“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” (1 Timothy 5:23)
If we can’t see the spiritual meaning of Paul’s words, but take them literally, we should stop drinking water. We can’t accept part of the sentence and ignore the rest.
At the last supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, “and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.” (Here is the wine.) “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” How much of the cup of the New Testament should we drink? All of it!
Jesus said, “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:27-29)
When is that day? When the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, has come to you. (John 14:26) What does he give you? “Even the spirit of truth.” (John 14:17) What will we eat with Jesus? “The hidden manna.” (Revelation 2:17)
Jesus is the “true vine.” His words come to maturity in you, and fill the cup of the New Testament. “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom.” What do we eat? Hidden manna. What do we drink? The cup of the New Testament. Where is his kingdom? “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
When Paul talks about some needing milk and others are able to eat strong meat, we know he is talking about the word of God. Some can receive the strong sayings of the word, others cannot. Strong meat would be hard for a novice to digest. What will help digestion? Do as Paul said, “use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake.” He is talking about the word of God, “the cup of the new Testament.“
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” (Hebrews 5:12-13)
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16)
“It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” (Romans 14:21)
