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.
Believest thou this?
51-0506A §9
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60-0304 §36
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Presuming
62-0610M §47
Billy Graham made the same statement one time. You read his article about how many drunks there was in so-called Christianity. The average so-called Christian of some church (and a sinner alike, which to me they're all in the same boat), people drink, and try to just drown out past sins---the cheating, lying---and on the weekend they try to get drunk. Just think, "Well, I'll just pass it off." They're presuming that that's the right way to do it. They feel that that's the way to forget your sins---just drink it out...
Thirst
65-0919 §40
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Jubilee Year
54-1003E §74
You notice Paul here. Those Corinthians, they didn't get it. They went up there, and even get drunk at the Lord's table. And they ate and drank, done everything wrong. Paul said, "When you come together, if a man is hungry, let him eat at home. But when you come together, tarry one for another." In other words, "Wait on one another." They said, "Now, here's a brother that I don't think ought to take the communion." Well, don't run up there and jerk him out. Have patience with him. After the service is over, in a ki...