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.
Satan's Eden
65-0829 §40
And again, it is religious sin, as at the beginning---so deceitful. Watch it now. It's not just purely old, everyday sin: committing adultery and getting drunk and using God's name in vain. That's not it. No. You remember years ago, many of you here, the old timers, remember that sermon I preached on The Disappointments At Judgment? The harlot, she ain't going to be disappointed there. She knows where she's going. The drunkard ain't going to be disappointed there. The bootlegger, the gambler, the liar, the thief --...
The Queen of Sheba
59-0405E §33
...e sister coming, she turned and looked at Sarah. She said, "Sarah..." Sarah reminded me of this little church that's just started. You know, it isn't very old. Sometimes it gets up in the air, and down on the ground, and flopping around, in and out. She said, "Sarah, I want you to know one thing: I was here first, and I've got all of daddy, and there's nothing left for you." Little Sarah dropped her little lips down, here little brown eyes kind of watering. She turned to go away. I winked at her and motioned my fin...
Hearing, recognizing, acting on the Word of God
60-0221 §108
Reminds me of the artist that went over to Rome to learn to be an artist, a young fellow. They noticed him. He was so much different from all the other American boys and girls, and things that went over there to be artists, and from the rest of the world. This one young man was outstanding. He was a fine fellow. And they noticed. They'd have great big parties, and get down there, and how they do in Rome, just get drunk as they can be. I've been there myself and seen them. Get out on the street, men and women, and c...
To see Jesus
54-0718E §41
Drinking, smoking, gambling, doing evil things: that isn't sin; that's the attributes of unbelief. You do that because you're an unbeliever. If you was a believer, you would not do those things. It bears the fruits of joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, holiness. That's the fruits of the Spirit. But the fruits of the evil spirit is doubt. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Then if the truth comes to you in such a way that you have a knowledge of it, and then refuse to receive it, there rema...
How the Angel came to me
53-1109 §31
Well, the woman with the stomach trouble went home. She said, "Well, I believe that with all my heart." What is sin, friend? Sin... Smoking cigarettes is not sin. Drinking whiskey is not sin. Committing adultery is not sin. That's the attributes of sin. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Unbelief is sin. Is that right? You do those things because you don't believe. Jesus said, "He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me has everlasting life." See? The thing is your faith. And if you beli...