“Why do some churches object to wine since the Bible indicates that it is a gift from God (Psalm 104:14-15)?18 How can they continue to object even when they acknowledge that Jesus turned water into wine? Is this anything more than a holdover from prohibition? In fact, the Bible promotes drunkenness in Proverbs 31:6-7.”

I must admit that the last sentence of this one caught me a little bit off guard….the Bible promoting drunkenness?

The verse in context is:

“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
- Proverbs 31:4-7 (NIV)

This seems, at least at first glance, to be a warning against drunkenness for people in positions of responsibility. The verse with the reading “those who are perishing” was understood by the Jews to mean those being put to death. This is seen in the New Testament when Jesus is hanging on the cross, and they offer him what amounts to a first-century anesthetic - mixed wine.

As for the rest of the question, I believe the author of the question has hit the nail on the head. I’m not sure if it’s a holdover from prohibition, but I can’t see any Biblical grounds upon which one could claim that drinking wine is out-and-out wrong.

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“Why do Christians pray about whether to marry someone, when Paul says that if they want to get married they should just do it (1 Corinthians 7)?”

I have to assume that this question has to do with whether or not the Christian should marry a particular person, rather than whether or not to get married in general. Let’s assume this reading, and look at the text in question:

But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
- 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 (NASB)

This text is not a “just do it” text, not by any stretch of the imagination. This text states that it is good to be unmarried, but that it is perfectly acceptable to get married. It does not, however, state that you should just rush out and get married.

If for no other reason than one of practicality, you should probably attempt to find a good marriage partner. Some (or much) prayer will most likely be involved there, as it should be in all important decisions. Once you find that partner, however, go ahead and get married. It’s that simple.

If the question is actually about whether or not to marry or remain celibate (as those are the two Biblical options), prayer should definitely be involved there as well. If you have desires that lead you toward marriage, but for some reason feel you’re called to remain unmarried, either you need to get married or you need to have peace with being celibate. Either way, it should be a matter of prayer.

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In our last post we talked about inerrancy. Inerrancy means, to put it simply, that the Bible is free from error. There is another concept that’s closely related to inerrancy called “infallibility”. Infallibility means that the Bible “cannot fail”, or is reliable in what it teaches us.

Something can be inerrant for a variety of reasons. It can be inerrant by pure dumb luck. For example, if you give me a complex math problem, I can pick a random number out of the air for an answer. If the answer is correct, it’s inerrant - but not due to any skill on my part. It can also be inerrant because the speaker knows their subject and is authoritative. Ask that same question of a skilled mathematician, and the answer will likely be inerrant - this time because of the skill and knowledge of the mathematician.

An answer can also be inerrant, but misleading - this is where an answer is given that’s “technically correct”, but may not be complete. Or it can be considered inerrant because it contains correctly reported incorrect information. An example of that would be, “Joe said that the sky was yellow yesterday at noon.” It may be true that Joe said that, but his statement was false if the sky was not in fact yellow.

Infallibility means that if the Bible speaks about a subject, it cannot be incorrect and it doesn’t deceive or mislead. The Chicago Statement On Biblical Inerrancy states in part that the Bible:

“is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms: obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.”

It clarifies the definition of infallibility as follows:

“lnfallible signifies the quality of neither misleading nor being misled and so safeguards in categorical terms the truth that Holy Scripture is a sure, safe, and reliable rule and guide in all matters.”

This follows with the statements of Jesus:

“and Scripture cannot be broken”
- John 10:35b (ESV)

“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”
- Matthew 5:18 (ESV)

You’ll note that Jesus isn’t suggesting that Scripture might not be broken.  He’s not saying that some of Scripture can’t be broken.  He’s stating categorically that the texts that were written can’t be broken.  It’s just not possible. 

The Bible therefore teaches that its infallibility and inerrancy provides a solid foundation for our faith, as well as a reliable guide for daily living.  This is one of the foundational principles of Christianity.

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