Lesson on Conscience

 INTRODUCTION 

What is conscience? A little girl replied, "It is grandmother!!!” 

The Readers' Digest, Nov. 1960, says, "Conscience is a thinking man's filter." 

The Oxford Dictionary says, "It is an inward knowledge or consciousness; the faculty that

passes judgment on the moral quality of actions or of individuals. " 

The Winston Dictionary says, "The moral sense or consciousness within oneself that

determines whether an action is right or wrong, good or bad." Hallesby says, "One can have

peace with God without a good conscience but his experience would not be a happy one"; I trust this is not our story.

Is conscience the voice of God created within man? No, definitely not.

Conscience is something inborn and universal rather than an acquired faculty.

Who has a conscience? Educated and civilized people only? No, all have consciences.

II Cor. 4:2, "... commending ourselves to every man's conscience. . ." Conscience cannot be

the voice of God for sometimes it leads people to do things contrary to the will of God as

revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

Conscience will direct a heathen man to bow down to idols of wood and stone.

Conscience approves of acts of sexual license in the temple in honour of the gods.

Sometimes conscience insists that a man must murder the one who killed his father.

Sometimes it causes him to forsake the sick, believing them to be cursed by deity and therefore to be left alone.

Conscience instructs heathen to throwaway twin babies and do many frightful things.

The word "conscience" does not appear in the Old Testament; in the Old Testament the word

"heart" is substituted-I Sam. 24:5, "David's heart (conscience) smote him." 

Conscience is an internal judge examining all that I do and say.

Conscience expresses itself before, during and after the act.

Some feel that conscience will be the main tormentor in hell (Son, remember--Luke 16 :25).

I. AN EVIL CONSCIENCE

Not all consciences are good-in fact, since the fall, they are depraved. The conscience of man

suffered terribly in the Fall in the Garden of Eden. 

Eph.4:18, describes the unconverted man as "having the understanding darkened because of

the blindness of their heart (conscience)." 

Rom. 1 :18-32 , is a sad commentary of what happened when, "their foolish heart was

darkened," verse 21; sin had clouded the pure Adamic conscience of mankind .

I Tim. 4 :2, warns of the last days when men have "their conscience seared with a hot iron";

They are almost without a conscience, seared and warped. Titus 1 :15, "... but even their mind

and conscience is defiled." 

Let us pray the prayer of Heb. 10 :22, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of

faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." 

Let us recognize the past and pray for continual deliverance from an evil conscience.

II. A CONVICTED CONSCIENCE 

Rom. 2 :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."

This is the work of the conscience of man.

The judgment of conscience is categorical, without giving reasons; it is absolute for it neither

bargains nor compromises and it is definitely individualistic.

John 8 :1-11, is a picture of the conscience in action; each man left with the stab pricks from

its mighty prongs, bringing confusion of face and shame.

III. A PURGED CONSCIENCE 

Heb. 9 :14, "Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." 

First realize the evil of a depraved conscience; let conviction lead to a conversion of the standards of conscience.

No longer silence conscience but pray for its enlightenment by the Word of God.

Let conscience maintain a high standard of righteousness and then stick to it.

Some for conscience's sake have suffered torture, loss of property, reputation and even martyrdom rather than offend conscience.

A good conscience gives meaning to life, richness, fulness, purpose and pleasure.

Spiritual awakening is the awakening of the conscience of man Godward.

Let the Word of God daily instruct the conscience about the will and plan of God.

The awakened conscience brings pressure on the personal life to conform to the knowledge of

sin and righteousness derived from the study of God's Word.

IV. A PURE CONSCIENCE

I Tim. 3 :9, "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. . ." II Tim. 1 :3, "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience. " 

At conversion not only the soul is saved but the conscience is converted, too.

This change of conscience is often a gradual process as the individual is instructed more perfectly in the will of God.

The conscience is cleansed by the Blood of Christ; this is taught in Hebrews 10 :2-10, where the blood of animal sacrifices was a type of Calvary's Blood. 

The new birth does not oppose conscience but rather re-establishes normal order.

The unconverted feel conscience as a burden but to the saved conscience is a help.

To the saved the conscience is a friend to know and love; a messenger from God.

The standard of the conscience is perfection; Matt. 5:48, which is God's standard.

V. A WEAK CONSCIENCE 

The young convert may find that his conscience is too weak to rely upon. 

I Cor. 8:7, "... and their conscience being weak is defiled"; Also I Cor. 8:10. Conversion is the re-creation of conscience which has been long silenced. 

This weakness can be overcome by prayer, Bible study and constant obedience.

The problem is to recognize it, for the solution is very plain and simple.

Often converts blame other things: Environment, education, friends, etc.

The Lord desires to strengthen and build up the weak conscience.

VI. A GOOD CONSCIENCE

This is the desire of God for every born again believer.

Do not be at war with your conscience but be at peace; agree with the enlightened conscience

and obey it implicitly. 

I Tim. 1:5, "... charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience..." I Tim. 1:19, Paul charged Timothy to hold faith and have a "good conscience." 

I Pet. 3:16, "Having a good conscience"; live to rebuke those who abuse you.

The message of conscience is directed to the will; if the will obeys, the conscience will grow and develop. This is what God wants from us--obedience.

If the will resists, the conscience will be weakened; some silence conscience with alcohol or hard work; this is only wishful thinking that hardens the conscience.

Pray that the lord will give you a good conscience; a tender conscience.

Beware of the attitude of the scribes who had a tender conscience in small matters but overlooked the weightier matters of the law-Matt. 23 :23.

Conscience is a living thing, an organ subject to growth and development.

VII. A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE

Acts 24:16, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men. " 

I believe that this is one of the highest goals in a Christian life.

Beware of a pathologically oversensitive conscience that keeps the individual in continuous

conflict. The result of justification is peace, not conflict.

Pray much for a conscience that listens to the will of God as revealed in Scripture.

In prayer and during the Quiet Time stop to listen to conscience speaking.

The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit works through conscience.

A sensitive conscience produces careful Christians who are conscientious, dependable and usable in the kingdom of God.

An insensitive conscience produces careless saints, the weakening influence in the Church today. 

CONCLUSION

What is our reaction to this study on conscience? Have we learned anything?

Have we ever analyzed our own conscience?

Is my conscience evil? convicted? purged? pure? weak? good? void of blame?

No medical doctor can find the organ called conscience but we know we have it.

Do we spend time trying to silence or kill conscience with plausible reasonings?

Let us determine now to let God examine and control our conscience.

One student wrote in an examination, "Beware of conscience-it will come again! ! !" 

Do we want peace? Let conscience be obeyed and we will have internal heart peace.

REVIEW QUESTIONS 

901. What is conscience?

902. Is conscience the voice of God? Why?

903. List seven kinds of consciences listed in the Holy Scriptures.

904. What type of conscience will men have in the latter days?

905. What two things does the conscience do according to Rom. 2 :15 ?

906. How can a conscience be purged?

907. Is the "pure conscience" of II Tim. 1:3, and I Tim. 3:9, the same? Why?

908. Should a convert or young Christian always trust his conscience? Why?

909. Is there a distinction between the "pure heart" and "good conscience" of I Tim. 1:5?

910. What are the vertical and horizontal areas in which conscience works? 

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