1 Timothy 5:23 Wine and Healing

No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. [1 Timothy 5:23 NASB]

There are a couple of interesting points to be made in this passage. The first regards the drinking of alcohol.

There are some religious traditions that absolutely forbid the drinking of alcohol. To them, alcohol in any form and any amount is sinful. They say that when the Bible speaks of drinking wine, it means non-alcoholic wine (that is, juice). But the scriptures don't bear this out. They say that the excessive use of wine leads to drunkenness. You don't get drunk on grape juice.

It's easy to see where this doctrine came from. After all, the Bible teaches that drunkenness is a sin;

envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [Galatians 5:21 NASB]

If you abstain from wine completely, then you never need to worry about drunkenness. Total abstinence seems to have been Timothy's tactic, but Paul corrected him by telling him to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes.

I know a God-fearing Christian who enjoys an ice-cold beer at the end of a hot day. He is able to limit himself to a single beer, and doesn't get drunk.

There are others who, if they have one, they have to have a second, then a third and more. If they drink a little, it leads to drinking a lot. They need to abstain from alcohol altogether; not because religion dictates it, but to avoid the sin and consequence of drunkenness.

Whether to avoid alcohol or not is not a matter of religious imposition, but of personal responsibility.

The second interesting point, to me, is the mention of Timothy's "frequent ailments". You can me sure that with Timothy and Paul's close companionship, Paul prayed for Timothy to be healed. Timothy's ailments were never healed; not because of lack of faith on the part of either Paul or Timothy, but because God didn't  heal him.

I believe that God heals today, just as He did in the Bible. I have prayed for people to be healed, and I have witnessed miraculous healings. I also acknowledge that not everybody is healed.

There are those who teach that God no longer heals. But there is no scriptural evidence that the Holy Spirit would stop moving in supernatural ways after the "apostolic age". They usually refer the scripture;

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. [1 Corinthians 13:8-10 NASB]

The idea that "the perfect" is the end of the apostolic age and completion of scripture is simply reading into the scripture according to preconceived notions. The only description of perfection refers to the new heavens and the new earth, when this earth has been destroyed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who believe that God will heal everyone in this life, and if you are not healed it is because of unrepentant sin, or lack of faith. Again, they cherry pick their healing scriptures and create a doctrine without considering the full context of scripture. Jesus did not heal every person in Israel. As today's passage indicates, Timothy was not healed. 

Some preachers say that if you live a godly life, you will have perfect health. They arrogantly point to their own robust health as an example. The problem with teaching that people are not healed because they are in sin, or lacking in faith, is that it nullifies God's grace. God's gifts become something to be earned.

People who are not healed are shamed, and made to believe that their sickness is their own fault, and not the result of living in a fallen world. The wagging tongues speculate about what kind of sin is keeping them from being healed, or marvel at the weakness of their faith.

The teaching falls apart when the preacher falls ill or infirm with age, and eventually dies, as we all must.

Why wasn't Timothy healed? I don't know. The Bible doesn't say. It doesn't tell us why some people are healed and others are not. 

This does not diminish my faith in God in any way. I thank Him for my health, and I praise Him for my infirmities. I propose that it takes more faith to thank God for your sickness than it does to believe for good health. As we are told;

always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; [Ephesians 5:20 NASB]

Thank God for all things. Believe that, in all things, He loves you and has your best interest at heart. Believe that God will do only good for us, and not evil. Not all things that are hard or unpleasant are evil. Sometimes we just don't understand, but that's okay. We continue to trust God.

Lord, thank You that you are the God who heals. Thank you for your promise that I can come to You with my request for healing. I pray that You will keep me in good health, and heal my infirmities.