"In Opinions, Liberty"
The well-known and widely accepted motto, ". . . in opinions, liberty," has been woefully misapplied, miserably perverted and shamefully abused.
God said to Moses: "Speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water" (Num. 20:8). But Moses took the "liberty" to exercise his "opinion" in the method of carrying out God's command; therefore he went beyond what he was told to do, "and smote the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly". He sinned.
Christians are commanded to make "melody with your heart unto the Lord" by "speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19). But some brethren "drove the wedge that split the log" by insisting that they had the "liberty" to exercise their opinion in the way this melody is to be made; therefore they introduced instruments of music with which to make this "melody" in the worship. This was a perversion of the principle, ". . . in opinions, liberty".
God commands us to "go teach". Some brethren "drove the wedge that split the log" by insisting that the means, methods and ways of carrying out this command are all in the realm of human opinion; therefore they organized a brotherhood missionary society through which to "go teach", and then called upon the churches for financial support from their treasuries. They divided the body of Christ because, they said, "We do not believe in being bound by human opinion".
God commands us to visit the fatherless. We find some brethren would drive another wedge by insisting that the means, ways and methods of carrying out this command are matters of human opinion; therefore they would organize a benevolent society through which to "visit the fatherless", and then would call upon the churches for donations from their treasuries. They would divide the body of Christ, and try to excuse themselves from all guilt by saying, "We do not believe in being bound by human opinion". They would abuse the motto, ... in opinions, liberty".
No man can righteously object to forming organizations like the Firm Foundation or Gospel Guardian through which to "go teach"; or like Boles Home or Tipton Home through which to "visit the fatherless"; or like the Red Cross through which to relieve the suffering; or the March of Dimes to fight polio; but when men launch a campaign of soliciting donations from church treasuries everywhere to support these human institutions, they miserably abuse the principle, ". . . . in opinions, liberty", and they drive the wedge that would split the log.
God commands us to be "workers together'.' Co-operation is one of the very foundation principles of the Christian religion. We find some brethren would drive another wedge by insisting that the means and method of co-operation are all in the realm of human opinion; therefore a few churches have set themselves up as ecumenical agencies, and they beg, urge and insist that churches everywhere send them their money and their fatherless and they will do the rest. Like the missionary society and other "sponsoring" agencies, they say they "do not believe in being bound by human opinion". They pervert the principle, ". . . in opinions, liberty".
A denomination is nothing in the world but some man's perversion of the principle ". . . in opinions, liberty". Everything is a matter of opinion to the denominationalist. He says, "one church is as good as another, it's a matter of opinion"; "it makes no difference how you worship, or how the church carries out the commands of God, it's a matter of opinion"; "anything we can have in the home, we can have in the church"; "anything a Christian can do, a church can do, for it is all in the field of human opinion"; and a lot more nonsense.
Beware of any brother who insists that just any way will do. There are methods of doing things that are certainly sinful and wrong, and most of our troubles do spring from that very source. Roman Catholicism and all denominationalism sprang from the erroneous idea that the means, ways and methods of carrying out God's commands are all in the realm of opinion.