If a Believer Takes Wine Moderately, Does Not Get Drunk and Does Not Weaken His Brothers Conscience nor Hurt His Testimony, Has He Sinned?
1) Direct answer
No—if he truly remains sober, is not under its power, does not wound a weaker conscience, and his own heart is clear before God, he has not sinned. But the higher, cleaner way is abstinence.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible shows real wine existed and could be used without sin in proper measure: Jesus made wine at Cana (John 2:10), and Timothy was told, “use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake” (1 Timothy 5:23).
- Drunkenness and being influenced by drink are condemned: “Be not drunk with wine” (Ephesians 5:18); drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:10; Galatians 5:21).
- Liberty is judged by love and conscience: “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth” (Romans 14:21). “Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth… whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:22–23).
- Wisdom warns of its snare: “Wine is a mocker” (Proverbs 20:1); “Look not thou upon the wine… at the last it biteth like a serpent” (Proverbs 23:31–32).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- The sin is not in the mere existence of wine, but in loss of sobriety, bondage, and harmful influence.
- If there is no drunkenness, no offense, and no self-condemnation, there is no sin in that act. Yet the safest testimony and the strongest walk is to abstain, to avoid the snare, and to be filled with the Spirit rather than influenced by wine (Ephesians 5:18).
4) Reinforcing statement
You see, the Bible does not command drunkenness; it commands sobriety. But love chooses the higher road. Abstinence keeps the vessel clean and the witness bright.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
An Exodus
56-0615 §31
Notice, and when they were all eating that manna, they got drunk, just as drunk as they could be. And was staggering like drunk men. And listen, my Catholic friend, the virgin, Mary, was with them. And if she had to get that before she entered heaven, how much more are you going to have to have it. That's right. You know what's the trouble today? The reason we're so allergic to so many things: we don't get drunk enough. Do you believe that? I believe it was William Booth-Clibborn one time said in the early Salvatio...
Thou knowest all things
52-0716 §27
Well, that would be the same Man, today. He's here. He will let you do things, and so forth, like that, but when you go to sinning, and get to ... and going like that, then however, the line will be drawed. Something will come down there and stop it, and say, "Looky here just a minute." Is that right? Sure, He does. He chastens His children; chastens them. I believe He does. And the Bible said that "They are brought upon us to try to our faith." Is that right? Now, if you're sick, tonight, and something might have...
Redemption in completeness, in joy
54-0330 §46
Look, they were full of new wine (That's right.), the wine that come from God out of Heaven. Did you ever see a drunk man? He's just in love with everybody, see. He don't care. That's the way a man is when he gets drunk on the Spirit. The Bible said, "Be not drunk on strong drink, with excess, but to be drunk on the Spirit." The Spirit of God makes you so drunk, you forget all your enemies, and everything. Everybody's in love with you. You don't care about who's standing around you. You're the biggest man in the co...
Enticing spirits
55-0724 §55
I said, "I don't condemn the drunkard for going out and getting drunk. He's all moody. He don't know ... he gets up a morning, he's got the blues, a hangover, goes out and gets him two or three bottles of beer, and goes out and gets him some whiskey, and all that kind of stuff. The little cigarette sucker sits back and smokes and blow up through his nose like he was a freight train. That's all... I don't blame him; that's all the joy he knows. That's all he knows about. He's a pig by nature. Shame on you who profes...
Hear ye Him
56-1215 §10
I was preaching here not long ago in a Methodist church, and I was saying, "Smoking cigarettes is not a sin. Committing adultery is not a sin. Getting drunk is not a sin. Taking the Lord's name is not in sin." Some blessed little old saint sitting in front, with one of these high-collared dresses on, she just forgot where she was at, it got her so bad, because she just had one school of thought. She said, "Then pray, tell me what sin is." I said, "Sin is unbelief." You know, smoking's not a sin. Committing adultery...