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.
Acts of the Holy Spirit
54-1219E §57
Now, as we're approaching Christmas time now, and here the things are decorated all up with Santa Claus instead of Jesus. They don't even spell it anymore. "X-m-a-s." They don't even spell "Christ" in Christmas anymore. Why, the people never even think about the birth or anything of Christ, what it's really for. Only thing they think about is Santa Claus took its place. And instead of rejoicing under the Spirit of God, they go out and get drunk and rejoice, see. That's what makes the difference.
I have heard but now I see
65-1127E §107
...your kingdom that is a dissolver of doubts." And the Holy Ghost, tonight, is the dissolver of doubts! Do you believe that? The dissolver of doubts. Now, the blood of Christ takes away each stain, the stain of doubt. There's not a greater sin in the world than unbelief, "For he that believeth not, is condemned already." Is that right? "He that believeth not is condemned." There's only one sin, and that's unbelief. Smoking's not a sin, cursing's not a sin, committing adultery's not a sin, lying is not a sin. That isn...
Jehovah-Jireh
57-0612 §19
Now, I don't condemn sinners for the way they live; that's all they know. I feel sorry for them. I don't blame a sinner for going out and getting drunk. That's all the pleasure he has. Give him another one. I don't blame him from gambling, going to places, and honky-tonks; that's all the pleasure he's got. I don't blame a pig for eating out of a manure pile; that's all he knows. But you people, who call yourselves Christians and do it, you're the guy that I'm firing at. You know better. You wouldn't want to see a l...
Abraham's grace covenant
61-0317 §11
And Hebrews (now watch), Hebrews the 10th chapter, said, "If we sin willfully..." Now what is sin, brethren? Unbelief. "He that believeth not is condemned already." You commit adultery. Why? Because you're an unbeliever. You steal, lie, cheat. Why? Because you're an unbeliever. That's right. A real true believer doesn't do that, see. He doesn't do it because the Holy Spirit in him... If he happens to even make a mistake... The Bible said also, "The worshipper once purged has no more conscience of sin." "He that's b...
Thirsting for Life
59-0414 §26
...t's filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood, and lose all their guilty stain. You just can't satisfy yourself. You go out and get drunk, and you come back, and you have a headache. The next morning you get up and you start; and the next day, throw it in again. So nervous you can't hold yourself together, smoke one cigarette after the other, and knowing not that you're heaping coals of fire into it. Why, every one you smoke will make you that much more nervous.