THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3, FEBRUARY 18, 2001

A LITTLE VERSUS NONE?

            Many different arguments are made today in an attempt to justify the consumption of alcoholic beverages by some who are members of the Body of Christ.  Most of the arguments are easily answered.  However, there is one that comes up frequently and no matter how it is answered, it keeps coming up.   It is an argument based upon 1 Tim. 3:3 & 8, dealing with the qualifications of elders and deacons, and it comes from the King James translation of the passage.  1 Tim. 3:3, speaking of elders, says, “Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.”  Moving down to verse 8, speaking of deacons, we find, “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.”

             The contention is usually made that the elders were not to be given to wine and the deacons not to be given to much wine.  Therefore, the elders could not consume any alcoholic beverage while the deacons could consume a little.  Deny this and you will be accused of prejudicial exegesis, of going to the scriptures in an attempt to prove what you already believe and not to find out what they actually say.  Let’s see if that is true.  

            The New American Standard renders the phrase under consideration in v. 3 as, “not addicted to wine or pugnacious”; v. 8 as, “or addicted to much wine.”  Do you honestly see a difference there?  Can a person be addicted to just a little wine?  

            The New International Version renders v. 3 as, “not given to much wine”, v. 8 as, “not indulging in much wine.”  Do you see a difference there?  

            The Contemporary English Version renders v. 3 as, “must not be heavy drinkers”, v. 8 as, “must not be heavy drinkers”.  How about here?  Do you see a difference?  

            An American Translation, by Goodspeed, renders v. 3 as, not addicted to drink”, v. 8 as, “not addicted to wine”.  I don’t see a real difference there.  Do you?  

            The New Berkeley Version in Modern English renders v. 3 as, “neither a drunkard”, v. 8 as, “not addicted to much wine”.  Have you ever known a drunkard who wasn’t addicted?  Do you honestly see a difference there?  

            The New Testament in the Language of Today renders v. 3 as, “not drinking too much wine”, v. 8 as, “not drinking a lot of wine”.  Again, I truly fail to see a difference.  

            The New Living Translation renders v. 3 as “must not be a heavy drinker”, v. 8 as, “must not be heavy drinkers”.   

            The Catholic Bible, New American Bible, translates v. 3 as, “not a drunkard”, v. 8 as, “not addicted to drink”.  Again we ask, have you ever known a drunkard who was not addicted.  

            Years ago such arguments were not made by brethren, at least not publicly.  However, the pull of the world is so strong.  Actually, the literal meaning of the phrase in v. 3 is “one who sits long at his wine.”  Some have defined it as “quarrelsome over wine.”  The literal meaning of the phrase in v. 8 is, “not holding the mind on much wine.”  It is pretty much the same thing, wouldn’t you agree?  Both phrases deal with excessive drinking.  In truth, to find justification for moderate, social drinking in 1 Tim. 3  is prejudicial exegesis.  The passage does not even deal with that topic.              
                                                                   g.l.

IF I COULD LIVE MY LIFE OVER  

            The light in the room was subdued and an atmosphere of sadness hung over the occupants.  In the center of the room the old man was laying in the bed, dying.  Occasionally he would say a few words and when he did, a hush would fall over the people gathered around him and they would all lean forward, trying to hear what he had to say.  Finally, with great effort and with tears in his eyes, the old man said, “I wish I had my life to live over” and died.  

            “I wish I had my life to live over.”  How many times have individuals expressed that wish!  The implication always is that some how things would have been different, they would not have made the same mistakes, and many things would have been changed.  But, alas, we can’t start all over – or can we?  

            In Rom. 6:1 – 4, Paul wrote, “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we are buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”  

            Jesus spoke of the same process in John 3 and called it being “born again”.  When an individual hears the Word of God, believes it, repents of his sins, confesses his faith in Jesus as the Lord, and is baptized in water for the remission of his sins, he is then a new creature, he is walking in newness of life.  He truly does get a chance to “start over” or to “live his life over again”, as least from that point onward.  

            Now obviously we are not talking about a chemical or physical change in the person.  Joe is still going to look like Joe and Mary is still going to look like Mary  - but he or she will be new in three different aspects of their lives.  (a)  They are dead to sin in that God no longer holds them guilty for their past.  They had been acquitted, they have been justified.  Paul said, “For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Rom. 6:7).  (b)  In the newness of life, they are dead to sin in that they no longer love it, they no longer permit it to rule their lives, they no longer practice sin. Romans 6: 17 & 18 tells us, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.  And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”  (c)  While they still live in the world, they are no longer of the world.  They have been translated into the kingdom of righteousness.  We find in Col. 1:13, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”  

            Wouldn’t it be a tragedy to be living our lives, knowing that there are things in it that we need to change, but never changing them?  Then comes the day in the subdued light of a hospital room, with friends and family gathered around straining to hear our last few words, and all we can say is that I wish I had it to do over again.                                                            g.l.

IT IS TIME TO CHANGE  

            Our association together began over 25 years ago.  At the time I didn’t know very much about my new friend, but we soon became inseparable.  We have had exciting times together.  We have done countless radio programs together, preached in 3 countries and a host of congregations.  We have engaged in 3 public debates together & 2 radio debates.  We have been in more homes than I can count for bible study and we have both had roaches crawl across us as we sought to do the Lord’s work. 

            How many hours have we spent together?  I can’t imagine.  How many sermons, bulletin articles and magazine articles have we prepared together?  I love my friend, but it is time to change.  I have resisted the change as long as I could, but brethren don’t use my friend much anymore.  I am laying aside the King James Version and will begin to preach and teach out of the New King James.  It is silly, I know, but I am sure going to miss it.      g.l.