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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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November 2, 2014
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Contents:
1) Alcohol: The Poison of Serpents, The Venom of Cobras (Exploding
the Myth of Moderate Use, Randy Blackaby)
2) Simple Steps in the Plan of Salvation (Greg Gwin)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Exploding the Myth of Moderate Use
Alcohol: The Poison of Serpents, The Venom of Cobras
by Randy Blackaby
Television commercials and movies depict drinking as sophisticated.
Wine connoisseurs fulfill the picture painted in Proverbs 23:31 as
they swirl it in the cup, watch it sparkle and sniff its "bouquet."
But Proverbs declares that once drunk the sparkle turns "and at the
last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper."
But drinking of alcoholic beverages has cursed the lives of millions
(maybe billions) of people. It is the root of a high percentage of
divorces, the cause of much spouse and child abuse and crimes of
every sort, a factor in more than half of fatal auto accidents and
the lubricant that loosens men's and women's morals and leads to
nearly unimaginable degradation.
Teenagers are faced with the temptation to "just try it" and adults
with the compulsion to be "sociable." No one sets out to be a
drunkard. Like all sin, it looks attractive as a means to relax and
"loosen up" after a hard day. But it becomes the gateway to
virtually every sort of sin and misery.
Despite these facts, there are Christians who defend "moderate
drinking." They acknowledge that the Bible condemns drunkenness and
that drunkards will not be a part of the kingdom of heaven (Gal.
5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-10). They agree that drunkenness denotes a lack
of wisdom and dissipation (Eph. 5:15-18). They know that such is a
"work of darkness" (Rom. 13:12-14) and that spiritual leaders in the
Lord's church can't be "given to wine" (1 Tim. 3:2-3; Tit. 1:7-8).
They know that alcoholic beverages are described as a "poison"
(Deut. 32:33) and that this is true both literally and physically.
They have read that alcohol possesses the characteristics of a
sedative, a hypnotic, an analgesic, and a narcotic. They know it is
a habit forming anesthetic.
But, they promote moderate use of such beverages. They see little or
nothing wrong with controlled social drinking.
How do they do so? They note the Bible passages that mention the
accepted drinking of wine, including Jesus' own creation of wine
from water (John 2). They note that deacons and older women are only
forbidden to drink "much" wine (1 Tim. 3:8; Tit. 2:3).
And some of their assertions are correct, to a point. Wine was used
as part of an offering to God in the Old Testament (Exod. 29:38-41;
Num. 18:12; Neh. 10:37, 13:5, 12). Ten percent of the first fruits
belonged to the Lord, including the "new wine." Such wine also was
viewed as one of the blessings and comforts of life (Gen. 27:28, 37;
Deut. 7:13, 11:14).
Besides Jesus' creation of wine at Cana, he used the fruit of the
vine as the emblem of his blood at the last supper. The Good
Samaritan used wine externally as a medicine (Luke 10:34), and Paul
advised Timothy to drink it for his stomach's sake (1 Tim. 5:23).
Every Bible student with faith in God knows the Bible doesn't
contradict itself. So, how do we explain these apparent
contradictions?
Two views have been generally set forth:
* That "good wine" in the Bible is unfermented, while the condemned
type is fermented.
* That the wine approved for use was so low in alcoholic content
that moderate use was possible.
Let's begin with the second idea and learn that the potency of
ancient wines was nowhere near that of today's "distilled"
beverages. The wine of ancient time was naturally fermented. New
wine had no alcohol but as wine aged, the sugars converted naturally
to alcohol. But fermented grape juice's alcohol content can't
naturally exceed half the percentage of sugar in the juice. If the
alcohol content rises above about ten percent the yeast cells die
and fermentation ceases.
Most alcoholic wine in ancient times contained no more than five to
eight percent alcohol, according to "Archeology and Bible History."
Further, the ancients typically diluted their wine with water. Only
drunkards drank unmixed or uncut alcoholic wine. Sometimes wine was
cut as much as 20:1 with water. A powerful mixture was considered
that cut 3:1 or 3:2. To consume the alcohol in two modern martinis
one would have to drink about twenty-two glasses of ancient
alcoholic wine.
Remember that when the Bible speaks of "wine" it refers to all forms
of "fruit of the vine," alcoholic or just plain grape juice. The
King James Version translates nearly all Hebrew and Greek words for
grape products as "wine." But there are six Hebrew words and four
Greek words that describe grape products in different stages,
including "new wine," which was unfermented. Since Jesus created
wine from water, it clearly could have been new wine or grape juice.
So, references to approved "wine" in the Bible don't necessarily
refer to alcoholic versions. And, if fermented, it was typically cut
with water so that excessive drinking had to occur before
drunkenness was the result. And grape juice could be preserved back
then. It could be preserved for up to a year in sealed jars in Roman
times. Grape juice also could be boiled to a syrup to nearly stop
fermentation -- and then water was added back to make a drink called
"sweet wine." The sugar did not change to alcohol, thus preserving
the sweet taste.
Like all exegesis of Scripture, we must interpret what we read about
wine in context and in view of the overall teaching of God's word.
Let's think rationally and use the mind that God gave us. Would
Jesus have miraculously created 120 to 180 gallons of strong drink
at Cana, in light of what Scripture tells us about it being a poison
and biting like a serpent?
Would Jesus have used "the poison of serpents" to represent the
saving blood of the New Covenant?
Would Jesus have compared himself or his kingdom to the properties
of intoxicating wine? It seems bizarre and contradictory that Jesus
would command a perpetual use of a product that his own word warns
against and condemns.
Would the Son of God, who taught men to pray "lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil," put such a deadly temptation
in our path by direct command?
In 1 Corinthians 10:16, Paul calls the communion drink a "cup of
blessing" yet modern alcoholic beverages are a certain "cup of
curses." Can this be the same drink?
Can this "cup of blessing" be filled with the same material
described at least four times in the book of Revelation as "the cup
of the wine of the fierceness of His (God's) wrath"?
Brethren sometimes seek to justify moderate drinking because they
are convinced by an evil world that it is all right. Sometimes we
want to think it is OK because some of our now gone but beloved
relatives "sipped" just a little. I am told that my grandfather
began his drinking on Sunday afternoons behind the barn with "just a
little nip." Before too long, however, he had beaten my grandmother
many times, abused his children, and drunk up his meager livelihood
in bars. He abandoned my grandmother and left her to raise their
remaining children. He abandoned the truth, the gospel, and the
Lord's church. As you might imagine, I'm a little hard to sell on
moderate drinking.
As a newspaper reporter in the 1970s and 1980s, I covered police,
courts, governments, and social service organizations. Alcohol abuse
and its after-effects dominated the agendas of each. Alcohol is the
most commonly abused drug in America.
Statistics show that up to ten percent of alcoholics become such
from their first drink. Is the misery and degradation of alcoholism
worth the risk? Only a fool can affirm such.
If you still approve drinking in moderation, perhaps you'd like to
try moderate crack cocaine use, or heroin, or perhaps you would
enjoy Russian roulette.
As for me, I believe I'll simply listen to the admonition of
Ephesians 5:8-21. In love, I urge you to do the same and not wrest
the Scriptures to your own destruction.
-- Via Truth Magazine, September 2, 2004, Volume XLVIII, No. 17
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-2-
Simple Steps in the Plan of Salvation
by Greg Gwin
Through the years various analogies have been used by gospel
preachers to represent the plan of salvation. Some have
referred to it as rungs on a latter, or steps in a stairway.
One well remembered evangelist would frequently compare the plan of
salvation to a combination lock. He would explain that each step had
to be taken in the right order -- just like entering the numbers on
the combination lock -- or success could not be achieved.
It seems that we've often gotten away from such simple preaching of
the gospel fundamentals. God has made His plan so plain that folks
with the most basic of reasoning abilities can understand it. Yet it
seems that too often we've failed to really educate people with the
most important and basic facts concerning their souls and eternity.
We need to get back to those "first principles," and teach them in a
way that can not be misunderstood.
And, in case you've forgotten, here is that "combination" for
salvation ...
* Hear the word (Romans 10:17)
* Believe (Hebrews 11:6)
* Repent of sins (Luke 13:3)
* Confess faith in Jesus (Romans 10:10)
* Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38)
Every Christian should know this plan by heart, and be ready to
share it with others. And anyone who has not obeyed these simple
steps needs to carefully study the scriptures and obey without
further delay. It's God's plan -- very simple -- ultimately
important!
-- via The Beacon, July 10, 2012
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News & Notes
Danny Bartlett has recently been having some terrible back
pain. Let those of us who are Christians be remembering him in
prayer.
And let us also continue to pray for the health of the following: Myrna
Jordan, Marie Turner, Virginia Fontenot, Jim Lively, Danielle
Howard, Ronnie Davis, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jewel Wilson, Mary
Vandevander, Deborah Medlock, Shirley Davis, Sue Wooten, Dexter
Roberts, and Colleen Henson.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom.
10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John
3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet.
3:21)
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can
be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)