There are many areas of Christian liberty. Each Christian is to express their Christian liberties in obedience and submission to the Word of God. The Bible gives many instructions concerning the use of our liberties, but they boil down to making sure we show love to God by obeying God’s Word and showing love to our neighbors, believer and unbeliever alike. Though forming personal convictions in the use of Christian liberties is necessary for each individual, we must avoid elevating our personal convictions to the same authority as Scripture or condemning others for not holding to our personal convictions. We must exercise our liberties in love, thinking of what is best for others, and not merely think of ourselves. Christians must exercise liberty under the authority of Scripture, motivated by love for God, submission to His Word, and a desire to edify others.

We strive to avoid the extremes of legalism and antinomianism. Legalism appears in the Bible in several forms: 1) elevating man-made tradition to the same authority as Scripture and condemning others as sinning for not adhering to our traditions, 2) trying to be saved, justified, or earn God’s favor by our works instead of by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and 3) practicing a cold, dead, orthodoxy, i.e., doing all the right things, yet mechanically and not from the heart out of love to God. We desire to avoid all forms of legalism. We also reject lawlessness or antinomianism, which is the false idea that because we are saved and sanctified by grace, we don’t need to obey God, and that if we try to obey God, we are sinning, living in the flesh, or legalists. We teach that Christians must obey all of God’s Word either directly or in principle. We must walk in the Spirit, trusting in God’s grace to obey. We believe that obeying the Bible by God’s grace, for His glory, out of love for Christ, is not merely acceptable, but mandatory for all who call themselves Christians.

Traditions are extra-biblical religious practices Christians are free to engage in as long as they are not forbidden by God’s Word. Traditions must not be elevated to the same authority as Scripture, nor are we to judge others because they do not observe our traditions. We do not sin if we violate man-made traditions.