Conscience and the Bible
Why is freedom of conscience important? It is important because each of us will give an account to God. Every person will stand before the living God. As the Parable of the Talents indicates, we will be asked how we have invested the “talents” God has given us. The human temptation is to hide and bury them. God calls us to invest them for the sake of his work. Those who do will receive the Master’s approval: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Since this is a call that comes to each of us individually, each is responsible for answering faithfully. Since conscience is a God-given guide to help us discern his will, no church law or practice may urge anyone to go against conscience. God alone is Lord of the conscience.
Does this lead to moral license? No. It allows us to be subject always and primarily to God’s Word. Christian doctrine has always opposed what is called “antinomianism.” This refers to a rejection of moral law that results in license. In the letters to the churches in Revelation, chapter 2, Christ warns against those who taught the people that faith allowed for sexual liberty outside of God’s boundaries. It speaks against such practice in the strongest terms. Christian liberty is not for the sake of immorality but to serve God with freedom of heart, mind, and spirit. The freedom of the Christian delivers us from rituals designed to appease God but binds us to serve our neighbors with the love of Christ.
What then about those who feel led by the Holy Spirit in such a way that they depart from scripture? Doesn’t the Holy Spirit lead the church today? The Spirit does indeed lead the church and is the power, life, and energy behind its existence. But the Spirit never leads us to conclusions that are at odds with scripture because the Holy Spirit himself inspired them. He does not contradict himself. All true leadings from the Holy Spirit will be in line with the words of scripture that he inspired.
Is everyone bound to obey the scriptures? Yes. All Christians should be captive to the Word of God. This means that our lives ought to be guided, formed, and bound by Holy Scripture. There is no other authoritative source of faith, doctrine, and instruction. There is great power in the scriptures to expose our attitudes and motives. As the author of Hebrews says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The scriptures expose our duplicity in order that what is broken might be restored and what is hidden might be exposed to the healing light.
Not only must individuals obey the scriptures but the church must as well. This applies to the church at-large and individual churches. Every church must seek to discern God’s leading according to scripture. An important Reformed motto is: “Reformed and always reforming according to the Word of God.” Churches must order their lives according to scripture. When their life falls short of God’s prescription, it must change in order to better conform to the pattern given us in scripture.