Francis Schaeffer on the primacy of Scripture

Ephesians 1:13-14

Ephesians 1:13-14In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Notice the words "heard" and "believed" are the two essential elements of gaining access to heaven (here called "inheritance"). Without fait in Christ it is not possible to possess a gurantee of inheriting entrance to heaven.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

Proverbs 23:7
The passage in context is:
"6(F)Do not eat the bread of a (G)selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; 7For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But (H)his heart is not with you. "
It is the duty of the Christian to think of others and not selfishly. The selfish man thinks inwardly while the man of God thinks outwardly towards God. There is no power from within, only from God to make real personal change.

Doing Good to All

Galatians 6
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load. 6Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Comments on 1-5Be gentle with others caught up in sin. Realize your sins may be different but are equally offensive. Do your best to carry your own burden but when you need help you should be able to unburden yourself with a friend. Do not think too highly of yourself.
Comments on 7-10Sowing and reaping may not occur in this life. Do not expect to see the evil suffer for their deeds here nor the Godly receive their reward here. Never give up. Do good to all but especially your fellow Christian.

The law of sin and death

Romans 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
God’s laws are like natural laws. You cannot make them go away. If you jump off a high building you will be injured or die. The only way around this is by a miracle of God. Freedom in Jesus Christ is that miracle that saves us from certain eternal death and damnation. We all jumped off that metaphoric high building on the day we were born into this world. The only thing that can save us from the penalty of the law is faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith Assurance and Conviction

Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
Christians often exude assurance when it comes to our faith. This if often considered “over confidence” by those outside the faith and of weak faith. However, according to this passage it is normal for the Christian to exude both “assurance” and “conviction” when it comes to their faith.
Another debate that constantly rages is between faith and knowledge or science. When it comes right down to it Christians must admit we believe by faith. For those that disagree it is best to counter by asking a question to those that disagree. Simply asking them to explain why they believe what they believe should work well. You will often find their reason for believing in what they believe is less reasonable than the reasons you have for your faith. There is much to be said on the subject of “faith” and “reason” but that will have to wait for another time.

False teachers and Satan appear as Angels of Light

Angel of Light?
1 Corinthians 11
13For such men are (AC)false apostles, (AD)deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14No wonder, for even (AE)Satan disguises himself as an (AF)angel of light.
Whoever believes that false teachers are horrible people should consider this passage carefully. I’ve met very pleasant people who deny Christ and teach things incorrectly about Him. Those that teach “another Christ” or believe contrary to the Gospel are the ones to worry about, not
Those who teach evil and those who deny Christ are easy to spot. It is the slight perversion of the nature of Christ we must fight against. Jesus was either God come in the flesh or he was not. If he were a mere angel then he would not be our Savior.
The first thing you should ask anyone knocking at your door or engaging you in conversation about their beliefs is what they believe about Jesus Christ. Anything short of Him being God in flesh is not the Christ of Christian teaching. It is just that simple.

Who chooses who?

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide...
Jesus chose the apostles and by extension we point out that God chooses us, we do not choose him. Before coming to Christ we are dead men walking. The dead cannot make a choice.
Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...
Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins...
Many well meaning Christians spend enormous energy trying to make people see the truth of Christ. Before you become frustrated and burned out you should realize it must be God working, not you. Try to see where and with whom God is working and join Him. Otherwise they may tear you to pieces. Remember they are spiritually dead, not physically dead.
Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

In the beginning was the Word

John 1:1-3In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
This is one of my favorite passages. This is the only other place we're started out with the phrase "In the beginning." It is interesting to note the original Greek word for "word" is logos. You can see that it is closely related to the word logic but translated ‘word."
A word is an expression we use to convey meaning. It would not be out of line to say "In the beginning was the logical expression of God's meaning. All things were made through logical meaning and without logical meaning was not anything made that was made."
The term "word" just doesn't seem to do the subject justice until we consider the ramifications of the term "word." Without words (or some representation or expression to convey thought) there is no way to communicate. It would be as if we were all isolated individuals with no way to communicate to and with one another.
I also find it very useful to consider Genesis 1:1 thru 26 where "God said" and then fill in the blank. The term "God said" shows that all things we see around us were created by the "word." Even if you are tempted to discount the presentation of Genesis it is interesting to remember that Einstein said "He (God) does not throw dice" when referring to quantum mechanics and its inability to bring us any closer to the secret of the "old one" (God). http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein

Orthodoxy of Culture and Orthodoxy of Christianity

Orthodox beliefs should always be based on Scripture. We should be careful to avoid going beyond what the Bible actually teaches.
1 Cor 4:6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.
Ask yourself if what you believe is a matter of opinion (cultural orthodoxy) or a matter of Scripture (Christian orthodoxy). There are many examples we can site. Churches often have rules about dress and conduct that have nothing to do with Biblical teaching. We've all seen that if we've been involved in various Churches.
We should not run around worrying if we meet the standards of a given Church or a set of doctrines unless it is clear that it is found in Scripture.
1 Cor 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Some of the things you find on this website may be deemed "outside the orthodoxy of the Church" but should be examined without prejudice in the light of Scripture. The same holds true in some Churches. Be cautious about judging. Nevertheless, we are commanded to judge. Use your God given discernment and trust God to sort out the things you cannot grasp.

Making peace to honor God

Matthew 5:23-24So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
If we only took the time to make peace with those we have offended the world would be a much better place. How many times have you heard people say; "So and so is supposed to be a Christian and do you know what he (did, said etc.) to (me, my friend, my neighbor)..." It is not a very good testimony to God when we leave things unsaid or undone regarding those who harbor resentment against us.
One of the first things I did when I became a believer at age 29 was to go back and apologize and make peace with as many as I could find that I had wronged in life. You may not always be able to reconcile with people. However, it is important that you try your best to do so. How can we pray to God knowing we have wronged others and never sought their forgiveness?

What's the difference?

Our Differences
When we come acorss a person in need we do not stop to ask ourselves if this person is a Christian, Jew, Muslim etc. Most people render assistance because they are inclined to do so. Recently there was an incident in the news that suggested an old man was left lying in the street after being hit by a car. Later, cameras on the street showed a number of people called 911. It also showed others standing there in shock. One of the first things we're taught about a person that has been in an accident is to Not move them. I believe most people wanted to assist but were afraid. Lawyers are waiting around every corner to sue someone that may be innocent of any wrong doing. What is one to do? However, that is not the main point because as soon as people gathered themselves they did go to assist this poor man.
The main point of this commentary is to point out that we as Christians should always be ready to help anyone in any way we can. I take this time to remind us all of the following from the Scriptures.
Luke 10: New American Standard Bible
25(AE)And a (AF)lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
27And he answered, "(AG)YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
28And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; (AH)DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."
29But wishing (AI)to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30Jesus replied and said, "A man was (AJ)going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
31"And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32"Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33"But a (AK)Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,
34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35"On the next day he took out two [a]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'
36"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
37And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

How should we dress for church?

How to dress for Church
Dear roscoetn
Below is your question and an answer
Question: I have read somewhere in the bible that before you come
> before the Lord that you should wear your finest clothes. Could you
> find the scripture for me?Thank youAllen Veach
> Background: Pentacostal

Answer:
I have heard this said but personally I never read it anywhere. I did some searching today trying to find it in the Bible, to no avail. I even searched it out on Google and could not find it. However, I did find this very good article (below) on the whole subject of what we should wear. The article is found at this web address. http://www.iibee.com/credamus/dress.htm. There is no need for us to re-invent the wheel so we’re passing this approved article to you.

I will add that we must be careful when reading the Bible. The Old Testament is there for our benefit and reference. However, the New Testament takes precedence as it speaks to the Church. The Old Testament spoke to many various peoples including the Jews. I will have to write a short article on this to clarify things. Always ask yourself who the passage you are reading is referring too.

Regards,

Mike Kelly

Begin Quoted Article:
I had questions about what to wear to church:; Should I dress up in my finest clothes? If I dress up for church, am I dressing up for God's benefit or the other members of the church? If I don't dress up and it causes the other church goers to look down on me, am I being a stumbling block and causing them to sin? If I do dress up, do I make others who can't afford to dress up a stumbling block, by condoning wearing your nicest clothes to church? Is it not my heart that goes to church and not my wardrobe, doesn't Christ live in me 24 hours a day; and if I should dress up for church to be in Gods presence, should I not always be dressed up, for isn't God with me always? If the reason I dress up when I go to church, is because the church is the house of God, isn't the body the temple of the Lord that is always with me; and if so should I always be dressed up, or should I go to church in my everyday clothes?
These are the questions that were going through my mind. So I went to the Bible to try to find the answers. The following scriptures are all take from the New American Standard version of the Bible.
James 2:2-4 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing fine clothes, and say,"You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man,"You stand over there, or sit down by my foot stool," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
What I get out of reading James 2:2-4 is that you should not judge people by their appearance, but treat everyone equally. Now comes another question, if when people judge you by what you are wearing makes them sin, should you dress in a manner that you think they won't judge you to prevent them from sinning, or should you not dress up for them and rebuke them if they judge you to prevent them from future sin? Because it is possible that people might judge you regardless of what you wear.
1Tim 2:9 Likewise , I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
1 Peter 3:3-4 Your adornment must not be merely external braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
1Peter 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders: and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says that God doesn't care about your outward appearance, but that it's what is in your heart that counts. I feel 1 Peter 5:5 says to be humble, I feel that dressing up in your finest clothes is more prideful than humble.
Jonah 3:5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
2 Kings 1:1 And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD.
Rev 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us.
Daniel 9:3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 Woe to you , Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
The previous verses describe how people in the past dressed to please the Lord. They dressed in sackcloth to humble themselves before the Lord. Sackcloth is dark goat hair used in making sacks, and worn in times of mourning.
The following are Bible verses have to do with those who dress up to impress other people.
Mark 12:38 In His teaching He was saying:"Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places,
Matt 23:5 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
The following verses state not to worry about what you wear, because all that is important is you seek the Kingdom of God, and follow God with your hearts, and not with the garments you put on your body.
Matt 6:25 For this reason I say to you,do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing.28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field , which is alive today and tomorrow thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 "Do not worry then, saying,"What will we eat? or"What will we drink?"or "What will we wear for clothing?" 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Joel 2:12-13 "Yet even now ," declares the LORD,"Return to Me with all your heart , And with fasting , weeping and mourning;13 And rend your heart and not your garments."
2 Corinth 5:12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
The next few verses reminds us that we are all in Christ always, and 2 Corinth. 10:7 reminds us to look inwardly, and not outwardly, and that just as one person in a church is in Christ so are we all, and we should not judge other members of Christ' body by only looking at them outwardly.
2 Corinth. 10:7 You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also are we
1Corinth 6: 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1 Corinth 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
We as members of Christ' body are always in His presence, and there is no time that we are instructed to dress differently than any other time. I feel that God wants us to worship Him with our hearts and motives, not with the clothing we put on. This is my opinion based on what I understand of what I've read in the Bible. I am not saying that you shouldn't dress up. You can dress however you like, I don't think how you dress matters, but if you decide to dress up for church, I just think you should examine your motives, and not judge others by their appearance.God is the only judge, it is not our place to judge anybody, especially on merely their appearance. I would like to conclude with a verse Jesus spoke.
Matt 11:6 " And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me"

Does the 120 years mentioned in Genesis 6 refer to the human lifespan?

Below is the context from the NAS. Genesis 6 (New American Standard Bible)New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Genesis 6 The Corruption of Mankind 1Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3Then the LORD said, "(A)My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, (B)because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The New Living Translation says it this way: Genesis 6 (New Living Translation) New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. Genesis 6 A World Gone Wrong 1 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years." After some research I tend to differ with this translation or the thought that God was limiting the lifespan of man to 120 years. Why? The answer is simple. Unlike Psalm 90 which places the general limit to a man's age between 70 and 80, a thing we can see that has varied widely throughout history, there is no evidence man's lifespan was 120 years (give or take) during this time or after the flood. See the list of ages below for reference looking at the ages of men after Noah. Adam 930Seth 912Enosh 905Kenan 910Mahalalel 895Jared 962Methuselah 969Lamech 777Noah 950Shem 600Arpachshad 438Shelah 433Eber 464Peleg 239Reu 239Serug 230Nahor 148Terah 205Abraham 175 The closest one to 120 years of age is Nahor who lived to only 148! It is clear that the lifespan of man dropped after the flood but we don't see 120 years. What else could have this passage meant? Many have suggested this 120 year period was from the time God revealed that He decided to flood the earth until he actually did it. Noah was 500 when he first mentioned in Genesis 5:32 and in his 600th year when he entered the ark according to Genesis 7:11. While that is only a period of 100 years we do not have a reference of time when God said man's remaining days would be 120 years. It could have easily been a 120 year period for all we know. I would not get dogmatic about this at all. It is very difficult to tell for sure. All we know is man's lifespan did not seem to be shortened to 120 years but gradually was shortened to between 70 and 80 years. I would lean towards this scripture suggesting it was 120 years from the time God made the decree that he was going to destroy life on earth until he did so by the flood, Genesis 6:7.

Is the Pope really Christ's Representative on earth?

I have often been asked if the Pope is really the representative of Christ on earth. The only passage I know that the Roman Catholics take this idea from is found in Matthew 16. I will add the whole passage below: Matt 16:13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[b] the Son of the living God." 17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[d] will not overcome it.[e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[f] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[g] loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. Roman Catholics argue that this means Peter is the first Pope. Protestants argue this simply means the Church will be built upon the revelation of who Jesus is by the Father in heaven.

What is the basic difference between the world religions and true Christianity?

There are multiple differences on many levels. However, if you are looking for just one simple answer here it is: True Christianity requires only one thing. That one thing is complete faith in Jesus Christ as your only means of gaining access to Heaven. John 11:25-26Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" All wrong views of Christianity and other religions like Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc believe you must do your own work to gain access to Heaven. The hardest to distinguish between are the various views of Christianity. Most will preach faith in Christ and then add good works etc. In reality the good works a Christian does comes from Christ, not from self. It is God working in you. It is the “evidence” of your faith. It is the “tree that bears good fruit.” This in no way merits your entrance into God’s Kingdom. We are all still sinful people, even when we are saved. It is Christ that separates us from the penalty of sin. All our righteousness are but filthy rags before God. Isaiah 64:6

Are Islamic suicide bombers martyrs?

The simple answer appears to be no according to the majority of view of Islam. While we are not experts in this arena there is a good deal of information relating to this. A good explanation is found at this web address http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr. Here is a synopsis. The word Martyr has some various meanings throughout history. The original Greek word meant Witness, not necessarily someone who dies. Throughout Christian history it primarily meant someone who dies for the witness of Christ. If a Western mind extrapolates this to Islam as someone who dies for the witness of Islam or Muhammad there can be a comparison. However, it is the method of death that confuses us as Westerners. Traditionally, the death of a Martyr is not suicidal in nature. It is the death of the innocent at the hands of those who would kill in the name of their beliefs. Therefore, Islamic suicide bombers would not be included in the Western understanding of a Martyr. The next, and more controversial, question is how Islam views a suicide bomber. Here is a quote from the wikipedia article. “Muslims who die in a legitimate jihad bis saif (struggle with the sword, or Islamic holy war) are considered shaheed. This usage became controversial in the late 20th century (due to the Islamic strictures against suicide), when it was sometimes applied to suicide bombers by various groups. There is a huge controversy about the meaning of jihad in Islam, since Muhammad never claimed that suicide is equal to jihad; Jihad is an act of fighting for the Dar al Islam, either to defend it against an aggressor or to bring about its expansion. Where Muhammad explained, in hadith, that those who commit suicide are forbidden to even smell heaven. Many contend that these murders are contrary to the spirit of Islam, however is not justified as the Quran does not endorse such acts. One hadith by Abu Bakr "To fight against the infidels is Jihad; but to fight against your evil self is greater Jihad" is explicit evidence of the Western worlds misunderstanding of the concept of jihad.” If one accepts this as authoritative then one must conclude that Islamic suicide bombers are not considered Martyrs by any standard, including Islamic standards. As a matter of conclusion, these suicide bombers not only do not receive their promised virgins, they do not even get to “smell heaven” according to the hadith.

Can Christians Drink Alcohol

Question:I would like to know all bible verses referring to the subject of "drink". Fernented drink specifically. Both pro and con. Old testament and new. The issue is under much discussion in my community.

Answer:You can find all 367 verses relating to Drink by clicking the link below.http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=drink&searchtype=all&version1=49&spanbegin=1&spanend=73You can find all 240 verses on Wine by clicking the link belowhttp://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=wine&searchtype=all&version1=49&spanbegin=1&spanend=73These verses are in NAS version but you can look them up in whatever version you use. I will answer your question directly. First, I am assuming you are referring to the myth espoused by many that the Wine in the Bible was non alcoholic or that drinking at all is a sine.For brevity’s sake we will cover only the New Testament verse that is most often quoted against drinking. Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,Here is King James if you prefer: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit,The keyword is “drunk.” Drunk does not have a legal basis at the time the Bible was written. For example, one cannot say at a blood alcohol level of .10 you are legally drunk according to the Bible. You can only determine what drunk is by seeing the actions of the person. In my humble opinion, someone is drunk once they act counter to the Scriptures. If you are treating people badly, breaking the law or making a fool of yourself I believe you are drunk.On the other hand, if you have a few drinks with friends, do not treat people badly, do not break the law or make a fool of yourself you are not drunk in the sense of Ephesians 5:18.The word translated to wine is “something pressed” in most passages I am familiar with. Some have argued that this is a grape juice and not an alcoholic wine. Let’s look at the first miracle of Jesus.John 2:10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."In this particular verse is the evidence that the wine did contain alcohol. If it were grape juice then people would still notice the difference between good and poor wine. Having had experience with drinking in my youth I can testify that after you have a certain amount to drink you can barely tell the difference between good and poor wine.If these two main arguments are not good enough there is always Church history. When did the prohibition of alcohol begin? Any student of history will tell you it started right here in America via the Fundamentalist and Pentecostal movements. Here is a good article link to Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/features/ask/2002/jul12.htmlConclusion:The Bible does not say drinking is a sin or else you may see the commandment “Though shalt not consume alcohol.” It simply says “don’t get drunk.” Jesus would never have turned water into wine if it were sinful. History shows that alcohol has only become a topic of discussion in the North American Churches in the past 120 years. Since the issue of alcohol is localized to the Americas one must ask if Christianity is only correct from the American perspective.I do hope this helps to answer your question.

The Authors of Proverbs

Question:
HI My question is was the proverbs in the book of proverbs given to us by their authors or it could have even been stolen from them and given to us wont then the author be angry with the people who stole it and also us (to think deeper) because i dont know the full story .. please explain

Answer:
If one believes: 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” then the question is answered by this verse.

Even if the Proverbs were compiled from several original authors they are God-breathed or “inspired by God.” It all depends on your view of the Bible. Those that believe the Bible is the work of man will think very differently than those who believe the Bible is the work of God.

2 Peter 1:19 “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 3:1 “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."
The Bible is a very interesting set of 66 books compiled over more than 1,000 years by more than 40 various authors. To assign possible contention or anger between those that shared a common faith is highly unlikely.