There is an ongoing debate about whether or not a Christian can lawfully engage in the consumption of alcohol. By lawfully, I am not referring to the laws of man, but the law of God. Does the word of God authorize us to drink alcohol? If so, how much? Generally, we all agree that drunkenness is wrong (Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18). But what about the occasional drink whereby one does not get drunk? This is often referred to as “social drinking.”
John recorded Jesus’ first miracle in which He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). On the surface, it may appear that this passage is speaking of what we would call “social drinking.” If it is, then Jesus seems to condone the practice. But is that what we see in the text?
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