CHAPTER 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
(Parts Five and Six)
We do well to remember Luther’s famous statement about conscience: “I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”
Some, who only cite the last portion of that quote, elevate one’s own conscience to the highest authority, as though “acting against one’s conscience” is never “safe nor sound.” That is simply not true because our consciences can be incorrectly programmed to call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). A person raised to be a racist will hear his conscience affirm racism, but that does not make that man’s conscience a voice to obey.
Luther’s statement begins with the assertion that his conscience was “captive to the Word of God.” While we would agree that a person’s understanding of Scripture can be mistaken, and therefore have his conscience incorrectly programmed, at least Luther asserted that the Word of God has greater authority than one’s conscience.
Therefore we would insist on the following:
Do not follow your heart! Jeremiah 17:9 warns that our hearts are naturally deceitful and desperately wicked.
Seek to know God’s Word and to understand it as the most important means of correctly programming your conscience.
As your heart is held captive by the Word of God, do not disobey your conscience, since to do so is neither right nor safe.”
(Part Six)
Liberty of Conscience is not a free pass to think and do as one pleases, hiding behind “conscience.” If one’s conscience is warped or corrupted, resulting in sinful thoughts, words, or actions, the sinner is responsible—conscience or no.
Those who are born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and are being instructed correctly from the Bible, are constrained by their conscience,, that are held captive by the Word of God. to live righteously and not to sin.
In matters that are not clearly right or wrong, in which a believer may have liberty to believe, speak, or act differently from another believer, one must be careful not to use his liberty as a cloak for any sin. This includes the sin of flaunting one’s liberties at the expense of a brother whose conscience is more constraining. Christian liberty, channeled by the law of love, ends where a brother is scandalized or tempted either to violate his conscience or to judge his brother in matters of liberty of conscience.
May I encourage you to read Romans 14:1-15:7 for straight scripture on this subject?