If I claim that never took in alcohol, some of you may stone me. Yes, I used to drink but that doesn't mean that the Bible approved drinking alcohol.
Two things we have to know; the Bible is always right, but man is not. Secondly, is man who need to bend towards the Bible for him to be straightened but not the other way around.
Before going into these alcohol and smoke things, let pause for a while and look at the following verses what Jesus, our Lord himself said.
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
-Matthew 16:26 KJV
"There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."
-Mark 7:15 KJV
"And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
-Mark 7:20-23 KJV
In Matthew 16:26, the Bible never said for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own BODY, but rather SOUL. The very reason Jesus Christ did not say body was because he knew that our these bodies are from the dust of the ground but our souls are eternal. Our bodies returns to the dust of the ground at our physical death, but the soul goes to Hell or Heaven.
Soul is the seat of emotions, passions, desires, appetites, and all other feelings. Spirit is the seat of intellect, will, conscience, and all other invisible faculties that makes a man free moral agent and a rational being. Body is the jacket for the soul and spirit of man, and is mortal. The outer man is the body, while the soul and spirit are the inner man.
When we look at the things that can defile a man which Jesus mentioned in Mark 7:20-23, and also the meaning of the three folds of a man; soul and spirit, and the body. We will conclude that Jesus was talking about the inner man (soul and spirit) in Mark 7:15, but not the body which return to the dust of the.
Yes, is very possible for someone to commit idolatry, adultery, fornication, murder, stealing, and any evil you may think of, and have very healthy body. This saying of Jesus has nothing to do with food or drink which nourish our bodies, but rather evil that defile our inner man.
This saying of Jesus, also doesn't mean that there's nothing when taking in can defile our bodies. Sickness can defile our bodies, and the Bible tell us that behind every sickness, demons are. In fact, every evil thing known to man, including sickness are from Satan and his demons. So as Christians, do you think that God will allow us to drink or eat something that will makes us sick? Answer is No!
The desire of God is for us to be healthy in our outer and inner man, but alcohol can course serious health problems to our bodies; from heart problems to blood. These are the very reasons the scriptures asked us not to gaze or touch wine.
Our bodies are the temple of God's Spirit; 1Corinthians 6:19, and also it helps us to worship our God. It will be difficult to worship God, or do his work in a sick bodies. Smoking too is dangerous to our health and bodies, and it falls within the same category as alcohol. Someone can say smoking is not mentioned in the Bible, well the Bible says; Jesus said many things, and did many miracles that are not written in the Bible, and smoking maybe one of those.
Because Jesus turned water into wine at Cana of Galilee wedding, many Christians believed that even Jesus Christ drank wine, and nothing is wrong for them too to drink wine or alcohol. Remember that the Bible also tell us that part of Jesus Christ earthly early life was in Nazareth, and the Nazarites were forbidden to take wine.
Hebrew word YAYIN, wine in the broadest sense, including all types both fermented and unfermented. There were ten types of wine in Israel by then, and some were used even in the services of God. For example, TIYTOSH means newly made wine from grapes or firstfruits and is unfermented too. This type of wines were used to be tithed as required by God. The water which turned into wine by Jesus at wedding in Cana of Galilee was fresh, new, and unfermented because whatever the Lord God made was always new and fresh. And such wine cannot make someone drunken.
Let us look at Noah and Lot. Noah was one time drunken, naked, and even cursed Ham his own Son. The two daughters of Lot, made him drunken and slept with him, which was sin. Even today we have seen the horrible consequences of wine and alcohol. If God can allowed wine and alcohol, then we shouldn'tbe blame for any consequences it courses, but rather God.
As a Christian, it forbidden to smoke or drink alcohol, or any other fermented liquid. Again the choice is yours, but one thing is cleared, you cannot edit the Bible.
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