Westminster Confession, Chapter 20
Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
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, the curse of the moral law; and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation; as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind. All which were common also to believers under the law; 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.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Galatians 3:1313Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
1 Thessalonians 1:1010and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
Titus 2:1414He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Psalms 119:7171It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
Romans 8:11Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:2828And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
1 Corinthians 15:54-5754When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Acts 26:1818to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
Romans 6:1414For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Galatians 1:44who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Colossians 1:1313He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Romans 8:14-1514For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
1 John 4:1818There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.
Romans 5:1-21Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Acts 15:10-1110Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
11On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Galatians 4:1-31What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything.
2He is subject to guardians and trustees until the date set by his father.
3So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world.
Galatians 4:6-76And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.
Galatians 5:11It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 3:99So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:1414He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
John 7:38-3938Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
2 Corinthians 3:1313We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.
2 Corinthians 3:17-1817Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Hebrews 4:1414Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.
Hebrews 4:1616Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 10:19-2219Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,
21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship. So that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also.
Scripture references for paragraph 2
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Romans 14:44Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
James 4:1212There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Psalms 5:11Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
Galatians 1:1010Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 2:4-54This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
Galatians 5:11It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
Colossians 2:20-2320If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations:
21“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”?
22These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.
23Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Matthew 15:99They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
Matthew 23:8-108But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
Acts 4:1919But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.
Acts 5:2929But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
1 Corinthians 7:2323You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
2 Corinthians 1:2424Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.
Isaiah 8:2020To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
Jeremiah 8:99The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
Hosea 5:1111Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow worthless idols.
John 4:2222You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Acts 17:1111Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
Romans 10:1717Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 14:2323But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.
Revelation 13:1212And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.
Revelation 13:16-1716And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.
They who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty; which is, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Scripture references for paragraph 3
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Luke 1:74-7574deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
John 8:3434Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Galatians 5:1313For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
1 Peter 2:1616Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
2 Peter 2:1919They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
And because the power which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices as, either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church; they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against by the censures of the Church, and by the power of the Civil Magistrate.
Scripture references for paragraph 4
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Matthew 12:2525Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
Romans 13:1-81Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
2Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.
5Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
6This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
7Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
8Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Hebrews 13:1717Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
1 Peter 2:13-1413Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority,
14or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
1 Peter 2:1616Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
Deuteronomy 13:6-126If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
7the gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, whether from one end of the earth or the other),
8you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
9Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.
10Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
11Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.
12If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said
2 Kings 23:5-65Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
6He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
2 Kings 23:99Although the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
2 Kings 23:20-2120On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
21The king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
2 Chronicles 15:12-1312Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
13And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
2 Chronicles 15:1616King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 34:3333And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Nehemiah 13:1515In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
Nehemiah 13:1717Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day?
Nehemiah 13:21-2221but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath.
22Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.
Nehemiah 13:2525I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Nehemiah 13:3030Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.
Isaiah 49:2323Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
Daniel 3:2929Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.”
Zechariah 13:2-32And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
3And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.
Romans 13:3-43For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.
2 John 1:10-1110If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.
11Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.
1 Timothy 2:22for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.
Revelation 17:1212The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
Revelation 17:16-1716And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
17For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
Romans 1:3232Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
1 Corinthians 5:11It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
1 Corinthians 5:55hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 5:1111But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
1 Corinthians 5:1313God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1414Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
1 Timothy 6:3-53If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,
4he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions,
5and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.
Titus 1:10-1110For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,
11who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
Titus 1:1313This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith
Titus 3:1010Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,
Matthew 18:15-1715If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
1 Timothy 1:19-2019holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.
20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Revelation 2:22I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles.
Revelation 2:14-1514But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Revelation 2:2020But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 3:99Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
Source and edition
Westminster Confession. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
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