Here I stand, my conscience being bound, I can do no other.

[Xeno.of.athens]

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

 

[dwb001]

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

Absolutely. You may disagree on the details but the foundation is secure.

 

[public hermit]

He was not appealing to scripture. He was appealing to his own conscience. This is basically the Protestant principle: There is no Lord of the conscience other than the Lord. Yes, he's asserting that his conscience is compelled by scripture, but the ground of his conviction is his conscience, as he says.

BTW, this lays the groundwork for the Enlightenment. It takes one small step from "The Lord alone is Lord of the conscience" to "The rational self alone is Lord of the conscience."

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Absolutely. You may disagree on the details but the foundation is secure.

If, and this is hypothetical only, you were to disagree with what your faith community teaches, on some matters that they counted as important, would you be able to stay in the community and yet still disagree and talk openly about your disagreements?

 

[dwb001]

If, and this is hypothetical only, you were to disagree with what your faith community teaches, on some matters that they counted as important, would you be able to stay in the community and yet still disagree and talk openly about your disagreements?

I do currently. My pastor knows my disagreement and I have not changed his mind nor he mine.

I count him as a true brother in Christ. I trust him with my life. And I still hold my own council on some matters of faith.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

He was not appealing to scripture. He was appealing to his own conscience. This is basically the Protestant principle: There is no Lord of the conscience other than the Lord. Yes, he's asserting that his conscience is compelled by scripture, but the ground of his conviction is his conscience, as he says.

BTW, this lays the groundwork for the Enlightenment. It takes one small step from "The Lord alone is Lord of the conscience" to "The rational self alone is Lord of the conscience."

I presume the "he" you've referred to is Martin Luther because the topic title is rather similar to a famous quote attributed to Martin Luther. But the title is not a quote from Martin Luther, though it is deliberately similar to the famous quote. It is something that I wrote for the topic title. The intent is to attract attention to the content of the original post.

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

The aim of the thread is to think through and discuss how individual conscience relates to a community rule, and to a world wide rule of faith.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

My pastor knows my disagreement

What is the disagreement? Is it on an important matter for the faith and life of your community?

 

[dwb001]

What is the disagreement? Is it on an important matter for the faith and life of your community?

Baptism, the nature of God... basic stuff.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Baptism, the nature of God... basic stuff.

And you openly talk about your beliefs in the community? You promote something about the nature of God that your pastor thinks is wrong? Is it fundamental?

 

[HTacianas]

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

That's a bit like saying let the US Constitution be your guide. There are any untold number of people who have done just that and ended up in prison for it.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

That's a bit like saying let the US Constitution be your guide. There are any untold number of people who have done just that and ended up in prison for it.

In civil matters the USA does not function as if the constitution is to be interpreted by individuals according to their conscience. If you interpret it in ways that the Law forbids you go to jail if your disagreement results in arrest; some disagreements end in shootings.

 

[dwb001]

And you openly talk about your beliefs in the community? You promote something about the nature of God that your pastor thinks is wrong? Is it fundamental?

We have different opinions is all. And yes I am open with where and why I differ with my local church.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

We have different opinions is all. And yes I am open with where and why I differ with my local church.

I see, so is the matter not deeply significant, something like the Trinity or the Incarnation not being the matter upon which you differ?

 

[bling]

In civil matters the USA does not function as if the constitution is to be interpreted by individuals according to their conscience. If you interpret it in ways that the Law forbids you go to jail if your disagreement results in arrest; some disagreements end in shootings.

The constitution was not inspired protected and preserved by the Holy Spirit.

 

[bling]

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

Loving God and secondly Loving others with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is man's mission statement. Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit as their perfect guide and scripture as a tool to help them recognize the Spirit's guidance.
To bring in another thread, the Christian Chinese in communist China, have only the indwelling Holy Spirit and Bibles to guide them, so are we better then they are will our other sources?

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Let scripture alone be your final authority above all human authority and the final appeal is always to be made to the scriptures. This is what many believe. If you do believe it, is it serving you adequately? Is it adequate for a community? Can it serve for all?

Jesus Christ of Nazareth promised us a " Helper" and "Comforter " . This is His Holy Spirit who guides us in all truth. This serves me very well.
Blessings.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

The constitution was not inspired protected and preserved by the Holy Spirit.

That is correct, what has it to do with how one interprets a document, specifically how one interprets the bible?

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Loving God and secondly Loving others with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is man's mission statement. Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit as their perfect guide and scripture as a tool to help them recognize the Spirit's guidance.

There are Baptists who think and teach what you wrote, Presbyterians too, Lutherans, Methodists, Christian Reformed Church people, Seventh Day Adventists, Anglicans, and many more. They do not live in shared communion, nor have the same faith, nor think the same way; in short they are brethren but not walking in agreement. All follow their consciences to a degree, all make the claim that the Spirit guided their church to where it is, or that the Spirit guided them individually to where they are. Yet they do not agree so they are not achieving what Paul wrote and what Jesus taught as well as the old testament psalmists and prophets; namely,

And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors: For the perfecting of the saints, for the word of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all meet into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ: That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive. But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in charity. ​

Ephesians 4:11-16 DRB

 

[bling]

That is correct, what has it to do with how one interprets a document, specifically how one interprets the bible?

We the inspirer of the scripture dwelling within us to help us, with scripture.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Jesus Christ of Nazareth promised us a " Helper" and "Comforter " . This is His Holy Spirit who guides us in all truth. This serves me very well.
Blessings.

Serves you individually, does it serve your faith community? Can it serve all Christians?