THE
CONSCIENCE
The
conscience is generally thought of as being one’s moral sense of right and wrong.
It has to do with knowing or awareness. It functions as the inner voice of a
person’s heart, which answers to his thoughts and deeds. It operates from the
innermost depths of a person’s being and through his mind, holding him
accountable to his perceived level of morality. As the mind reads the message
from the conscience, it passes judgment on one’s actions to approve or condemn
them. It acts as a witness of one’s conduct to move him to do right and deter
him from doing wrong.
There is no
Hebrew term that corresponds to the English word, conscience. However, the
concept is well entrenched in the Old Testament. It is said of David that, “his
heart smote him.” Job said, “…my heart shall not reproach me so long as
I live” (Job 27:6). The Hebrew term heart is sometimes translated to mean
conscience and corresponds with Greek and Latin words that mean the same.
The
conscience is a built in guide to good conduct and morals, but it is not always
reliable. It is subject to error, which enters our thinking and feelings
through our personal level of the knowledge of God, through our cultures, and
through our societies. The conscience can be cultivated toward divine
principles and precepts or corrupted by
the evil influences of our world.
(1 Tim. 1:5)
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure
heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
I. The Measure of Faith
(Rom. 12:3)
For I say, through the grace
given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath
dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God has
instilled in every person the ability to know his Creator and to have a sense
of right and wrong. This is called the measure of faith. This happens at the
initial conception of every human being who was ever born. God gave us life at
the very beginning of our existence and this infused life from the presence of
God carries with it the faith to believe in Him and the ability to know His
will.
We are more than flesh and blood—we are also spirit. The
spiritual part of us has a divinely programmed ability to reach up to God and
discern His intent for our lives. Some seem never to awaken to this divine
nature while others soar to great heights in the knowledge and precepts of God.
Our training, background, and environment play a great part in our cooperation
with God in hungering after and thirsting to know Him. Paul admonished us not
to be haughty in the grace which God has given us as a result of our desire to
know Him, but to be sober minded because it was not our merit that brought us
into the saving knowledge of God, but rather it was His grace that awakened us
to our spiritual need which led us to know Him.
II. No One Is Excused
(Rom. 2:14, 15)
V.
14—For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things
contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
V.
15—Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else
excusing one another.
The
Gentiles who knew not God received the measure of faith the same as the
Hebrews. This implantation or awareness of God’s moral law was ever present in
their hearts. While they may not have understood the finer points of God’s law,
having never heard it as yet, they were held accountable for wrongs because God
gave them a conscience to guide them. This law was “written in their hearts”
with their consciences witnessing their motives and actions. Because each
individual controls his own conscience, there would arise differences in
interpretation of the moral law that God had placed within their hearts. In the
minor or petty things, they may excuse one another, while in things of a more
serious nature they would accuse each other. Since each individual’s conscience
guides him, there was no absolute line drawn. This is the way human nature
operates in general. Christ came to “draw the line” or make things clear. Those who reject Christ cannot expect to
find the favor of God. Their consciences become seared and they can no longer
experience the benefit of a moral guide.
III. Faith and a Pure Conscience
(1
Tim. 1:5)
Now
the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good
conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
(1
Tim. 1:19)
Holding
faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have
made shipwreck.
(1
Tim. 3:9)
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
A pure
heart, a good conscience, and faith in God go hand in hand. Where one of these
elements are lacking, the others do not exist or are quickly eroding away.
Initially, faith is what activates the conscience. A good conscience will lead
us to become pure in heart. In turn, pure hearts will cause us to exercise
faith to keep the good conscience active. All these spiritual elements come
through the grace of God. The writer of Hebrews says that God is the author and
finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). All good virtues began in Him and will end
in Him. God is pure. He seeks the pure in heart for His own. In the Sermon on
the Mount, Jesus said in one of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).
Paul
said that some had let go of their good conscience and faith and it resulted in
being shipwrecked. The third element, the pure heart, was automatically
canceled out when the other two virtues were put away. If we let our hearts
become polluted, our lives become spiritually shipwrecked. If we allow our
consciences to be hardened, we eventually end up spiritually shipwrecked. If we
turn from the faith, we will also be spiritually shipwrecked. Satan has
deceived many today, and caused them to turn from the faith, just as Jesus said
would happen in these end times. He
makes them believe that they are still all right, but the Word says differently.
When we turn to another gospel and deny our covenant with God through His church,
we have denied the faith. The Scripture is plain that those who put these
things away will be shipwrecked. Paul goes on to say that we should hold the
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. It is very important to keep the
conscience on the right track so we will not lose our faith and be lost in
Satan’s sea of deception.
IV. A
Defiled Conscience
(Titus
1:15)
Unto
the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
(1
Tim. 4:2)
Speaking
lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs to live a life where
nothing is pure. The world today is like it was during Noah’s time. Their
hearts were focused on evil continually. They had become completely corrupted
in all their hearts imaginations and desires. Does not that description sound
just like our world today? In each case, humanity left God out of the equation
while wallowing in the filth of their own doings at the expense of their
immortal souls, all because of their defiled consciences. Paul carried it to
its proper conclusion when he described such as these as having their
consciences seared with a hot iron. They allowed their consciences to become
completely closed up by permanently sealing it against the mercies of God to
their own sad and eternal doom.
The saying, “Let your conscience be your guide,” has become popularized
over the years. This can be both good and bad, depending on the condition of
one’s conscience. It can be of help in determining a right course of action to
those who are pure of heart. On the other hand, it can be risky or even
dangerous to those who have a weak or defiled conscience. It is often used as a
crutch for those who want to have their own way without regard to established
rules of order or the feelings of others.
The
apostle Paul spoke at length about the conscience. He mentions it twenty-two
times, and if you attribute the writing of the book of Hebrews to Paul, as some
believe, he would have mentioned it twenty-seven times. He refers to the
conscience eleven times in First and Second Corinthians alone. Basically,
Paul’s advice is that we do not violate our own conscience or wound or offend
the weak conscience of another.
Another blog on this subject:
http://opentomethegatesofrighteousnees.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-god-given-conscience.html?view=timeslide
If you have never accepted or if you have fallen away from Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And tell someone what Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
May God through Christ bless you!
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