Should Christians support laws that make it harder to be Muslim? If you had the political power to outlaw atheism, would you use it? Should religious freedom be a Christian right or a human right? Many people haven’t thought carefully about these questions, but history shows us why we should.
Most people want the government to champion the things that they’re committed to. But in the case of faith, the Bible gives strong reasons for civil authority to protect the freedom of all religions, not to promote any one particular religion. Consider why.
1. Violating a person’s conscience wounds their soul
The biblical portrait of faith is Spirit-led freedom, not externally imposed coercion. In Galatians 5:1, Paul says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Whenever external pressure is used to obligate religious practice, it forces a contradiction between belief and action. It legislates hypocrisy and corrupts true faith in the process.
In Romans 14, Paul addresses Christians who disagree about grey areas of faith. Rather than just telling them the right position and demanding that everyone comply, he instead urges them to each decide the matter with the recognition that they will ultimately answer to God (Romans 14:5, 12). Then he adds, “Let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Romans 14:13).
If fellow believers are not permitted to bind each other’s conscience, how much less does the state have that authority. And, in fact, doing so can spiritually harm a person. If you pressure someone to do what they believe to be wrong—even if it’s right—it is wrong for them and will violate their conscience. As Paul puts it, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
We want people to be free to practise their faith because faith in Jesus is only possible as a free expression of a person’s will. And because governments aren’t qualified to judge people’s consciences. Forced faith is never genuine faith. The early church leader, Tertullian, said, “It is a fundamental human right, a privilege of nature, that every man should worship according to his own convictions.”
2. Religious freedom comes with moral responsibility
Although the biblical vision for faith is one rooted in freedom, it is not a licence for selfishness or recklessness. Galatians 5:13 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” The Bible doesn’t give Christians or churches the “freedom” to ignore building codes or safety standards. A faith community can’t hide a predator behind the walls of religious privacy. Christian freedom isn’t a ticket to harm others and claim special protections.
Religious freedom has always been about protecting the inner life of faith and its genuine expression, never about a blanket right to disregard legitimate authority in the name of faith.
3. Civil authority was never designed to regulate faith
It’s easy for people to think selfishly about government. We often assume it’s the power to get everything done the way we want it. But that’s precisely how Jesus ended up on the cross. Those who were in power decided His voice needed to be silenced.
In Romans 13, Paul insists that governing authorities are “instituted by God” (Romans 13:1) and then adds, “He is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). The state is ordained by God to maintain order and punish wrongdoing. It is not given authority over conscience, worship, or the spread of faith.
That’s why, when the apostles were forbidden by the religious authorities from telling others about Jesus, they answered, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). They realized that the state’s power was real but not absolute. It had the right to legislate taxation, justice, and public order, but not to demand conformity in religion or forbid people from sharing their faith.
The Fellowship Affirmation of Faith gives a helpful summary of these principles:
We believe in religious liberty, that all people have the right to practise and propagate their beliefs without undue interference by the civil authority.
Religious liberty isn’t a concession we make to the world. It’s a conviction rooted in the gospel itself. If we believe that faith must be free, then we need to defend that freedom not only for ourselves, but even for those who reject what we believe.
In awe of Him,
Paul
