Individual Soul Liberty
Pastor Don Carpenter
Baptist Basics
Individual soul liberty. We believe that each person must make a personal decision of repentance and faith in Christ. (See Romans 10:9–17, 14:1–23.)
A young couple moved into a new house. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside.
“That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better soap powder. Her husband looked on, remaining silent.
Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.
A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”
The husband replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life… What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.
So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.
“Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.”
______
Welcome to week 5 of our 7 week study of the Baptist Basics. We have been learning the implications of the sign in the front of our church. We have learned that anyone who names the name of Jesus can call themselves “Christian”… but since that includes everyone from the Catholic to the Mormon, JW, Baptist Congregationalist and Pentecostal, we need a little more specifics in order to see what kind of spiritual medicine is in the bottle. A simple way to identify the Biblical doctrines that combine to become Baptist Distinctives, is to break it down to an acrostic.
B -Biblical Authority
A- Autonomy of the Local Church
P -Priesthood of all Believers
T – Two Ordinances
I – Individual Soul Liberty
S
T
Definition: Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, has the freedom to choose what his conscience or soul dictates is right in the religious realm. Soul liberty asks the believer to accept responsibility for his own actions and not try to force anyone else to do or believe anything contrary to his own conscience. However, this liberty is not a justification for disobeying God. The believer must still act according to the principles of Scripture and honor the doctrinal position of the Bible-believing Baptist church to which he belongs.
Individual soul liberty is a particularly Baptist principle. Most denominations attempt to exercise control over their members to some extent, but Baptists limit such control by demanding that every believer is ultimately responsible to God. Individuals have the right to disagree with others, follow their own conscience, and not feel compelled to adopt any views they disagree with. This does not suggest that every believer is a “lone wolf” or that believers need not submit to the leadership of their church. Soul liberty simply asserts that every believer has the right to act in accordance with his own conscience, and that no one can force anyone to believe or act against his theological viewpoint.
When studying the individual priesthood of the believer, we found that no believer has the right to impose views, practices, etc., on any other believer. The priesthood of the believer and individual soul liberty overlap a bit as they both deal with the issue of freedom within the confines of the will of God.
There appears to be widespread ignorance of this Baptist distinctive, at least in practice if not in belief. Since it is a biblical issue, it is certainly worthy of serious study and consideration. Let us dig deeper into the implications of this truth together.
Individual Responsibility to Stand Before God
Romans 14:10–12 KJV
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
We Will Answer for OUR OWN Actions
Matthew 12:36 KJV
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Galatians 6:5 KJV
For every man shall bear his own burden.
1 Corinthians 3:13 KJV
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
We Are To Allow Individuals to Have Personal Relationships with God Even if They Make Different Choices.
John 21:22 KJV
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Romans 14:4 KJV
Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Acts 15:39 KJV
And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
Individual Responsibility to Obey the Bible.
Psalm 119:105 KJV
NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.
James 1:22–25 KJV
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
• The Bible is the Authority
• The Individual is Responsible to learn follow, and obey.
Individual Responsibility to Follow Their Own Conscience.
Romans 14:5–9 KJV
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
• The Bible is the Authority
• Often the Bible is not specific on specific applications.
• The individual in responsible to take what they know before God in prayer and come up with a plan of action.
• One’s plan may look different than another… that is not your concern. Each individual is free to develop that part of their relationship privately before God.
Individual Responsibility to Teach and not Fight.
2 Timothy 2:24–26 KJV
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
• Gentle
• Teaching
• Meek
• Instructing… commending them to their own conscience before God.
• Then back off and let God work.
James 1:20 KJV
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
So one of the doctrines that serves to separate Baptists from other Bible Believing Christians is the doctrine of Individual Soul Liberty. As mentioned above, soul liberty is often misunderstood and more often not allowed in many conservative churches. Strong leaders tend to portray a “my way or the highway” style that will not put up with dissenting opinions. Some even exalt their own personal standards to the level of biblical principle, and anyone who disagrees is seen as “liberal.” Soul liberty comes into play in areas the Bible does not address either directly or in principle. Christians have freedom to come to their own conclusions on such matters. Church leaders may teach and advise on such issues, but they should not force members to subscribe to convictions without biblical warrant. Baptists have historically allowed members to exercise their liberty of conscience.
May God help us to be true to scriptures and true to our label and embrace the Biblical doctrine of individual soul liberty.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:36 AM March 3, 2022.