the alcohol content into account. This was involuntary alcohol. Knowing that "wine" could be intoxicating, the Jews added water to diminish the potential effect of alcohol. Fermentation being natural, wine did not remain wine forever. According to nature, wine in turn became vinegar.

When "wine" was processed to increase the degree of alcohol, it was no longer recognized as wine, but as a strong (intoxicating) drink. by "strong drink" we mean a level of alcohol that is deliberately exaggerated stronger than usual... a view contrary to that of God-fearing people.

The reality is that"wine in the Bibleand the"today's wine" are two different drinks.what lies behind this difference? During the Middle Ages, monks made wine for their so-called "religious needs".they experimented and learned how to perfect the wine and how to increase the alcohol level in it... with the result that the alcohol level has risen from 1%-3% (natural and unintentional) to 18% in some "modern" wines.the modern beverage commonly referred to as "wine" therefore corresponds more closely to the definition of the "strong drinks" of antiquity: intoxicating beverages, with a deliberately exaggerated alcohol level.these correspond more or less to the "third group" of the "classification of beverages": "vin doux naturel other than those belonging to the second group, vin de liqueur, apéritifs à bas de vin and strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant or cherry liqueurs, drawing not more than 18 degrees of pure alcohol".

A new evolution in the voluntary manufacture of alcohol began with the invention of distillation. Prior to the end of the first century A.D., alcoholic beverages could only be produced by fermentation, which could not increase the alcohol level beyond 20%.around 100 A.D., distillation was invented.distillation can increase the alcohol level to over 50%, as in the case of Whisky, invented in the 15th century in Ireland and Scotland.[Note the fourth group in the classification of beverages: rums, tafias, alcohols distilled from wine, cider, perry or fruit and not containing added spirit, as well as liqueurs as defined by the law of June 27 1957. Fifth group: all other alcoholic beverages]

These modern beverages have nothing to do with the beverages of antiquity or of the Bible. Make no mistake: the Bible does not approve the consumption of either strong beverages or super-strong distilled beverages.

II. Biblical texts in favor of alcohol consumption. Often, John 2 or 1 Timothy 5 are put forward as proof that God wants Christians to drink alcohol. So it's a good idea to start with these two passages.

A. Jesus turned water into wine at Cana.

john 2:9-10 When the host of the feast had tasted the water turned into wine, - not knowing where the wine came from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew, - he called the bridegroom and said to him: Every man serves first the good wine, then the less good after one is satiated*; you, you have kept the good wine until now.

Before you think about it, let's imagine that the wine in this passage corresponds to the reader's favorite wine: a Bordeaux or a Beaujolais. But let's consider the context of this word. How did the Jews understand the word "good" at the time? This forces us to make a cultural assessment. Did the ancient Jews desire fermentation, as if it were a good thing?or, was fermentation one of the undesirable things in the struggle to survive? Was the best wine the freshest, or on the contrary, the most fermented? The New Bible Dictionary says:

In ancient times, must was sometimes boiled to turn it into syrup or grape honey, and Latin writers mention various methods of preserving grapes and even must. efforts were made to prevent fermentation, in order to obtain a liquid rich in sugar... An organizer presided over the feast.one of his duties (at least where Hellenic customs were observed) was to determine the proportion of water to be mixed with the wine.water should be mixed with the wine(kept thick enough until the moment of consumption), and how much each guest could drink."

Think about this question too: are we obliged to believe that Jesus created an advanced wine in fermentation?doesn't the word "good", which the Holy Spirit inspired here, suggest another passage about creation? Genesis 1 and John 1 have close links.wouldn't the Creator have created a perfect thing? Would the Creator have created corruption (which is fermentation)?at Cana, Jesus made wine similar to that which he will drink in the Kingdom: that is, he made new wine (Matt. 26:29). The text doesn't specify this, since it's so obvious: the whole story revolves around JESUS' CREATIVE ACT. This was not simply new wine, but perfect wine, a perfection so indescribable that it has been called "the best". Moreover, in this verse in Matthew 26, Jesus uses not the undefined term "wine" but the term "fruit of the vine", reminiscent of Pharaoh's drink, for Jesus himself is the King of the Jews.fermentation is a corruption of what is good. Certainly, the "wine" Jesus created at Cana would ferment, if the guests didn't drink it all.but this "good wine" could not yet be corrupted, since it was created perfect by the Creator.(No one would dare say that Christ created something corrupt! Why? Because corruption is part of death and its consequences.) Are we obliged to believe that Jesus created a fermented wine? No.

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*This word in the Greek (mequskw, methusko) is normally translated "intoxicated", but in certain circumstances it is translated "to drink much" [see La Bible en Français Courant , or Louis Segond by the TBS] or "became satiated". if the drink was intoxicating, the word should be translated "intoxicated".on the other hand, if the drink had not been intoxicating, the word should be translated as "drank freely" or "were satiated".but this is not such a context.these paragraphs on "Jesus turned water into wine" show that we don't have to believe that his wine was intoxicating.anyone who claims that his wine was intoxicating can also imagine that the guests were already intoxicated! So, according to this argument, the Son of God would have encouraged and participated in the debauchery of the guests. This is impossible.

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B. Paul recommended that Timothy take some wine...

1Timothy 5:23 Do not continue to drink only water; but make use of a little wine, because of your stomach and your frequent indispositions.

This is very similar to a doctor's prescription: "Take a little of this for your stomach". Antibiotics are taken for certain illnesses. When the patient is cured, the treatment is suspended.

Timothy seems to have been an ascetic. He drank only water and his health had suffered. So Paul gives him a MEDICAL recipe for his stomach. "Drink a LITTLE wine." Paul didn't say "Drink wine in moderation" or "Drink a little wine at every meal."Nor did Paul say, "Drink a strong beverage." He advised him that he should no longer continue his water-only diet.he needed to drink juice from fruit (in the broadest sense) to improve his health. In the right season, the juice would have been fresh; otherwise, it would have been fermented according to nature or reconstituted from syrup.

Nevertheless, this could not be in contradiction with Paul's teaching to pastors, for Timothy was a pastor.in 1 Tim 3:3 Paul says that the pastor must not be in the habit of drinking wine; on the same plane of prohibition, Paul says that the pastor must not be violent ("a giver of blows").imagine the relationship between these two prohibitions. If the pastor only drinks wine once a week, he could also give blows only once a week. I don't think my wife would agree to me beating her even once in a lifetime!

Then in 1Tim. 3:8, Paul says that deacons should not indulge much in wine. Not much... they should be in the habit of drinking very little or very rarely, i.e. as little as possible, so to be avoided.

So how much wine was Timothy allowed to drink? A little. A little wine during his illness.

C. Other remedies:

1.the Samaritan administered oil and wine into the wounds. (Luke 10:34)

2.the dying (Proverbs 31:6)

3.the condemned (Amos 2:8)

4.the suffering (like a drug) (Proverbs 31:6)

Prov 31:6 Give strong drink to him that perisheth, And wine to him that is bitter in soul; Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his sorrows no more [As a pharmaceutical product (drug), alcohol diminishes nervous sensitivities]

III. The New Testament provides no teaching on wine, for the divine position was clearly revealed in the Old Testament.

luke 16:31: If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if one of the dead should rise.

A. Reasons to avoid light wine (and consequently any other alcoholic beverage), according to God's Word.

Alcohol in wine:

1. "makes one cry out", Psalm 78:65

2. causes "violence", Proverbs 4:17

3. Proverbs 20:1, "wine is mocking, and strong drink is tumultuous"

4. "prevents a man from becoming rich", Proverbs 21:17

5. causes suffering, Proverbs 23:29-30

For whom are the ahs? for whom are the alas? Who is the cause of strife? Who is the cause of complaint? For whom are the wounds without cause? for whom are the red eyes? for those who linger by the wine, for those who taste the mingled wine.

6. cause of injustice, Proverbs 31:4-5

Proverbs 31:4-5 It is not for kings, Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes to seek strong drink, Lest in drinking they forget the law, And disregard the rights of all the unfortunate.

7. brings God's curse, Isaiah 5:11-12

Woe to those who run after intoxicating beverages early in the morning, And are heated by wine long into the night! The harp and the lute, the tambourine, the flute and wine, enliven their feasts; But they do not heed the work of the Lord, Nor see the labor of his hands.

8. a source of sin, Isaiah 28:7

But they also stagger in wine, And strong drink makes them dizzy; Priests and prophets stagger in strong drink, They are absorbed by wine, They are dizzy from strong drink; They stagger in prophesying, They falter in dispensing justice.

9. cause vomiting, Isaiah 28:8 and Hosea 7:5

Isaiah 28:8 All the tables are full of vomit, garbage; There is no more room.

Hosea 7:5 The princes make themselves sick with the excesses of wine; The king stretches out his hand to scoffers.

10. cause for lamentation, Joel 1:5

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep! All you wine-drinkers, wail, Because the must is taken from your mouths!

11. causes immorality, Hab. 2:15-16 (Everyone knows the trickery of men who get women to drink in order to sleep with them)

From the above texts (as well as the customs of the time), we can easily see that biblical culture was and still is anti-alcoholic. alcohol was avoided, natural wine was drunk with care, and when wine was obviously alcoholic, it was rejected according to the Scriptural command in Proverbs 23:31: Do not look at the wine that appears to be a beautiful red, That makes pearls in the cup. this sentence doesn't invite us to close our eyes while we're drinking the bubbly wine! It's a formal prohibition against desiring alcoholic beverages.

It should also be noted that in France, alcohol is the number one cause of road accidents, and road accidents are the number one cause of death in France, not counting the paralyzed, the orphans, etc. And all this could have been avoided...

B. Negative examples of believers who have been deceived by alcohol illustrate Proverbs 23:32: It (wine) bites like a serpent, and stings like a basilisk.

1. Noah, before he uncovered himself in his tent (Gen. 9)

2. Lot, before committing incest (Gen. 19)

3. Isaac, when Jacob deceived him (Gen. 27)

4. Solomon, in his search for madness.

Ecclesiastes 2:3 I resolved in my heart to give up my flesh to wine, while my heart would lead me with wisdom, and to cleave to folly until I saw what it is good for the sons of men to do under heaven during the number of the days of their life.

C. Worldly men who drank alcohol.

1. Nabal, who refused to help David (1Sam 25:36-37)

2. Amnon, who raped his sister. (2Sam 13:28)

3. Belshazzar, before committing sacrilege. (Dan. 5)

Daniel 5:1-4 King Belshazzar gave a great feast to his lords numbering a thousand, and drank wine in their presence. when Belshazzar had tasted the wine, he brought the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, could drink from them.then they brought the golden vessels that had been removed from the temple, from the house of God in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, used them to drink. They drank wine, and they praised the

of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.

[All this is to be contrasted with Daniel and his friends who refused to defile themselves with the king's wine. (Daniel 1)]

D. People in the Bible who didn't drink alcohol.

1.well-known biblical characters:

a. Abraham served milk to the three travelers. (Genesis 18)

b. David

Ps 4:8 You put more joy in my heart than they have When their wheat and must abound.

c. The descendants of Jonadab (Jer. 35)

Jer 35:5,6,8,14 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites cups full of wine, and chalices, and said unto them, Drink ye wine: but they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall never drink wine, neither ye nor your sons....we obey all that Jonadab, son of Rechab, our father, has commanded us: we drink no wine all our lives, we, our wives, our sons and our daughters; The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, who commanded his sons not to drink wine, have been observed, and they have drunk none to this day, because they have obeyed their father's command. And I spoke to you, I spoke to you in the morning, and you did not listen to me.

d. Daniel and his 3 friends refused to defile themselves with wine

Daniel 1:8-9 Daniel resolved not to be defiled by the king's food or by the wine from which the king drank, and he begged the chief eunuch not to force him to defile himself. God made Daniel find favor and grace before the chief eunuch.

e. John the Baptist did not drink wine (Luke 1:15)

2. Groups:

a. The Israelites in the desert for forty years. (Deuteronomy 29:6)

b. The Nazirite (Nazarene) vow (the word means "separated, consecrated [to God]") nom 6:2-3 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man or woman separates himself or herself from others by vowing a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself or herself to the Lord, he or she shall abstain from wine and intoxicating drink; he shall not drink vinegar made with wine, nor vinegar made with intoxicating drink; he shall not drink any liquor made from grapes, and he shall not eat fresh grapes or raisins.

[One editor, in his desire to justify the consumption of alcohol, claims that abstinence was only a means to simulate the nomadic life of the patriarchs!]

c. Active priests were forbidden to drink light wine on pain of death.

1. Lev 10:9-11 You shall drink neither wine nor intoxicating liquor, you and your sons with you, when you enter the tent of meeting, lest you die: this shall be a perpetual law among your descendants, so that you may be able to distinguish what is holy from what is profane, what is unclean from what is clean, and to teach the children of Israel all the laws which the Lord has given them through Moses.

2. Numbers 18:12 I give thee the first-fruits which they shall offer unto the LORD: all the best oil, and all the best new wine, and all the best grain.[Since God forbids them to drink wine, he doesn't give it to them]

3. Ezekiel 44:21 No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

4. The New Testament teaches us that we are part of a new priesthood, a royal priesthood of which all believers are partakers. We learn that we are (each individually) the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. When a believer drinks alcohol, he declares that he is not ready to serve the Lord.

1Peter 2:9 On the contrary, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen people, that you may proclaim the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,

1Peter 1:14-17 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the lusts you once had, when you were in ignorance. But since he who called you is holy, you too must be holy in all your conduct, as it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy.and if you call as your Father him who judges according to each man's work, without distinction of persons, conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your pilgrimage... (See Leviticus 11:44)

It's up to you to choose which of these three groups you want to identify with:

- The believers who drank wine and did ignoble things?

- Worldly men who drank wine and did ignoble things?

- Biblical characters who did not drink wine and were honored by God?

E. There is an absolute absence of biblical texts praising the virtues of drinking alcohol. Apart from medicinal texts, there are no pro-alcohol phrases in the Bible.can you find one? The only passage we do find is Psalm 104:15. This phrase is positive towards wine, in the biblical sense, but the import of the context is not wine but God's bounties.

F. In the Gospels, the word wine is often qualified by the adjective "new", e.g. Matthew 9:17. This simply means that the word wine is a general term. At the moment of pressing, the juice is called must. For an indefinite time, the wine is called "new," then later the wine gradually ferments. Luke 5:39 gives the example where the word wine is qualified by the adjective "old" to specify that this wine is certainly alcoholic.in this context, the "old wine" represents the "old religion". Jesus clearly wants to dethrone the old religion and create a new one. The Jews were complacent in their old religion and didn't want to change anything, not even for God! In context, Jesus presents himself as the new wine. The application is clear: the old wine and the corrupt religion. Jesus is the good wine: pure, new, perfect, uncorrupted. The old wine, even if we like it, is to be rejected.

The only example in the Gospels that we haven't yet seen is that of Jesus refusing to drink an intoxicating beverage on the cross (Mark 15:23). Isn't he an example for us?

In the Epistles and Revelation, phrases containing the word "wine" are always negative, forbidding, warning or restrictive, even in the medical case for Timothy ("a little").wine is never presented in the New Testament in a favorable light.

IV. have you noticed the connection between the question of alcohol and the question of drugs and prostitution?

Hosea 4:11 Prostitution, wine and wort [here fermented], make one lose his senses.

Since alcohol consumption is acceptable in the world, there are many Christians who enjoy it. when drug use becomes acceptable in the world, will Christians enjoy it too? In Scripture we find no prohibition against drug use EXCEPT BY EXTENSION FROM THE TEXTS AGAINST ALCOHOL.no one is going to condemn the medicinal use of drugs or alcohol. On the other hand, we can criticize the consumption of drugs and alcohol as a form of PLEASURE, or even as a habit.

Relationship with prostitution.

Wine and prostitution have much in common, according to the Bible, and are often mentioned in the same sentences and paragraphs. Both have implied prohibitions. Both have very negative references in the Bible. Both are used in the Word of God in negative metaphors. Both have the capacity to bring a person to want, destruction and ruin [I'm not saying that prostitution is okay. What I'm saying is that (according to the Bible) prostitution is bad, and drug use is bad, and alcohol consumption is bad.prostitution, drugs and alcohol are vices. The dictionary says "an inclination towards evil", "misconduct". As an example, it gives "The vice of smoking" and a sentence by Pascal who wrote: "Vice is natural to us".

V. There is an obvious opposition in the Bible between "SEEKING THE LORD" and "DRINKING WINE". who among us could make Hannah's statement in 1Samuel 1:15: Hannah answered, No, my lord, I am a woman who suffers in her heart, and I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink; but I poured out my soul before the Lord.

Proverbs 23:26-35 My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes delight in my ways. For the harlot is a deep pit, And the stranger a narrow well. She lays snares like a robber, And increases among men the number of the treacherous. For whom the ah? for whom the alas? Who is the quarrel? Who is the complaint? For who are the wounds without reason? For who are the red eyes? For those who linger by the wine, For those who go to taste mingled wine. Don't look at the wine that appears a beautiful red, That makes pearls in the cup, And flows easily.it bites like a serpent, and stings like a basilisk. Your eyes will be set on strangers, and your heart will speak perversely.you will be like a man lying in the middle of the sea, Like a man lying on the top of a mast: They have struck me,... I have no pain!... I have been beaten,... I feel nothing!... When will I wake up? I want more!

Deuteronomy 29:5-6 I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes did not wear out on you, nor did your shoe wear out on your foot;you have not eaten bread, nor drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.

Judges 13:7 And he said unto me, Thou shalt conceive, and bear a son: and now drink neither wine nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: for this child shall be holy unto God from his mother's womb unto the day of his death.

Proverbs 31:4-5 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes to seek strong drink, Lest in drinking they forget the law, And disregard the rights of all wretches.

Isaiah 28:7 But they also stagger in wine, And strong drink makes them dizzy; Priests and prophets stagger in strong drink, They are absorbed by wine, They are dizzy from strong drink; They stagger in prophesying, They falter in dispensing justice.

Isaiah 5:11 The harp and the lute, the tambourine, the flute and wine, enliven their feasts; But they do not heed the work of the LORD, Nor see the labor of his hands.

To ignore this obvious opposition is willful blindness.

God wants all believers to live a life of holiness. God wants every believer to be at his service.

Romans 12:1-2 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which will be reasonable worship on your part.do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Alas, too many believers are content with a mediocre Christian life, hardly different from the life of non-believers. We're afraid of being different.we don't want to be taken for a "Nazirite", a person consecrated to God! No, we prefer to run the risk of alcohol (and many other things!) to conform to the world, to the present century. How sad God must feel.

James 4:4 Adulterers that you are, do you not know that the love of the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Gal 5:17-21 The flesh has desires contrary to those of the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires contrary to those of the flesh; they are opposed to each other... Now the works of the flesh are manifest, they are ... drunkenness, gluttony, and the like. I tell you beforehand, as I have already said, that those who commit such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Often this question about wine is just a smokescreen to hide the desire to disobey God when it comes to alcoholic beverages.we're not content to drink light wine (0-3%), we want to manipulate the Scriptures to justify the consumption of strong drinks (from 4% to 55%).it seems to me that many people, even Christians, are enslaved to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.how many Christians wouldn't let a glass of booze go by while they let worship go by from Sunday to Sunday, without a thought for God or other Christians? When are Christians going to put God first?

Matthew 6:31-33 Do not be anxious, then, saying, "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? For all these things the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them: seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God, and all these things will be added to you.

Conclusions to draw :

1. The reality is that today, most people, including Christians, drink alcohol in spite of divine warnings. These people have been led and deceived by the world, the flesh, and the devil.we shouldn't condemn them, but rather encourage them to live closer to God. Isn't it true that we all need to live closer to God?

2.we need to make a distinction in our thinking between wine (which in the biblical sense can have 0% alcohol) and the alcohol in wine.

3.every person should draw a line somewhere to divide between what they allow themselves as a believer and what the non-believer does. In the context of wine, it's not enough to draw the line at "drinking in moderation", because how are we going to assess the point at which we exceed the limit?once the limit is exceeded, the person is debauched, according to the Bible. The government has set a minimum limit beyond which one is considered too drunk to drive a car. Will the Christian give himself a more, or less, generous limit?

4. There are no excuses for those who want to lead others into alcohol, drugs or prostitution.woe to the false prophets (pastors/preachers) who claim that abstaining from alcohol is evil, because the Bible only approves of those who don't drink it.

Amos 2:12-13a And you made the Nazarenes drink wine! And you commanded the prophets, saying, "Do not prophesy; behold, I will crush you!

Micah 2:11 If a man runs after the wind and speaks lies: I will prophesy to you about wine, about strong drink! He will be a prophet to this people.

Hab. 2:15-16 Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink, to you who pours out your wineskin and makes him drunk, so that you may see his nakedness! You will be filled with shame more than with glory; drink also yourself, and uncover yourself! The cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned upon thee, and shame shall defile thy glory.

3. Never be ashamed to abstain from alcoholic beverages, even if the world or your brothers claim that you are doing wrong by doing so. Know that you will always be intimidated by the wine-drinker, because the very fact that you don't drink it creates a sense of guilt in others. Strengthen yourself by knowing that God approves of your abstinence and that you are in the company of many saints who have taken the same path as you.

Several things stand out from this study:

The "wine" in the Bible had between 0 and 3% alcohol, not very intoxicating unless you drank a lot of it. There was no way to check the degree of alcohol.this "wine" corresponds to several of today's products: grape juice, fruit juice, natural syrups and light wine. The Bible condemns the excess of THIS LIGHT WINE. God's Word disapproves of intoxicating and intoxicating products. All alcoholic beverages are therefore inadvisable.

Modern wines" correspond to "strong beverages" in the Bible, and their consumption is frowned upon. Super-strong beverages created progressively since Roman times are all the more forbidden.

alcohol, being a drug, can be a medicine.

the ancients did not appreciate fermentation in their wine.

People in positions of responsibility are not allowed intoxicants.

Christians consecrated to God have no right to intoxicating products. Woe to Christians who aspire only to a mediocre, worldly life.

the wise person (who seeks the way of God, Proverbs 1:7)

will stay away from intoxicating products.

Prophets (pastors/preachers) who encourage the consumption of intoxicating products are not sent by God, they are false prophets.

Not drinking intoxicants is honorable and part of a life of "separation or consecration" to God. Such a personal stance has God's approval.

it is impossible to be filled with the Holy Spirit while under the

under the influence of alcohol.

it is good not to drink alcohol.

A summary of the main points:

Summary of the first point:

- The biblical term "wine" is a general word for any beverage capable of natural fermentation.it is not identical with the current meaning of "wine".

- Alcohol is an intoxicant.

- The Bible does not approve of the consumption of intoxicants.

Summary of the second point:

- The ancients preferred sweet drinks to fermented ones.

- Jesus did not make intoxicating drinks at Cana.

- The prescription to Timothy was medical and temporary.

Summary of third point:

- The Old Testament presents several evils caused by intoxicating beverages.

- Some believers acted badly because of "biblical wine".

- Many biblical characters didn't even drink "biblical wine".

- Jesus did not drink the intoxicant.

Summary of the fourth point:

- If you think the Bible approves of intoxicants, what basis do you find for rejecting drugs and prostitution?

Summary of the fifth point:

- It's impossible to be filled with the Holy Spirit when under the influence of alcohol.

Source : http://www.baptistes.info/VinAlcool.htm