Q.Why do people condemn drinking wine and strong drink when it is allowed in the Bible?

A This is a good question and it is usually based on a misunderstanding of several verses which seemingly contradict one another but really don't. Just considering the negative verses without looking into what the Scriptures say as a whole, including the context, can lead to the wrong conclusion. What has happened in the last 100 years in this country has shaped what many believe about alcohol. There was a movement at one time that believed that alcohol should be eliminated from American society and proponents of this view enlisted and were even led by religious leaders. They proceeded to find many verses in the Bible that spoke of alcohol in a negative way, trying to convince voters that alcohol was evil and should be outlawed. This resulted in what was called Prohibition. Well, after a few years, this didn't work and Prohibition was voted down. But, these ministers taught younger ministers, who taught other ministers and there are those today who maintain the same mindset as the prohibitionists. They clearly teach that drinking wine or strong drink is sin, but by doing that they have a problem because Yeshua clearly drank wine and even made wine at a wedding, and it wasn't grape juice. The headwaiter tasted it and said it was the best wine. He knew the difference between grape juice and wine, and if Yeshua had made grape juice he would have really complained. These teachers fall into the category of forbidding things permitted to be eaten (1 Tim 4.1-5). The problem is while condemning drinking as sin, they have to get around the fact that Yeshua drank, so they say He drank grape juice, which isn't true. He was accused of "eating (gluttony) and drinking (drunkenness)" and they said he had a demon. People today try to do the same thing. Wine was used for medicinal purposes (Parable of the Good Samaritan) and Paul's advice to Timothy. In Deut 14.26 it says to sell your tithe and buy "strong drink". The word for "strong (chazak) drink (shekar)" means an intoxicant. Now, God would not have commanded something if it was sin. Water, as an example, has many negative connotations in the Bible, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't drink it or use it. You can say the same thing about fire, or just about anything. There is a difference between eating and gluttony just as there is between drinking and drunkenness, which is always destructive. Paul said not to get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. He didn't say to avoid wine altogether. Aside from love, mercy, kindness and justice, one should use moderation in all things. A person should know what their limitations, faults and weaknesses are and act accordingly in good conscience before the Lord. If a particular behavior does not violate righteous behavior, harm your health or violate civil law, then it is most likely acceptable.