(20) Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

In recent years it has become clearer than ever: Christians aren't always good at practicing Christian liberty. We struggle to break free from the hold of besetting sins. Sometimes we even make allowances for sin on the grounds of our freedom in Christ. And we are tempted to hold others to the same standards as ourselves even on matters in which they are not bound by Scripture. Perhaps we don't even consider Christian liberty to be very important. If you were writing a thirty-three point summary of the faith would you devote a chapter to the topic?

Our failure to practice Christian liberty is a tragic irony since in Scripture liberty is nearly synonymous with salvation—what "Christ hath purchased for believers" is freedom from everything that would hold us in bonds. Believers have been delivered from sin in order to freely obey God. So we may not allow ourselves to become enslaved again. We need to understand our freedom in Christ and his sovereignty over the conscience.