LET’S KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING. 1 Timothy 4:1-2,7

Churches once had a slogan: keep the main thing the main thing. That means—Focus on Jesus. DO NOT be distracted by the little side issues that scream for your attention every day.

As one pastor puts it: “We don’t want to be Christians that jerk our heads around and yell, ‘Squirrel!’”[1]

What side issues are distracting Christians today:

  1. Politics, particularly the notion that the “OTHER” party is nothing but devil-worshipping monsters. (They’re not, you know.)
  2. Vaccines, masks, and COVID-19 topics.
  3. The Flat Earth, the “fake” moon landing, the theory that the US government planned the 9/11 attack, and dozens of other conspiracy theories that are gaining new followers every day.
  4. Yoga, “self-care,” “mindfulness,” incense, tattoos, and other topics long considered the secular equivalent of satan worship, but largely accepted today. It is wrong to assume everyone who participates is evil. It is also wrong to assume everyone who participates is not. The truth is complex, and the roots of some practices merit research. But KEEP THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING. Don’t get distracted.

I love to sink my teeth into a good controversy—you know that. But lately everywhere I look in scripture I am told not to!

“Instruct people not to … pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote speculations rather than God’s plan…. Some have deviated … and turned aside to FRUITLESS DISCUSSION.” 1 Timothy 1:3-4,6.

“In the last times, men will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared…. But have NOTHING TO DO WITH IRREVERENT AND SILLY MYTHS” 1 Timothy 4:1-2,7.

So what do we do?

“But you, man of God, RUN FROM THESE THINGS, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith” 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

KEEP THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING: JESUS.

ΑΩ

[1] Shawn Thornton, Calvary Community Church, Westlake Village, California.

YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER AS MUCH AS YOUR ACTIONS. 1 Timothy 6:4.

No one understood grace the way Paul did. Yet no one demanded good behavior the way Paul did.*

But Paul is not merely concerned with behavior. He knows that not only are there all sorts of temptations in your path, there are also wrong ideas and controversies that may draw your focus off of Jesus.

Perhaps even more than he warns readers of the sins of the body, Paul warns of the distractions of the mind.

Paul is concerned about your ACTIONS. Paul is equally concerned about YOUR THOUGHTS.

Look at these verses in which Paul encourages us to be careful what we think about:

“Avoid the “sick interest in disputes and arguments over words” 1 Timothy 6:4.

“Do not pay attention to myths and endless genealogies” 1 Timothy 1:4.

“Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness but expose them” Ephesians 5:11.

“Have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths” 1 Timothy 4:7.

“Be careful no one takes you captive through philosophy and deceit” Colossians 2:8.

“Do not worry” Philippians 4:6

“Watch out for those who cause dissensions” Romans 16:17.

“I want you to be wise about good, but innocent about evil” Romans 16:19.

“Avoid foolish debates” Titus 3:9.

“Reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing they breed quarrels” 2 Timothy 2:23.

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong” 1 Corinthians 16:13.

“We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

We understand the risks of wrong actions: cheating, gluttony, laziness, adultery.

Yet most of us ignore the risks of wrong thoughts.

Bad thinking may not be a sin in every case, but the Bible frequently condemns it as foolishness. And foolishness is Paul’s concern: he knows that when we spend our time thinking about foolishness, we will be drawn away from Christ.

But what is foolishness? How do you know it when you see it?

First, foolishness is anything that distracts you from Biblical truth.

If your obsession with some controversial political cause is taking up so much of your time that you no longer read the Bible, then that obsession is probably foolishness; even if it is not wrong, perhaps it is a wrong use of your time at the present.

A second rule is that foolish thoughts question the word of God.

For this reason, worry is often foolish: because worry causes you to doubt God’s provision and protection. In addition to worry, many topics can cause people to doubt the Bible. Books by history’s atheists and famous skeptics come to mind. Second might be controversies and conspiracy theories that leave you doubting everything you ever believed. (If this crazy idea has you questioning God, your faith, your parents, and your salvation, it is probably foolish.)

Third, foolish thoughts may be motivated by a “sick interest in disputes and arguments” 1 Timothy 6:4.

Are you more interested in the back-and-forth of the argument than you are in finding the truth? Are you hyped-up and on-edge all day and all night, trolling the internet looking for that next argument or debate? Or do you put your head down at night and sleep in peace? Contentment in Christ, motivated by true faith, will be able to find peace even when an answer to the controversy of the day does not appear. But if you are enjoying the dispute more than finding a true answer, you will never be content. True answers have a way of being deceptively quiet and simple. There is peace, but often little fanfare. By contrast, false ideas are as exciting as a bomb going off. And that’s another clue that you have gone astray: if you find yourself unwilling to accept a simple answer, the still, small voice, and are desperately searching for a tornado and an earthquake, then the controversy is probably based on foolish thoughts. “God is not a god of confusion, but of peace” 1 Corinthians 14:33.

A fourth sign of foolish, dangerous thinking is whether it is almost sinfully enticing.

Sometimes an intriguing, sinful question can draw you in like a moth to the flame. If the argument holds an almost sinful allure, if it drew you in with a power you could not resist, that may be a red flag, a sign of evil. Paul encourages us to be “innocent” in these “works of darkness” that can “take you captive.” The conversation, the debate you are having, may seem innocent enough to you. After all, it’s only words, right? Well, no. These are ideas, and ideas have consequences. You can be drawn into foolish ideas and suffer “the shipwreck of your faith” 1 Timothy 1:18-20. What you think about matters. Your thoughts matter.  How do you guard your thoughts? You watch out for wrong thinking, and you stand on your faith, strong in the word.

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong” 1 Corinthians 16:13.

You must examine your thoughts. THINK about them. And evaluate them in light of the scripture. Are these godly thoughts? Are my thoughts OBEDIENT to Christ?

“We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

God, remind us—WARN US—to stay away from wrong, foolish thinking.

ΑΩ

P.S. I write about Paul’s passion for grace and his equal passion for good behavior (or following the law) here: https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2024/08/21/is-there-tension-between-law-and-grace-titus-214/

AVOID FOOLISH DEBATES. Titus 3:9

I love a good debate. We could talk for hours about law and grace, or about predestination and free will. We could spend the weekend debating all the ways God demonstrates His sovereignty over things that seem totally random and absurd. Or we could while away the hours expressing gratitude for the infinite mercies He shows us in the weather, in nature, in our day-to-day lives, and on and on.

There are so many ways to build one another up and have great fellowship with other believers.

But there are also so many ways to have conversations that tear people down, that take us into dark places and ungodly subjects. Discuss crime if you must, even murder and war. But monitor the tone of the discussion: are we hopeful? Are we trusting in God? Or have we forgotten that He is on the throne?

Lost people can so easily draw us into their world. We live there. We are entertained there. We KNOW those stories. We watch their movies, read their books, binge their shows. We are accustomed to their world, and it is a world where God is absent, or if He exists, He never gets involved. We know that mindset. Like a football player snapping on his helmet, we can lock our heads right into that worldview.

But WHY?

Paul writes:

“But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” Titus 3:9

These words tell me to stop talking about politics. Not just politics, but inflation, COVID, the vaccine “debates,” the numerous conspiracy theories being advanced by Republicans and Democrats alike, rumors and allegations of all kinds. And I’m not saying those things are not real—there may be valid points on all sides. But the debates are “UNPROFITABLE AND WORTHLESS.”

God, give us the wisdom to stop talking. To just be quiet and AVOID FOOLISH DEBATES. Focus our minds on You and all the great things You are doing in the world today!

ΑΩ
*I took the above photo at Lake Buchanan, August 18, 2020.

“Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober” 1 Peter 1:13.

“Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good” 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

SOCIAL MEDIA. Titus 3:8-10.

Each of us could list ten convincing reasons to avoid social media. But social media also provides opportunities to share love, hope, joy, and the light of Christ. Still, even with the best of intentions, how often do we open Facebook or another platform and turn around and discover we just wasted an hour and filled our minds with anxiety, controversy and temptations? We must be VIGILANT.

During these days of never-ending political strife, we must protect our own peace of mind. Consider Paul’s advice from 2,000 years ago:

“Engage in good deeds. These are good and beneficial for people. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law, for they are useless and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning” Titus 3:8-10.

Do your good deeds. Be an encourager on social media. Make it your goal to share hope, to bless others, to be someone who brings others joy and peace, not bitterness and strife. Look for bits of humor and hope that you can share. Type out the best thing you heard in a sermon or a song lyric. Share a meme or GIF that makes you laugh or lifts someone’s spirit.

And when you see controversy, scroll on past it. You don’t have to comment. You do not have to engage. You can ignore the politics. Of course, you have opinions. But you do not have speak up—and it’s almost entirely worthless on political subjects anyway. As Paul says, “avoid foolish controversies … and disputes… for they are useless.”

There is no value in an online argument. You will convince no one.

Instead: share HOPE.

When we are online, let it be our goal to “ENGAGE IN GOOD DEEDS.” May God use us to bless others, both in-person and online.

ΑΩ

Jesus said the end times would be characterized not only by “wars and rumors of wars,” by earthquakes and famines and the beginning of the birth pangs, but by DECEPTION. “Take heed that no one misleads you” Matthew 24:4. I have never seen such a chorus of misleading voices. Between anti-intellectualism, social media, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Fakes, incompetent Influencers, the predatory wellness movement, biased reporting masquerading as journalism, the ignorance of expertise, plagiarism and other factors decimating scholarship and the peer-review process, the rise of false religions, cults, and new age spirituality, I am more inclined to call ours the end times than ever before.

READ THE EPISTLES. Titus 2:2-8.

When I read the Bible as a college student I gravitated toward the epistles—the letters to other believers. Others my age had different favorites. One young lady I knew loved the Old Testament for its amazing histories. Some loved Proverbs because you can always find one or two nuggets to think about the rest of the day. And there are those who read the Gospels on repeat. Some read only the red letters—the words of Jesus—over and over.

But the epistles—the letters—are so deep and so practical. Paul wrote most of them, but James, Peter, John, and Jude also authored letters. Each contains some deep content, often New Testament doctrine unknown until the resurrection, but each also contains practical tips on living. Tips covering every aspect of church life, family life, education, work habits, behavior, language, eating and drinking, and more. Anytime you are looking for something to read or something to use in a Bible study, I would encourage you to read some of the epistles. You will ALWAYS find some great meat.

Consider these tips that apply to our whole family:

“OLDER MEN are to be level-headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, OLDER WOMEN are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, so they may encourage the YOUNG WOMEN to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that God’s message will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the YOUNG MEN to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach…” Titus 2:2-8

Dear God, teach us to live lives that honor You, to make good choices day-in and day-out, even—and ESPECIALLY—when no one is watching. May we live lives of the highest integrity and honor You in all things. May we read Your word effectively.

ΑΩ

GOD’S DESIGN FOR MANHOOD. Titus 1:6-9; 2:2.

What does God expect of us? In the year 2000, with a pandemic raging and people rioting across the nation, more than one of my friends said “this is a time for action,” by which they meant violence.

I disagreed. When I need to understand culture and current events, I ask myself a pair of questions: what would my father or grandfather think? What would the deacons I know think? These are the two wisest men/groups of men I’ve ever known. I want to think and act wisely also.

Paul sends Titus to appoint elders to serve as pastors and deacons. Paul tells Timothy the traits to look for while selecting men to fill these critical roles:

Appoint “one who is blameless, the husband of one wife [and not divorced], having faithful children that are not accused of wildness or rebellion. For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it…. Older men are to be levelheaded, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance” Titus 1:6-9; 2:2.

What kind of men does God choose? Violent men? Men who embrace strange ideas and conspiracies? No.

God is EXTREMELY CHOOSY about church leaders.

(Did you notice the behavior of the man’s children is actually a consideration? Why do you think that is?)

God is looking for men (and women!) who are blameless, faithful, humble, patient, generous, loving what is good, AND committed to the message as taught…. Do you have those traits? Do I?

Finally, consider these traits when you encounter social media. Stop fighting. Be patient, be quiet, or just put the phone down and stop filling your mind with evil and strife. Be sensible in your reaction to social media and current events.

Ask yourself WWWMD: what would wise men do?

ΑΩ

WHAT IF YOU WERE THE BOSS? Titus 1:5-9.

Imagine: you have advanced in your career to a place of responsibility. You have a budget and need to do some hiring. Who will it be? How do you choose between applicants? Imagine that you have scheduled interviews with a dozen candidates—and let’s pretend all twelve are people you know today. Can you picture 12 in your mind right now? Friends, enemies, classmates, roommates, teammates? Let’s imagine further that each is qualified. How will you choose?

Paul gives advice to Titus that may prove useful. He provides traits to look for in elders—a list churches have long applied to pastors and deacons:

“I directed you to appoint elders in every town: each must be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it” Titus 1:5-9.

You could make a checklist:

  1. Blameless
  2. Not divorced
  3. Good children
  4. Humble
  5. Patient
  6. No addictions
  7. Not a bully
  8. Not greedy, but hospitable
  9. Loves what is good
  10. Sensible
  11. Righteous
  12. Holy
  13. Self-controlled
  14. Faithful to scripture
  15. Able to teach right doctrine and refute heresy.

Wow. That’s a tall order! And few managers can be that choosy in the hiring process—but again, this list is for pastors, elders, and deacons.

But this is also a great list of personal goals. Do I have all 15 traits? Do you? Or will you someday?

We should make it our ambition to master ALL of these.

God needs reliable people on His team, hard workers to whom He can entrust great responsibility.

ΑΩ

Is There Tension Between Law and Grace? Titus 2:14.

My friend Blake writes on Facebook that the Ten Commandments are irrelevant to Christians today. What do you think?

I disagree. First, the obvious answer: nothing in the Bible is irrelevant. Second, there is something special about the Ten Commandments. First, God chiseled them on two stone tablets. After Moses broke the tablets in anger over the idolatry of his people, God had Moses carve a second set of tablets and on the new tablets God again chiseled the words of His ten commands. What we think of today as the Mosaic law includes 613 rules. Six-hundred and three rules were written on scrolls with pen and ink, and ten were set in stone.

SET IN STONE.

Clearly there was something different about those ten. My opinion is that those ten are God’s rules for all people. The remaining 603 were specific rules for God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel.

Nevertheless, Blake will argue Christians live under a New Covenant, that we walk in grace and we are freed from the law. I agree.

Romans 8:1 says, “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.”

Elsewhere Paul explains, “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable” 1 Corinthians 6:12. All things are lawful because we are not under any law. Think of it this way: there is no law that a born-again believer can break and find himself out of fellowship with God. Because God has already forgiven a believer’s past, present, and future sins, it is not possible to return again to the status of a condemned lawbreaker. Blake is right: we walk in grace and are freed from law.

But we remain in the flesh.

As long as we live in the flesh, we must contend with our old sinful nature. As Paul wrote about his own struggles, “I do not understand what I am doing, for I am not doing what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” Romans 7:15.

If Paul the apostle struggled with his flesh, it’s a safe bet that Blake and I and everyone reading this struggles as well. As Christians, we contend, we battle, with our sinful nature. One thing that helps in that struggle is the TEN COMMANDMENTS. Knowledge of the law helps. It may not stop you from every sin. But knowledge of the law can help you choose the “lesser” of two sins. (Better to eat one cheeseburger than two, right?) Many will argue that the law gives sin a certain power—that when things are forbidden they become more tempting. That may be true in some situations.

But I believe the law plays a more important function: even when you are in the frenzy of temptation, sometimes the existence of the law helps you choose a smaller sin over a larger sin. (And no, all sins are not the same–that’s called “sin-leveling”* and it is an error.) Finally, consider the words of Paul:

“The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good” Romans 7:12.  The law is holy, righteous, and good. Do those sound like the words of one who considers the law to be irrelevant? No one writes more profoundly on GRACE than Paul. But Paul also affirms the beauty of the law.

Jesus redeemed us from the law. But more importantly, Jesus redeemed us from lawlessness.

“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works” Titus 2:14.

No one ever embraced grace like the Apostle Paul. No one spoke about grace with more depth or more enthusiasm. But Paul also calls the law holy, righteous, and good.

The Christian life is not one of embracing grace and rejecting the law. Instead, we can embrace both.

We understand the limited role the law plays in our lives. But we must honor this amazing gift God gave humanity through Moses. It’s not so much that God redeemed us from the law (though He did), but perhaps we should emphasize that God redeemed us from the uncivilized life of the lawless. “God redeemed us from all lawlessness.”

What some consider to be tension between law and grace may be resolved in the words of Jesus:

“Therefore, every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures both new and old” Matthew 13:52.

That is, if you are an expert in the LAW (Old Testament) and then become an expert in GRACE (New Testament), you will be like a rich man who owns both new treasures and antique treasures.

New Testament Grace is amazing. But the Old Testament Law is holy, righteous, and good.

God delivers us from lawlessness: He gave us the law and He gave us His Son. We have Old Testament treasures that are relevant and that we must honor and embrace, and we have New Testament treasures that are relevant and that we must honor and embrace.

ΑΩ

P.S. While reading over the words I recently have written here examining the Pauline epistles, I got the feeling I was bossy and legalistic, as though I were obsessed with forbidding behaviors, with making a list of DON’TS or Thou Shalt Nots. Is it me? Or could history’s greatest apologist for grace simultaneously be a great promoter of Dos and DON’Ts?

It’s not me. I am goal-oriented and filled with enough motivational-speaker energy to spend the rest of my life giving locker-room speeches. But I think this emphasis on good behavior comes more from the texts of Paul’s letters than it does from me. Paul would never put condemnation on a sincere Christian (he wrote Romans 8:1, after all—he KNOWS “there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ”). No one understood grace the way Paul did. Yet no one demanded good behavior the way Paul did. The truth is, Paul is concerned with the behavior of believers. These epistles are not simply doctrinal treatises explaining predestination and free will, or salvation by faith, or the Second Coming, or the heresy of the Judaizers. Paul wants his people to walk with Christ—and he is convinced their behavior matters.

DOES EVERY SECRET NEED TO BE EXPOSED? Ephesians 5:11-12.

One writer describes Wikileaks as “a whistleblowing platform … established to obtain and disseminate classified documents … from anonymous sources.” But should every secret be told? Imagine if it were. Believe it or not, the Bible counsels that some secret things should not be talked about.

“Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For IT IS SHAMEFUL EVEN TO MENTION WHAT IS DONE BY THEM in secret” Ephesians 5:11-12.

We are to expose the deeds of darkness—just like Wikileaks. However, “it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.”

We can condemn a sin without discussing every sordid detail—because discussing the details may take our minds to such a dark place. (Don’t let your entertainment take you there either.)

Similarly, there are things we talk and joke about that we should not speak of. “There must be no foolish talk, or coarse jesting [dirty jokes], but rather, giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:4.

There is no reason to take your mind there. Neither as the speaker, nor the hearer (horror movies, crime dramas, raunchy comedy…). Any fan of stand-up is going to be assaulted by filth that shocks you before you can change the channel. But hurry up! Paul says turn it off. “Walk as children of light” Ephesians 5:8.

Finally, silence both the CUSS words—and the COARSE words (words that are crude, but not illegal on television under FCC law).

“Let NO UNWHOLESOME WORDS proceed out of your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, fitting the need of the moment” Ephesians 4:29.

These are high standards, aren’t they? Completely out of touch! But God has something better for you. As a matter of fact, a clean mouth makes you stand out so much that people notice. They will ask.

In conclusion:

1) don’t talk about or listen to the nastiest details of sin;

2) don’t tell or listen to filthy jokes; and

3) don’t use CUSS WORDS or COARSE WORDS.

ΑΩ

Give Alcohol to the Man Without Hope. Proverbs 31:4–7.

Photo above: New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (right) watching agents pour liquor into the sewer following a raid, c. 1920. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-123257)

Please allow me to speak from personal opinion on the matter of drinking. First, I want to state clearly: the Bible does not forbid drinking. What do you think Jesus and His disciples were drinking in the upper room? It was wine. What did Jesus choose for His first miracle? He turned water into wine and took one peasant’s wedding celebration to the next level. The Bible does not forbid drinking. Neither will I. But I will discourage it.

Although the U.S. government once prohibited it, the Bible does not prohibit drinking. Remember Prohibition? One hundred years ago, reformers won passage of a Constitutional Amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol in all fifty states. Thirteen years later that amendment was repealed. But the Temperance movement had an impact. Churches and families once neutral about drinking took a stand against it.

Why? Because alcohol hurt families. The stereotype was all too common: fathers with drinking problems might avoid liquor for 13 days. But on day 14—payday—they would spend their entire paycheck on alcohol, drink all night long, and come home Saturday morning with no money and no food for their children.

The Bible allows drinking.

But it forbids drinking too much:

“Be not drunk with wine” Ephesians 5:18.

My favorite verse on the topic is a mother’s advice to her son who will become king:

“It is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink; or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed, and will pervert the rights of the afflicted. Give strong drink to one without hope, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. [But you, oh king], speak up for the unfortunate and defend the afflicted and needy” Proverbs 31:4–7.

Does the king need wine? No. Why not? Because he is the king, duh! The writer says give wine to the man without hope so he can drink and forget his problems.

I think of this as a passage about self-esteem or my self-concept: Do I want to be a king or a poor man? I want to be a KING!

And even when I am poor or suffering, I know that because of Jesus, I have hope! Why do I need alcohol? My life was changed by Christ. Alcohol is the last thing I need. And I know my own obsessiveness, and I know the stories of alcoholics in the families of both my parents. Why would I play with fire? Why take those risks when I am a king and ruler (2 Timothy 2:12) through Jesus?

The Bible does not prohibit drinking. But it provides plenty of good reasons not to indulge, or to indulge carefully. As I have written elsewhere, this is a nuanced issue with plenty of gray areas and room for reasonable minds to disagree. It is helpful to know something about the history of Prohibition in the United States, because so many churches and denominations took rigid positions on one side or the other–and those positions tend to persist a century after Prohibition was repealed. My conclusion is: Jesus drank wine and miraculously provided it to others. Yet dozens of Bible passages warn of the ill effects of drinking. We must do as Paul says, “let each man have his own conviction” (Romans 14:5) and “judge not” (Matthew 7:1).

Finally, If you drink often, consider fasting often. Fasting moderates appetites, ensuring we will “Be not drunk on spirits, but filled with the Holy Spirit” Ephesians 5:18.

Fasting is the Antidote to Indulgence. Ephesians 5:18.

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