Individual Soul Liberty Romans 14:11-12

Transcription

1 Individual Soul Liberty Romans 14:11-12 Introduction Liberty goes hand in hand with responsibility. If at my job I am not the one held responsible, it means I am not the one making the decisions. The liberty to make your own decisions is always based upon the responsibility of being held accountable for those decisions. In America, you have the freedom and liberty to launch out and start your own business. If you make poor business decisions, and the endeavor fails, it is your own responsibility. Likewise, if it succeeds, it is to your reward. That is the basis of freedom - the freedom to succeed or fail (to be accountable) based on your own decisions and actions. Individual Soul Liberty is also called the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Liberty. It is the belief that every individual is free to worship and believe according to the dictates of one s own conscience. Long before this was an American right, it was a belief held by Baptists. I. Individual Accountability before God A.Genesis 18:25 - God is Judge of all the earth. B. Romans 14:12 - Every one of us shall give account of himself to God C.Philippians 2: Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. D.Hebrews 9:27 - All men must die, and then face the judgment. E. Acts 17:30 - God commands all people everywhere to repent. F. Revelation 20: It will be an individual judgment. G.Ecclesiastes 11:9 - You can do what you like, but God will judge. 1

2 II.Individual Liberty before Men If we all must be held accountable before God as individuals for our choices in life, it is only right that we should be free as individuals to make those choices. You can only be judged for what you willfully chose and did on your own. Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, will one day stand before God and give account for the decisions he has made in this life. Because of this, we believe in the liberty of the soul or conscience. No one should be forced, against his will, to assent to any belief or ritual. However, this liberty does not exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself. - James Alter Each individual soul is accountable to God and is solely responsible for his or her actions and relationship to God. Because of this, Baptists have concluded that no constraint or restraint should be placed upon a person to believe or worship God contrary to the dictates of his or her own conscience... Baptists believe that religious liberty and freedom of conscience are gifts from God. Only by the exercise of his freedom of conscience may man worship God in spirit and in truth. - Mike Randall A.Because of our religious liberty in America, we take this doctrine for granted. B. Ultimately, this teaching is for churches and Christians, not for governments. 1. When Baptists and other true believers are in the minority, they are often persecuted. 2. When true Christians are in the majority, they do not persecute those who believe differently. Rather, there is religious liberty. C.Where there is no religious liberty given by the government, it does not absolve individuals of their accountability before God. D.Acts 5:16-20, E. Matthew 10:28 2

3 III.Our Accountability to Reach the Lost At this point, some may be wondering about the Great Commission, and our responsibility of reaching the world with the Gospel. The question is: Are we accountable for the lost? Yes and no. A.We do have a responsibility to teach and preach the Gospel. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; 1 Corinthians 9:16) B. We are commanded to live a life that will influence others for God. (Matthew 5:13-16) C.The Biblical model is to preach, teach, send, write, warn, influence and persuade others to believe on Christ. Never to force them. We are to use words and good deeds - not legislation, violence, or intimidation. (Acts 26:28, Romans 10:13, 1 John 2:26) D. Because a true relationship with God involves a conscious, voluntary and willful choice by an individual, restraints and constraints stifle or make such a relationship very difficult. - Mike Randall E. We are not accountable for how individuals respond. We cannot force anyone to believe, therefore, they alone are accountable to God for their own souls. But we must be faithful to warn and try to influence them. (Ezekiel 33:1-9) IV.A Foundational Doctrine The one Baptist Distinctive that is the foundation for everything else we believe is the sole authority of the Bible. After that belief, the doctrine of individual soul liberty is probably the most influential on all the other doctrines that make us distinct from other groups. Our accountability as individuals before God touches everything else we believe: A.Salvation (Romans 10:13) - This means that only you can choose to believe for yourself. You cannot choose for anyone else, and no one can choose it for you. If you wish to be saved, you must personally believe. Salvation must always be a willful, personal decision. 3

4 B. Believers Baptism (Acts 2:41) - This is a big part of why we don t believe that infant baptism accomplishes anything. Baptism, like salvation, should be a conscious, individual decision. Parents can decide which beliefs they will teach their children, and which church they will attend. But every person must believe for himself, and then make public confession of that faith through the decision to be baptized. C.Separation of Church and State (Mark 12:17) - Every time that the church and the government are united together, those who dissent from the official church beliefs end up persecuted by the state. It is not the role of the government to force people to believe something, or to support that which they do not believe. D.Autonomy of the Local Church (Eph. 5:23-24) - If individuals are free to believe as they choose, so are the assemblies of those individuals. Independent churches are accountable in their beliefs and practices only to the Lord Jesus Christ. E. Priesthood of Every Believer (1 Pet. 2:9) - There is equality in Christ. You must come to him as an individual. You do not need any mediator to help you come to God, or to understand His Word. His Spirit and grace is available for anyone who believes. F. The Pastor s Office & Role (1 Pet. 5-3) - The pastor is not to take the place of Christ or the Holy Spirit. He is an undershepherd, who has the responsibility of spiritually feeding and overseeing the flock of God. Even the pastor cannot force anyone to do or believe anything. V.Church & Pastoral Authority A.The Bible does teach that we are accountable to our church and our pastor. There is a definite leadership role designed by God for our benefit and spiritual protection. (Matt. 18:17; Heb. 13:17) If you are a member, you should submit to your church and pastor. 4

5 B. Unfortunately, this authority is sometimes taken to an extreme or abused by church leadership. This position is one of being an influence and example - not a dictator. (1 Peter 5:3) C.No church or pastor can force you to support, believe, or do anything contrary to your own conscience. 1. You have the liberty to not submit 2. You have the liberty to remove yourself from under that authority. 3. But realize that with the liberty to make those choices also comes an accountability to God. You will answer to Him for the decisions you make. VI. Baptists & Individual Soul Liberty in History A.Thomas Helwys In 1612, he wrote a book called The Mystery of Iniquity demanding full religious liberty and challenging the authority of the state church. He wrote, The king is a mortal man and not God, and therefore hath no power over the immortal souls of his subjects...for our lord the king is but an earthly king, and he hath no authority as a king but in earthly causes; and, if the king s people be obedient and true subjects, obeying all human laws made my the king, our lord the king can require no more; for men s religion to God is betwixt God and themselves. King James responded to Helwys Baptist teaching by arresting the preacher and putting him in prison, where he remained until death. B. John Bunyan He was a Baptist pastor in Bedford, England. He is best known today for the books he wrote in prison, including Pilgrim s Progress. Why was he there in prison? Because he preached and led religious meetings without the approval and a license of the state church. He was imprisoned for exercising his individual soul liberty. 5

6 C.Baptist Influence on Jefferson & American Religious Liberty Thomas Curtin explains that on many occasions several years before the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson attended the monthly business meetings of a small Baptist church near his home. When asked his opinion of these deliberations, Jefferson replied that it struck him with great force, and had interested him much, that he considered it the only form of true democracy then existing in the world, and had concluded that it would be the best plan of government for the American colonies. Later it was Thomas Jefferson, whose espousal of these same Baptist principles of civil freedom and government helped make them part of the United States Constitution. - Mike Randall, Baptist Distinctives Conclusion: Remember, individual soul liberty is an unalienable right that no one can ever take away from you. It may not always be legal to believe in something, but governments cannot enforce what happens in the heart. They can put you in a cell, but within your heart, there is still liberty to believe what you want. People can separate you from your body, but they can ever separate you from your faith. We should never participate with those who try to force anyone to believe something - even if it is right and true. Neither should we ever attempt to guilt anyone into belief. Faith in Christ must be a willing decision on the part of the individual, or it does no good at all. 6