WCF 20.2

20.2. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in any thing contrary to His Word; or beside it, if matters of faith or worship. So that, to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands, out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience: and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also.

Proof texts

• Jam. 4:12
• Rom. 14:4 — [4] Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
• Acts 4:19 — [19] But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
• Acts 5:29 — [29] But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
• 1 Cor. 7:23 — [23] You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.
• Matt. 23:8, 9, 10 — [8] But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. [10] Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
• 2 Cor. 1:24 — [24] Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
• Matt. 15:9 — [9] in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
• Col. 2:20, 22, 23 — [20] If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations — [22] (referring to things that all perish as they are used) — according to human precepts and teachings? [23] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
• Gal. 1:10 — [10] For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
• Gal. 2:4, 5 — [4] Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in — who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery — [5] to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
• Gal. 5:1 — [1] For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
• Rom. 10:17 — [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
• Rom. 14:23 — [23] But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
• Isa. 8:20 — [20] To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
• Acts 17:11 — [11] Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
• John 4:22 — [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
• Hos. 5:11 — [11] Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.
• Rev. 13:12, 16, 17 — [12] It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. [16] Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, [17] so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
• Jer. 8:9 — [9] The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Jam. 4:12 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 20 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. IAR 6.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. SHC 4.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

IAR 6.1 · SHC 4.1 · SHC 4.2