Plain-language reading guide
READING HELP
Read this chapter alongside the Confession chapter on the same subject. The Testimony states what the church teaches, applies that teaching, and identifies views it rejects. Read each statement with its Scripture proofs and the surrounding paragraphs.
To find explicit rejections in this chapter, go to point 3. Read each full point to see exactly which teaching is rejected.
This reading guide is separate from the official text below.
Read the official text, or choose a simpler explanation to explore together.
Westminster Confession
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, 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 proofs: Titus 2:14; 1 Thess. 1:10; Gal. 3:13; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18; Rom. 6:14; Rom. 8:28; Ps. 119:71; 1 Cor. 15: 54-57; Rom. 8:1; Rom. 5:1-2; Rom. 8: 14-15; 1 John 4:18; Gal. 3:9, 14; Gal. 4: 1-3, 6-7; Gal. 5:1; Acts 15:10-11; Heb. 4:14, 16; Heb. 10:19-22; John 7:38-39; 2 Cor. 3:13, 17-18.
2. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in any thing 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 proofs: Jas. 4:12; Rom. 14:4; Acts 4:19; Acts 5: 29; 1 Cor. 7:23; Matt. 23:8-10; 2 Cor. 1:24; Matt. 15:9; Col. 2:20, 22-23; Gal. 1:10; Gal. 2:4-5; Gal. 5:1; Rom. 10: 17; Rom. 14:23; Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11; John 4:22; Hos. 5:11; Rev. 13:12, 16- 17; Jer. 8:9.
3. They who, upon pretence 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 proofs: Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19; John 8:34; Luke 1:74-75.
4. And because the powers 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 pretence 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 proofs: Matt. 12:25; 1 Pet. 2:13-14, 16; Rom. 13:1-8; Heb. 13:17; Rom. 1:32 with 1 Cor. 5:1, 5, 11, 13; 2 John 10-11, and 2 Thess. 3:14, and 1 Tim. 6:3-5, and Titus 1:10-11, 13, and Titus 3:10 with Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Tim. 1:19-20; Rev. 2: 2, 14-15, 20; Rev. 3:9; Deut. 13:6-12; Rom. 13:3-4 with 2 John 10-11; Ezra 7: 23, 25-28; Rev. 17:12, 16-17; Neh. 13: 15, 17, 21-22, 25, 30; 2 Kings 23:5-6, 9, 20-21; 2 Chron. 34:33; 2 Chron. 15: 12-13, 16; Dan. 3:29; 1 Tim. 2:2; Isa. 49:23; Zech. 13:2-3.
Words to know
- Christian liberty
- The freedom Christ gives from sin’s guilt and rule, so we may approach and serve God.
- Liberty of conscience
- Freedom from being required to treat unbiblical human rules as God’s commands.
WCF 20.1 · Freedom to come to God
Christ frees believers from sin’s guilt and rule, Satan’s bondage, final condemnation, and death’s ultimate victory. They can approach God and obey with a child’s love rather than a slave’s fear. Old Testament believers shared this freedom; now it is fuller, without ceremonial burdens and with greater access and experience of the Spirit. Trials and bodily death still occur, but cannot destroy Christ’s people.
Titus 2:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Galatians 3:13.
What are we freed from, and what are we freed to do?
WCF 20.2 · God rules our conscience
Only God has final authority over conscience. We must not accept human commands that contradict Scripture, or extra human requirements for faith and worship, as though they were God’s law. Demanding blind belief or unlimited obedience to people destroys this freedom. We should test teaching by the Word.
James 4:12; Romans 14:4; Acts 4:19.
What should you do if someone says you must believe them without checking Scripture?
WCF 20.3 · Freedom is not permission to sin
Christian freedom does not mean we may do whatever sinful desires suggest. Jesus freed us so we can serve God in holiness without fear of our enemies. Using freedom as an excuse for sin defeats its very purpose.
Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16; 2 Peter 2:19.
Is freedom in Christ the same as freedom to ignore Christ?
WCF 20.4 · Freedom and proper authority
Christian freedom does not remove lawful civil or church authority. Defying its proper exercise resists God’s order. Harmful teaching and conduct may require accountability and church discipline. The original paragraph also speaks of action by civil authorities; the Testimony’s teaching on church and state helps explain their distinct responsibilities. Freedom should uphold peace and obedience, not become an excuse for disorder.
Matthew 12:25; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Romans 13:1-8.
How can freedom and accountability belong together?
1. Christian liberty consists primarily in the believer’s freedom from the guilt and power of sin, in freedom from the ceremonial law and in freedom of access to God through Christ. Titus 2:14; Rom. 6:17-19, 22; Gal. 5:1; Acts 15:10-11; Heb. 10:19-22.
2. Christ sets believers free not only from a feeling of guilt, but from actual guilt.
3. We reject the teaching that believers under the Old Testament had no such liberty as belongs to believers under the New Testament. The difference between the liberty enjoyed under the Old and New Testaments is one of degree rather than kind. Ps. 32:1-5; Ps. 130:7-8.
4. Conscience is a sense of right and wrong by which one evaluates his own thoughts and behavior. When one follows his conscience, he feels a measure of contentment; when he violates his conscience, he feels distress. Conscience is natural to man, and implies his accountability to God, but it is not the rule of faith and practice. Conscience shows the work of the law written on the heart, but is distorted by the work of Satan, by man’s sinful nature, and by the ungodly standards of the world. The Christian’s conscience is to be directed by God’s revealed law, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, with due attention to the teaching and admonition of the brethren. Although conscience is not infallible, a person should not do what he believes to be wrong. Rom. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 4: 2-3; Rom. 12:1-2; Matt. 15:9; 2 Tim. 3: 16-17; Ps. 143:10; Rom. 8:5-9; Col. 3: 16; Rom. 14:14, 23.
5. Liberty of conscience differs from Christian liberty. Liberty of conscience is the freedom to interpret and apply God’s Word to one’s own life. The Christian is to render due submission in the Lord to any lawful authority, but he has the right to disagree with any improper use of human authority. If that authority requires him to sin, he must obey God rather than man. Individual liberty is regulated by the principles found in Scripture and is limited by the mutual duties believers owe to one another, and by concern for the welfare of all men. Rom. 13:1-7; Acts 5:29; 1 Pet. 2:13-16; 1 Cor. 10:27-29; Rom. 14:10-15; 1 Cor. 8:9-15; Titus 3:1; Gal. 5:13-18.
6. The civil magistrate has no authority to pronounce ecclesiastical censures.
Words to know
- Christian liberty
- The freedom Christ gives from sin’s guilt and rule, so we may approach and serve God.
- Liberty of conscience
- Freedom from being required to treat unbiblical human rules as God’s commands.
- Rejects
- Says that a teaching is wrong and must not be accepted.
- Civil
- Concerning government and public life, rather than church government.
- Conscience
- Our sense of right and wrong, which needs to be taught by God’s Word.
- Discipline
- The church’s teaching and correction to help its members follow Christ.
- Ceremonial
- Concerning the Old Testament worship ceremonies that pointed forward to Christ.
Testimony 20.1
Christian freedom means release from sin’s guilt and control, freedom from ceremonial laws, and access to God through Christ.
Read original point 1 and its Scripture proofs →Testimony 20.2
Christ removes our real guilt before God, rather than only making us feel less guilty.
Read original point 2 and its Scripture proofs →Testimony 20.3
The Testimony rejects the claim that Old Testament believers lacked Christian freedom altogether. New Testament believers enjoy it more fully, but it is the same kind of freedom.
Read original point 3 and its Scripture proofs →Testimony 20.4
Conscience helps us assess right and wrong, but can be mistaken. Scripture and the Spirit must train it, and we should not act against what we believe to be right.
Read original point 4 and its Scripture proofs →Testimony 20.5
We must obey lawful authorities while following God above all. Freedom of conscience is shaped by Scripture and by our responsibilities to others.
Read original point 5 and its Scripture proofs →Testimony 20.6
Civil rulers do not have authority to impose church discipline.
Read original point 6 and its Scripture proofs →Source: The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, updated 2026, A-58, A-59, A-60.