THE CONSCIENCE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING
What is conscience? TheEnglish word ‘conscience’ is derived from the Latinconscientia, whichmeans “a knowing of a thing together with another person.” The New TestamentGreek word suneidêsis (from sun: ‘with’ and eidêsis:‘knowledge’), which is translated “conscience,” has the same etymologicalderivation. But knowing with who? Who is the other person that is implied inthe etymology of the word? It is God! This fact must be borne in mind wheneverwe read the word ‘conscience’ in the Word of God. Conscience is not just“knowledge of one’s own acts as right or wrong” (New Webster Dictionary).Rather, it is “that faculty [of our soul] by which we apprehend the will ofGod, as that which is designed to govern our lives” (The Vine’s ExpositoryDictionary); or “that knowledge or consciousness by which man knows that heis conforming to moral law or the will of God” (O. Hallesby, Conscience,translated by C.J. Carlsen [Inter-Varsity Press, 1950], 8). Calvin explains:
For as men,when they apprehend the knowledge of things by the mind and intellects are saidto know, and hence arises the term knowledge or science, so when they have asense of the divine justice added as a witness which allows them not to concealtheir sins, but drags them forward as culprits to the bar of God, that sense iscalled conscience (ICR 3.19.15).
Our conscience speaks to our soul concerning the rightness or wrongness of anaction, an intended action or a contemplated omission. It knows only two words:‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ Whenever you do something right, your conscience says“right!” and then it leaves you in peace and even satisfaction. But if youintend to do something which your conscience knows to be wrong, it warns youand continues to remind you of the wrongness until you cease from your intendedcourse of action or repent of your deed. In the same way, when you omit to doany duty which you are aware of, your conscience also comes in to remind youuntil you do what is required. If not, as it reminds you of your error oromission, it inflicts pain on your soul. When this happens, you are said tohave an “evil conscience” (Heb 10:22), though it is not the conscience that isevil, but that the conscience is accusing you of being evil.
Paul was referring to this function of the conscience when he says:
Forwhen the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained inthe law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew thework of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Rom2:14–15).
The conscience accuses when an action is wrong, and excuses or approves whenthe action is right. The conscience is our moral consciousness—the residentjudge in our soul. It may or may not be right ultimately inits judgement. Its judgement is based on what the soul or intellect knows to bethe will of God. The conscience judges infallibly based on this knowledge, butthe knowledge could be imperfect. This is especially so in the natural mansince the Fall would have clouded all the ‘work’ or requirements of the law ofGod which is written in the heart of man. In the case of a Christian, the morethoroughly he is instructed and acquainted with the precepts of God, the morelikely the judgement of the conscience will be sound.
The conscience is like a reliable programmable apple-sorting machine. If it iswell-programmed, it will classify most of the good apples as good, and theothers as bad. If it starts classifying all the apples it examines as good eventhough some are really bad, we know that there is something wrong with theprogramme, but not the machine.
There is a difference, though, between the conscience of the believer and theunbeliever. Only the Christian may have a pure conscience (Tit 1:15). This is aconscience that speaks clearly. Unbelievers, on the other hand, may only have adull or impure conscience. Such a conscience will also speak, but it oftenspeaks with a muffled voice except for the most severe crime.
You are acquainted with your conscience, aren’t you? You tell a lie, and yourconscience immediately pricked you: “wrong!” It judges, and then it gives youno rest until you tell the truth. Or you may take a bus and you pay less thanthe required fare. Again your conscience shouts, “wrong!” And it keepsreminding you until you pay up or get off the bus.
The conscience, moreover, does not know how to tell you why anaction is right or wrong—that is the function of the intellect. But it pricksyou if you do something it perceives to be morally wrong, and it does not careif you have excuses. Try telling your conscience “But the bus company earns somuch, what’s 20¢ to it?” But your conscience will not listen. It will continueto remind you of your sin.
The conscience of a Christian is like a subordinate court that God has set overthe heart to judge us and to convict us of our deeds immediately—before theGreat Judgement Day. However, it is also the Christian who can have any peaceof conscience because he can have the assurance that his sins are pardoned.
TheImportance of the Conscience
The conscience isperhaps the most important companion for a Christian in his earthly pilgrimage.The Apostle Paul highlights this fact in a remarkable statement in his firstepistle to Timothy:
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, accordingto the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war agood warfare; [19]Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having putaway concerning faith have made shipwreck: [20]Of whom is Hymenaeus andAlexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not toblaspheme (1 Tim 1:18–20).
The charge that Paul refers to here is the instructions that he had committedto Timothy when he left him in Ephesus to take care of the church. This chargewas committed to Timothy according to a prophecy which was made duringTimothy’s ordination to the ministry. We do not know the content of theprophecy, but it might have to do with the condition of the church that Timothyhad to pastor or the kind of troubles that he would face as a pastor. So Paulinstructs him to maintain the truth and to charge those responsible forpromoting falsehood to stop doing so. Paul believes that if Timothy follows hisinstructions, then he would be able to “war a good warfare.”
But in verse 19, Paul adds two more conditions that must accompany hisobedience to his instructions. Firstly, Timothy must hold on tofaith, i.e., he must continue to trust in the Lord and believe all thedoctrines that were once delivered unto him. This condition is not surprising.To loose his faith would mean that he would be an apostate himself.
But, this second condition is somewhat surprising: Timothy musthold on to a good conscience. In other words, he may not expect to have successin his ministry unless he holds on to a good conscience. In fact, Paul actuallyemphasises holding on to a good conscience more than holding on to faith inthis verse, for we read: “Holding faith, and a good conscience; whichsome having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck” (v. 19).
The word translated “which” (Greek: ên) is in the singular in theGreek (unlike the “which” of verse 6, which is plural); so proper grammar tellsus that it refers to conscience alone.
Paul is telling Timothy that some have cast aside their conscience andso made shipwrecked concerning their faith. The word translated “put away”(Greek:apôtheô) is a strong verb used only three times in the NewTestament (cf. Acts 7:27, Rom 11:1–2). It means “to deliberately thrust away.”
Now in the present context, Paul is painting a picture of the Christianjourney. It is like a ship in the sea, and conscience is its rudder steering itin the right course. You remember that James used the same picture with regardsto the tongue (Jas 3:4). The rudder is just a thin piece of metal or wood. Itis so small compared to the size of the ship, yet it plays a most importantrole. It controls the direction of the ship. Without the rudder, the ship willdrift aimlessly in the sea; it will eventually crash into some rocks or reef.
Here Paul warns Timothy, that those who cast away their conscience are castingaway their rudder and may ultimately make shipwreck concerning their faith.This was what happened to Hymenaeus and Alexander (v. 20). They cast away theirconscience and made shipwreck of their faith by proving to be apostates, and soPaul “delivered [them] unto Satan,” i.e., excommunicated them, so “that theymay learn not to blaspheme.”
What can we learn from this instruction? If Paul thought it necessary to warnthe pastor of the church in this manner, how much more must we who are ordinarymembers of the church take heed to his words. Beloved, the conscience is therudder of your Christian life. If you cast it away, you will drift away fromChrist and be immediately in dangerous stormy sea, on course for shipwreck.When that happens, you will put yourself out of the way of life, and if youpersist in it you will prove yourself to be an apostate ultimately.
CastingAway a Good Conscience
Firstly,we must note that it is impossible to literally yank out your conscience andcast it away. Your conscience will always be part of you—you will bring it withyou even when you die. Remember also, that an evil conscience is a consciencethat is accusing you. Therefore to have a good conscience is to have aconscience that speaks clearly and yet is approving rather than condemning.Thus, to cast away a good conscience is to so deal with one’s conscience thatit no longer serves its purpose.
Ultimately, when one casts aside a good conscience, one is left with a searedconscience—a conscience that is no longer sensitive or speaking clearly. Paulspeaks of this in 1 Timothy 4:1–2
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the lattertimes some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, anddoctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience searedwith a hot iron.
Paul was referring directly to some gnostics and ascetics—some early heretics,but I believe that his prophecy applies generally in our day too.
The word translated “seared” (Greek: kaustêriazô) literally mean to“mark by branding with a red hot iron.” It was a practice in those days forfarmers to mark their cattle by using a hot iron with a symbol (brand) at theend. The iron is placed in the fire and heated until red hot and then it ispressed against the back of the cattle to make a permanent imprint—an imprintcaused by dead skin over which the hair of the cattle will not grow again. Withthis mark in place, the owner of the animal can always identify it if itescapes or is stolen. Thus when Paul speaks of “conscience seared with a hotiron,” he is saying that you can sear your conscience—you can cause yourconscience to be so hardened or dead that it can no longer functioneffectively.
But how does searing of the conscience come about? May I suggest three commonways which we must be aware of lest we fall:
By Arguing Against Conscience
Becausethe conscience will not be silenced, and because it hurts, many of us will tryto argue against it. I am sure you are familiar with this: You quarrel withyour friend: your conscience rebuke you distinctly: “wrong!” You reply, “but itwas his fault!” Conscience says a little softer: “wrong!” You say, “Ok, Istarted it, but it was because he provoked me!” Conscience says, “wrong!” Butnow it is barely discernible. The wrongness of your quarrelling with yourfriend has not changed, you have silenced your conscience by arguing againstit.
You realise that when you argue against conscience in this way, you areactually trying to silence conscience and at the same time polluting yourconscience. Soon your conscience will be too weak and dull to speak. And if youdo it frequently enough, the voice of your conscience will be too muffled to beheard. When that happens you have been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin andare on course for spiritual shipwreck.
By Ignoring Conscience
Thesecond way in which we sear our conscience is by deliberately ignoring it. Youknow what it says. But you simply ignore it. This is the quickest way tosearing your conscience and experiencing spiritual hardening. The first timeyou commit a sin your conscience may rebuke you. But if you chose to ignoreyour conscience, and commit the same sin again, your conscience will not speakso loudly. After a while, you will not feel guilty about committing the sin anymore: you have been successful nullifying your conscience.
How does a professing Christian eventually stop attending church altogether?How does a thief becomes a kleptomaniac and a murderer becomes a psychopath? Ibelieve the answer is the same: by repeatedly ignoring their consciences.
Beloved, whenever you ignore your conscience, no matter how small the matteris, you are dulling your conscience.
By Drowning Conscience
Someof us are not so good at arguing against our conscience, and we find it hard toignore our conscience. What do we do? We try to drown out the voice of ourconscience. Whenever our conscience speaks concerning some sin in our lives, ithurts. So in order not to hear it, some of us will keep ourselves busy, and sodrown ourselves at work. Or we switch on the television or the radio as weattempt to drown the voice of conscience—hoping that it will forget what we didor did not do. Is this not the reason why the TV and radio (or walkman ordiscman) is so popular with young people today? It takes away their guiltfeelings by drowning the voice of conscience. And yes, your conscience canindeed be drowned in this way. It will come up again to remind you of your sin,but if you persist in drowning it, it will indeed be silenced. When thathappens, you will no more sense the need to repent for your sins or to grievefor your sins.
Your conscience is placed in your soul by the Lord as a sentinel to guard yourheart from sin. Are you arguing against your conscience? Are you drowning it?Are you ignoring it? Beloved, you will make shipwreck of your faith if youcontinue to do so.
Buildingand Maintaining a Good Conscience
Whileguarding against casting away our conscience, it is also important that we seekto build and maintain a good conscience. This may sound very difficult, but itis really very simple. It involves only two steps:
By Enlightening Our Conscience
Rememberthat though every man’s conscience is authoritative for him, it is notinfallible in its judgements. One man’s conscience may allow what another’sforbids. So in 1 Corinthians 8, Paul, in speaking about food offered to idolsthat are bought from the market, tells us that there is nothing wrong witheating them. But he also says (in v. 7), “Howbeit there is not in every manthat knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as athing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.” Sothen, there is nothing wrong with eating anything you buy from the market eventhough the seller had offered it to his idols before selling it. But if you cannoteat it with a clear conscience, then to you, it is wrong and you must not eatit. The situation is different in 1 Corinthians 10:14–22. There, it isparticipation in idol feast, and it would be wrong even if your conscienceapproves of it.
What Paul is telling us is that if you think something is wrong although it isactually not wrong, then it is wrong for you. On the other hand, our thinkingthat a thing is right does not make it right. So, unless your conscience isinformed and enlightened, you may sin against God without even realising it.
Sothen, beloved, our first duty towards building a good conscience is toenlighten our conscience rather than allowing it to be weak and ignorant (1 Cor8:7, 10, 12). How? By reading and meditating on the Word of God and by hearingsound preaching. Let us not be found habitually sinning against God because ofan ignorant conscience.
By Obeying Our Conscience
Althoughour conscience is not infallible, to cultivate and maintain a good conscience,we must seek to obey it in all cases in which its decisions are not contrary toa higher law. It is because Paul, by the grace of God, was able to obey hisconscience, he was able to say, “And herein do I exercise myself, to havealways a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16).
And it was because Martin Luther was obedient to his conscience that today wemay worship together as a Protestant Church. In the firstplace, it was an uneasy conscience that caused Luther to nail the 95 theses onthe door of Wittenburg Castle on October 31,1517. Three and a half years later, Luther was called to answer charges ofheresy at the Diet of Worms. And there the Reformation could have ended, had itnot been that Luther chose to obey his conscience, that was kept bounded to theWord of God, than to obey the Pope. We have on record his immortal words:
Unless I am convinced by Scripture, and plain reason,I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradictedeach other…. Myconscience is captive to the Word of God; I cannotand will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right norsafe. God help me. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Luther had crumbled to the pressureto submit to the Pope and disobeyed his conscience? I dare say Luther wouldhave made shipwreck of his faith and the Reformation would have fizzled out.
Let me give you four reasons why we must obey our conscience:
Firstly, the authority of the conscience is derived from God, so to dowhat our conscience forbids is to sin against God (cf. Rom 14:23). However,remember that to do what conscience allows is not always righteous.
Secondly, disobeying our conscience results in an evil conscience, whichis the most miserable thing that a child of God may have. Calvin is notexaggerating when he says, “There is no greater torment than an evilconscience” (Comm. on Acts 16:34). Charles Hodge echoes the same thought, “Thegreatest happiness flows from an approving conscience, and the greatest miseryfrom a wounded conscience.”
Thirdly, having a good conscience ensures that we have a good,irreproachable testimony. “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speakevil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your goodconversation in Christ” (1 Pet 3:16).
Fourthly, disobeying our conscience is a sure way of snuffing out ourconscience so that its voice become more and more indistinct and soft.Disobeying our conscience is the surest way to cast away our conscience and tomake shipwreck of our faith.
Conclusion
Beloved,do you still hear your conscience clearly? Does your conscience ever prick youany more? When you tell a half-truth, does your conscience smite you? When youquarrel and act in an unchristian manner, does your conscience hurt you? Whenyou break the Sabbath by doing what ought to be done on other days, does yourconscience trouble you? If your answer to any of these questions is “no,” or“just a little,” then I am afraid you may be exhibiting symptoms of searingyour conscience. Will you not go in secret to the cross of Christ and repentand regain a good conscience before it is too late?
And finally, beloved, do you realise that having a good conscience is mostimportant for maintaining your love and reliance on Christ? For it is when ourconscience tells us of our failures despite our best efforts to live theChristian life that we realise experientially that we need Christ. For thisreason, those who claim that emphasis on the precept of God and on theconscience is legalism, does not really know what they are talking about. Thereis a direct correlation between the well-being of our conscience and ourenjoyment of God in Christ.
—JJ Lim
