Bible Verses
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Genesis 2:15-17: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, you may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die.”
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Genesis 1:27: Referenced to explain that humans are created in the image of God, and therefore belong to Him.
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Genesis 6:3: The Holy Spirit strives with men and women.
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Matthew 22:37: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (The “second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”)
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Matthew 22:15-22: The story of Jesus being asked about taxes. “Show me the coin used for the tax… Whose head is this and whose title?… Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperors and to God the things that are gods.”
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Matthew 28:18-20: The Great Commission: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
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Luke 11:9-13: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you… how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
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Luke 12:12: The Holy Spirit teaches us.
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John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.”
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John 16:8: The Holy Spirit “will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.”
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Acts 2:36: “Therefore, let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah.”
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Acts 5:29: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
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Acts 13:2: The Holy Spirit directs the affairs of the body of Christ.
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Acts 16:7: “They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” (Used to show the Holy Spirit can convict on matters not explicitly in Scripture).
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Romans 2:14-16: “When Gentiles who do not possess the law do instinctively what the law requires… they show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their conscience also bears witness… on the day when… God… will judge the secret thoughts of all.”
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Romans 8:27: The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints.
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Romans 9:1: “I am speaking the truth in Christ… my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit.”
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Romans 13: Government is instituted by the authority of God.
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Romans 14:23: “Whatsoever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
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1 Corinthians 2 & 2 Corinthians 1:24: “I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather we are workers with you for your joy.”
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1 Timothy 4:1-2: “In later times, some will renounce the faith… through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.”
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1 Peter 1:2: The Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer.
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1 Peter 2:21: The Holy Spirit inspires the prophets.
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Revelation 12: The dragon (Satan) pursues the pure woman (the church).
Historical and Literary Quotes
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Martin Luther (at the Diet of Worms): “Unless I’m convicted by scripture and plain reason. I do not accept the authority of popes and councils because they’ve contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. So help me God. Amen.”
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Martin Luther (from “Appeal to the German Nobility”): “The Romanists have raised three barriers against all reformation…” (Describing the papal claims to supremacy over civil authority, sole interpretation of Scripture, and exclusive right to call councils).
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Alexis de Tocqueville: “In America, it is religion which leads to enlightenment and the observance of divine laws that leads men to liberty… It considers religion as the safeguard of the mores… and the mores as the guarantee of the laws and the pledge of its duration.”
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Samuel Adams (1778): “Religion and good morals are the only solid foundations of public liberty and happiness.”
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Martin Luther King Jr.: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master nor the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state and never its tool.”
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John Newton: “I’m not the man that I want to be, but by God’s grace, neither am I the man that I used to be.” (Paraphrased).
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Ellen G. White: “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral. Neither is it the national establishment. Neither is it the various denominations. It is the people who love God and keep his commandments… Where Christ is, even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church. For the presence of the high and holy one who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.”
Other Key References and Definitions
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General Conference Working Policy (Definition of Religious Liberty): “Religious liberty includes the fundamental human right to have, adopt, or change one’s religion or religious belief according to conscience and to manifest and practice one’s religion… subject to respect for the equivalent rights of others… [It was] initially established to promote and maintain religious liberty with particular emphasis upon the most intimate freedom, individual liberty of conscience.”
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General Conference “Reaffirmation Statement” (October 2021): “The Seventh-day Adventist Church… is convinced that the vaccination programs… are important for the safety and health of our members and the larger community. Therefore, claims of religious liberty are not used appropriately in objecting to government mandates or employer programs designed to protect the health and safety of their communities.”
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Admiral Horatio Nelson Anecdote: At the Battle of the Nile, Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye and said, “I see no such signal,” ignoring an order to retreat.
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UN Declaration of Human Rights, Paragraph 29.2 & 29.3: Referenced to show that the declaration subordinates human rights to the “general welfare,” which the speaker argues nullifies inalienable rights.