Quote:
Originally Posted by Born Crucified
I choose to believe God's Word... clear command to abstinence from alcohol.
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Earlier in this thread (before you joined the forum, I think), I asked someone to explain this verse:
Romans 14:21-22 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Now, if any time the Bible says "wine" in a permissive sense it is meant "grape juice," what is it that Paul is trying to teach here? If wine doesn't mean
wine in this verse, what exactly is the offense?
Since Paul is our apostle, I consider what he says first (2Ti 2:7) before I try to understand other passages, such as the ones you have quoted. Paul seems to have a very permissive attitude about wine compared to you (we've already gone over the specific verses and why they mean wine, i.e. "much wine" and "drunkenness", earlier in the thread). So I have to "interpret" the Old Testament verses you quote in the light of Paul's teaching on the matter.
Anyhoo, Romans 14 seems to be the "prevailing authority" here since he directly addresses the issue of consuming wine when it may offend another. (Surely grape juice is not offensive!?) So as long as a brother is obedient to Paul's clear command, what business is it of yours to tell him, to
mandate, that he abstain from all alcohol?