168. In Light of Scripture
Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 333b–334a.
In the light of what the Scriptures, nature, and reason teach concerning the use of intoxicants,..
Yesterday we looked at nature and reason, today is Scripture. We have two verses and the story of the wedding feast where Jesus turns the water into wine (unfermented, the pure juice of the grape, as it turns out).
The Bible nowhere sanctions the use of intoxicating wine.
The reason given is that alcohol “will becloud reason and benumb the spiritual perception”, by elevating “the lower nature”. It is this lower nature that temptations work on, it was this nature that Christ denied in His first temptation in the wilderness.
So, to have “soul-refreshing” experiences at weddings and communion, use just the “wholesome and refreshing” fresh juice of the grape. We should not even be involved in any way in the alcohol industry, Ellen calls on Christians to attend to the the second-greatest commandment,
If they love their neighbor as themselves, how can they help to place in his way that which will be a snare to him?
To sum up, alcohol hinders our reason and spirituality, avoid it and don’t encourage its use in any way.
