How does the Liberty of the Individual Soul connect to the Freedom of God?
The first time I heard those two words I was enthralled. What did it mean? Soul Liberty. I know them now from my reading about Roger Williams. The first time I heard the term was at a Baptist Church in Woodlawn, Pawtucket where my Aunt Grace took me on many Sundays. The idea of freedom has always fired my soul.
"One of the outstanding principles and doctrines of Baptists through the centuries has been what we call individual soul liberty. By this phrase is meant the right so far as any human intervention is concerned, of every soul to approach God and interpret God for himself. It does not mean that the soul is sovereign above all other souls. If an individual makes a mistake in the exercise of his soul’s sovereignty in his approach to or interpretation of God, then he must settle with God on that score; but no other human, or combination of humans, anywhere on the face of the earth can coerce him to approach any other way or to interpret God in any other fashion than he chooses for himself. Romans 14:5–12 is the key passage which instructs us on our individual liberty to interpret the Word of God.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For wwe will all stand before xthe judgment seat of God; 11
Also, Joshua 24:15 teaches that we have the responsibility, right, and privilege to choose to follow God or not.Acts 17:11 teaches us about the example of the Bereans who constantly on their own searched the Scriptures to determine what was correct doctrine."
No one fully explained what Williams meant by the term but it thrilled my soul. I knew there was some great mystery there that I needed to know and that spoke to me.
Soul liberty. That’s what Roger Williams called freedom of conscience. He believed deeply and passionately in it. To Williams, it followed that religious truth and error existed in every nation and would do so until the end of the world. He believed that soul liberty was absolutely necessary because no one could know with certainty which religion was the religion God intended. God had not only created human beings, but God had given them the right to make their own choices in matters of faith.
That constant openness to the NEW of Roger Williams is one of the traits of his SOUL LIBERTY, It also explains why after the wonderful achievement of founding the FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH in the American Colonies, he wandered off after a short time to work with the Native people, to learn their language and their beliefs.
ROGER WILLIAMS WAS AN ETERNAL SEEKER.
And I have come to believe that--
GOD IS AN ETERNAL TREASURE EVER ANCIENT AND EVER NEW that we must seek and find every day of our lives..
That is the connection between our SOUL LIBERTY and God's
TOTAL and UNLIMITED FREEDOM.
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