Core Value 22: Liberty of Conscience

God in Christ has purchased the liberty of believers, freeing them from the guilt of sin, God’s wrath, unbiblical traditions and regulations of men, Satan and the fear of death (Galatians 5:1; Colossians 2:8–23; Hebrews 2:14–15).

• Therefore we affirm that believers are bound in their consciences only to God and his Word, not to the impositions of men and of Satan (Romans 14:1–15:4). We further affirm that Christian liberty is nothing but freedom to serve God within the boundaries that God himself has set (Romans 6:8–22).
• We deny that Christian liberty gives licence to sin of any kind (Romans 6:1–7). We further deny that any church or its leaders have a right to expect obedience from members when they teach things that are contrary or additional to God’s Word (Matthew 15:1–9; Colossians 2:20–23).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. From what has God set his people free?
2. Why is the first statement of the affirmation so important?
3. What are some teachings, standards, superstitions, traditions, etc. that often bind a person’s conscience, but are not God’s commands?
4. How is Christian liberty defined in the second part of the affirmation and first part of the denial?
5. What is the limit of church authority?
6. On the basis of this value, would you agree or disagree with the following statement and why: “You are free to do whatever the Bible does not prohibit”?

THE CORE VALUES OF SOLA 5

• Core Value 1: God-Centredness
• Core Value 2: Logic and Reason
• Core Value 3: Authority
• Core Value 4: Sanctity of Life
• Core Value 5: Marriage and Sexuality
• Core Value 6: Discipline
• Core Value 7: Gender Roles
• Core Value 8: Vocation
• Core Value 9: Racial Harmony
• Core Value 10: Creation
• Core Value 11: Animals and the Environment
• Core Value 12: Pluralism
• Core Value 13: Freedom of Religion
• Core Value 14: Evangelism
• Core Value 15: Sufficiency of Scripture
• Core Value 16: Expository Preaching
• Core Value 17: Genuine Christianity
• Core Value 18: Personal Devotion to God
• Core Value 19: Good Works and Social Concern
• Core Value 20: Autonomy and Interdependency
• Core Value 21: The Unity of the Church
• Core Value 22: Liberty of Conscience
• Core Value 23: Hyper-Orthodoxy

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