The Christian is required by God to separate from what is sinful. Scripture alone can demonstrate that a given course of conduct is sinful. Natural revelation cannot be regarded as a fuller revelation than Scripture, or as coordinate with Scripture in any sense whatever. 4. It is possible that science or experience may show that certain conduct is harmful. Science or experience can never show that anything is sinful.
Scripture teaches that what is really harmful is ordinarily sinful.
The decision whether science or experience shows that particular conduct is harmful must be made by the individual concerned, not by other persons. Church assemblies may not issue authoritative regulations based in whole or in part on any other standard than Scripture. To depart from these principles is to deny the sufficiency of Scripture as the standard of faith and conduct and to elevate experience or science to the position of an additional authority coordinate with Scripture. In the very nature of the case the individual concerned must be the judge of the extent of legitimate use in such a case, so far as his conscience is concerned. For an ecclesiastical judicatory to assert that science declares the matters in question to be harmful, therefore they are under all circumstances sinful, amounts to denying the sufficiency of Scripture and making human science an additional, coordinate authority.