WCF 20.3
Westminster Confession of Faith
20.3. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
They who, upon pretence of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty, which is, that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve the Lord, without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
Proof texts
- Gal. 5:13 — [13] For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
- 1 Pet. 2:16 — [16] Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
- 2 Pet. 2:19 — [19] They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
- John 8:34 — [34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
- Luke 1:74, 75 — [74] that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, [75] in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
For discussion
- The Assembly cited Gal. 5:13 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
- 5 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
- IAR 6.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
- SHC 4.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
Read alongside
Leader's notes
A Commentary on the Confession of Faith (A.A. Hodge): These Sections teach the following propositions : 1st. God alone is Lord of the human conscience, which is responsible only to his authority. 2d. God has authoritatively addressed the human conscience only in his law, the only perfect revelation of which in this world is the inspired Scriptures. Hence God himself has set the human conscience free from all obligation to believe or obey any such doctrines or comCHEISTIAN LIBERTY— LIBERTY OF CONSCIEKOE. 359 mand merits of men as are either contrary to or aside from the teachings of that Word. 3d. Hence to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commandments as a matter of conscience, is to be guilty of the sin of betraying the liberty of conscience…
An Exposition of the Confession of Faith (Robert Shaw): The liberty pleaded for in our Confession is not absolute and uncontrollable. To assert that men have a right to think and act as they please, without respect to the moral law, and without being responsible to God, would be atheistical. And, if men are considered as socially united, and as placed under government, their natural rights, in religious as well as in civil things, must be Hable to restraint and regulations, so far as the interests and>Bnds of society require. Accordingly, the Confession, in the above sections, proceeds to guard the doctrine of liberty of conscience against abuse, first, in refer- .- ence to the authority of God in his law ; and, secondly ^ in reference to the…