First of all, of course, Jesus drank wine, and what the Lord Himself did cannot be a sin in and of itself. But pay attention to these last words, “in and of itself”: sin does not dwell in the action, but in the human heart; and the problem does not lie in the drinking of wine, but in what takes place within the person...
First of all, of course, Jesus drank wine, and what the Lord Himself did cannot be a sin in and of itself. But pay attention to these last words, “in and of itself”: sin does not dwell in the action, but in the human heart; and the problem does not lie in the drinking of wine, but in what takes place within the person.
From this follows the second point: there are many passages in Scripture that speak of drinking wine in a positive sense (there is no need to list them all; I will only mention 2:1-11; 26:27-29; 5:23), but there are also many passages warning about the danger of abusing wine (again, I will provide just a few references: 9:20-22; 20:1; 28:7; 21:34; 5:18).
Third, the Gospel approach to our worldly affairs does not consist in asking what is “permissible” or “forbidden,” but rather whether it draws me closer to God or distances me from Him, whether it helps my neighbors or causes them to stumble. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful,” writes the Apostle Paul. And it is precisely in our relationship with God and our neighbors that the boundary is determined, where the “gladness of heart” ends and “debauchery” begins.
In conclusion, I will offer one specific example. The well-known Orthodox priest Father Alexander Men always knew how to partake in a festive gathering, but in the last years of his life, he refused all alcoholic beverages (even those with low alcohol content), stating that in our country, where alcoholism is a national problem, he preferred not to be a stumbling block to others, nor to give them the opportunity to point at him and say: look, even the priest drinks.
20
20:1 A mocker - Wine immoderately drunk makes men mockers.Raging - Makes men full of rage.
20:2 The fear - The terror which the wrath of a king causes.
20:3 Meddling - Is always ready to begin strife, and obstinate in the continuance of it.
20:5 Counsel - Designs of doing something of moment.Deep water - Is secret and hard to be discovered.
20:8 His eyes - With his very looks, or by his diligent inspection into affairs.
20:10 Divers - One greater for shew and one lesser for use.
20:11 Is known - The future disposition of a man may be probably conjectured from his childish manners.
20:13 Open - Shake off sloth and betake thyself to thy employment with diligence and vigour.
20:15 The lips - But wise speeches are of far greater worth.
20:16 Take - As a pledge, without which he ought not to be trusted.Of him - That is surety.
20:18 Established - The way to bring our purposes to good effect is to manage them with serious consideration.
20:20 Lamp - His name and memory shall utterly perish.
20:24 His way - What the issue of his designs will be.
20:25 A snare - It brings guilt upon him. After - After a man has made vows to enquire for ways to break them.
20:26 The wheel - As the cart - wheel was anciently turned over the sheaves to beat the corn out of them. He punishes them as their offences deserve.
20:27 The spirit - The reasonable soul. The candle - Is a clear and glorious light set up in man for his information and direction.Of the Lord - So called because it comes from God in a more immediate manner than the body, Ecc 12:7, and because it is in God's stead, to observe and judge all our actions. Searching - Discerning not only his outward actions, which are visible to others, but his most inward thoughts and affections. The belly is here put for the heart, as it is frequently.
20:30 The blueness - Grievous wounds, which make men black and blue; or severe punishments. Cleanseth - Are the means to reclaim a wicked man, and to purge out his corruption. The belly - Of the heart. Grievous wounds or stripes cleanse not only the outward man by keeping it from evil actions, but even the inward man, by expelling or subduing vile affections: which is a great and blessed benefit of afflictions.