Question 3:
What can you say about 1 Timothy 5:23?  (RDJ from The Philippines, living in Canada)

Response:
"Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often." 1 Timothy 5:23

This verse indicates that healings were less common towards the end of Paul's ministry than at first. He could have just said "Be healed!", had he been able. But he was not. Miracles cluster around the time of the Exodus, the time of the Prophets and the time of Jesus through the early days of the Church's founding. By the end of the New Testament, miracles had largely been replaced by God's Word and Faith. Jesus once said that if the people did not see a miraculous sign, they would NOT believe. To me, this means that faith should be present in the absence of miracles. Miracles should not replace faith (ie I will NOT believe unless I see the miracle).

On a different note, this verse indicates that wine had medicinal value (it was safer than polluted waters often prevalent in those days).

But were you asking me if this means it is OK to drink alcohol? There are other passages dealing with that issue. This one is not. The best you can get out of this one is that Nyquil is OK (isn't it about 90% booze?) :) If you want to discuss the rest of the Bible's teachings regarding alcoholic consumption, come over to our home one afternoon and we'll discuss it over cold drinks:)