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If a Believer Takes Wine Moderately, Does Not Get Drunk and Does Not Weaken His Brothers Conscience nor Hurt His Testimony, Has He Sinned?

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Answered by True Bible Teachings AI on 5/11/2026

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.

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.

SermonRelevance 54

From that time

Friday, the 13th of July 1962

62-0713 §91

It's your American privilege, you say. Oh, yeah. If you're a lamb, a lamb forfeits his right. He don't have but one thing---wool---and he forfeits that. If you're a lamb you'll forfeit your American rights, to serve God. Say, "I can dress the way I want to. It's none of your business." It's not me, brother, sister. It's the Bible. God made a man, and made him dress like a man; made a woman to dress like a woman; made them act different, and made two covenants with them, and everything else. It's always been. The li...

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SermonRelevance 54

Looking at the unseen

Friday, the 3rd of October 1958

58-1003 §31

...oshua knowed the battle belonged to him then. And when you people here tonight, that's sinful in your heart... I don't mean that you live in adultery. I don't mean that you get drunk. I mean, sin is unbelief, and with unbelief in your heart, if you'll just open up your heart, and close your eyes, and look at the Chief Captain, who's omnipresent tonight, the world will lay flat at your feet and will shake every fetter of sin away from you. The doubting days will be over. Oh, blessed be the name of the Lord.

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SermonRelevance 54

The Law having a shadow

Thursday, the 21st of June 1956

56-0621 §55

What is the word "sin"? Sin is "unbelief." Jesus said in Saint John the 4th chapter, "He that believeth not is condemned already." You don't have to do anything; you're condemned already. Now, drinking, committing adultery, and that, that's not sin. You do that because you're an unbeliever. You're an unbeliever to begin with. That's the reason you do those things. Now, if you once get right with Christ, those things will just ... they're circumcised at the altar. When you confess it, God just takes it away, and put...

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SermonRelevance 53

Standing in the gap

Sunday morning, the 23rd of June 1963 at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A.

63-0623M §75

...ng today." I said, "Fletcher..." (about eighteen year old boy) I said, "Don't go that route." But he never listened. He went on and he become a complete alcoholic. And his wife left him, his children... And he's just at this hour... And God knows I love him. I went to pray for him, just a bum. I went to pray for him, here not long ago, he got hurt, while I was here with the seven seals. And I said, "Fletch, I got a couple suits up there I'd like to give you." He said, "Don't do it, Brother Bill." And I know he had...

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SermonRelevance 52

Have faith in God

Saturday, the 10th of May 1958

58-0510 §81

I do not know you, lady. You're a stranger to me. There's something on her heart. She is praying for someone else, which is an elderly woman. That's her mother, and her mother has paralyses; she's a crippled woman. You are a minister's wife, and you've got others on your heart that you're praying for. Don't doubt. Have faith. You'll receive what you asked for. Do you believe it? God help you then. Go, and receive it, my sister. All right. The Lord God knows both of us, lady. I do not know you. But God does know us....

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