Chapter 21

Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

1. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel,
consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God,
and rigour and curse of the law,

Galatians Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
3:13 written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that
3:14 we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

and in their being delivered from this present evil world,

Galatians Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the
1:1 Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Galatians And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
1:2
Galatians Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
1:3
Galatians Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,
1:4 according to the will of God and our Father:
Galatians To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1:5

bondage to Satan,

Acts But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make
26:16 thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those
things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Acts Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
26:17
Acts To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
26:18 unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which
are sanctified by faith that is in me.
and dominion of sin,

Romans For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his
8:3 own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Romans That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
8:4 but after the Spirit.

from the evil of afflictions,

Romans And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
8:28 who are the called according to his purpose.

the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave,

I Corinthians So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have
15:54 put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death
is swallowed up in victory.
I Corinthians O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
15:55
I Corinthians The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
15:56
I Corinthians But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:57

and everlasting damnation;

II Thessalonians We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that
1:3 your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward
each other aboundeth;
II Thessalonians So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and
1:4 faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
II Thessalonians Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be
1:5 counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
II Thessalonians Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that
1:6 trouble you;
II Thessalonians And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
1:7 from heaven with his mighty angels,
II Thessalonians In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
1:8 the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
II Thessalonians Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
1:9 Lord, and from the glory of his power;
II Thessalonians When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them
1:10 that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of
slavish fear,

Romans For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
8:15 Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

but a child-like love, and willing mind.

Luke And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
1:67
Luke Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
1:68
Luke And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
1:69
Luke As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
1:70
Luke That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
1:71
Luke To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
1:72
Luke The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
1:73
Luke That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
1:74 might serve him without fear,
Luke In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
1:75
I John There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He
4:18 that feareth is not made perfect in love.

All which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them;

Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Galatians Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
3:13 written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that
3:14 we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their
freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was
subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller
communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily
partake of.

John He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
7:38 living water.
John (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the
7:39 Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Hebrews Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
10:19
Hebrews By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is
10:20 to say, his flesh;
Hebrews And having an high priest over the house of God;
10:21
Hebrews Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
10:22 sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

2. God alone is Lord of the conscience,

John Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself,
4:12 and his children, and his cattle?

Romans Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or
14:4 falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

and hath justify it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in
any thing contrary to His Word, or not contained in it.

Acts But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to
4:19 hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Acts And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all
4:29 boldness they may speak thy word,
Acts By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the
4:30 name of thy holy child Jesus.

I Corinthians Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

7:23

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, it to

betray true liberty of conscience;

Colossians Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as
2:20 though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Colossians (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
2:21
Colossians Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of
2:22 men?
Colossians Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and
2:23 neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

and the requiring of an implicit faith, and absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy
liberty of conscience and reason also.

I Corinthians Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even
3:5 as the Lord gave to every man?

II Corinthians Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for
1:24 by faith ye stand.

3. They who upon pretence of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish
any sinful lust, as they do thereby pervert the main design of the grace of the
gospel to their own destruction,

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

so they wholly destroy the end of Christian liberty, which is that, being delivered out
of the hands of all our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness
and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.

Galatians For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion
5:13 to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

II Peter For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the
2:18 flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in
error.
II Peter While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of
2:19 whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
II Peter For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the
2:20 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter
end is worse with them than the beginning.
II Peter For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after
2:21 they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.