Intro
We recently introduced the subject of self-awareness. First, we talked about the dangers in the Self-Esteem movement. Then, in a second message, we discussed three keys to managing self-awareness according to Scripture.i Today, I want to go a little deeper into the subject by talking about conscience.
What is conscience? What are some of the conditions of conscience referenced in the Bible? What are the benefits of a healthy, pure conscience? How do we maintain a pure conscience?
The Self-Esteem movement has drawn upon the teachings of secular psychologists and from that teaching, developed recommendations for maintaining self-esteem. Their concepts do not come from the Bible. Their terminology does not come from Scripture. In many ways, their teaching is a substitute for biblical teaching on self-awareness. By avoiding the subject of conscience, secular psychologists avoid the subject of sin and accountability to God. Instead of accepting the biblical concept of guilt, they speak of guilt in terms of feelings. In the Bible, guilt is violation of God’s commandments. On the psychiatrist’s couch, guilt is a feeling. Getting rid of the feeling becomes the goal, rather than repenting of objective wrong-doing and getting right with God. It is a counterfeit gospel.
There is safety in sticking with biblical terms. Words carry concepts. The concept behind the term self-esteem is different from the concept behind the biblical term conscience. When we use non-biblical terms, it is very easy to fall victim to the error in the concept behind the term. Words matter. I am not saying we should never use secular terms. Language does evolve and there are subjects that are simply not addressed in Scripture. But we should be very cautious of terms that are not in the Bible. It is very possible that there are unscriptural concepts labeled by those terms.
UNIVERSALITY OF CONSCIENCE
Certainly, self-awareness is a biblical reality. God made us in such a way that we are aware of self. That awareness is of a higher nature than the animal kingdom because it includes the inner sense of moral accountability. Everybody has an inner sense that God is there, and therefore, they are accountable to him.
In Romans 1:18-32, Paul deals with this explicitly. There he talks about the general revelation of God that is evident to all through the existence of creation. He is not referring to the special revelation received by the Jews. He is talking about an awareness of God’s existence that is in everyone. In verses 18-20 he writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”ii
The order and majesty of creation declare the existence of God. In the light of that knowledge, the conscience is alerted to a personal accountability to that Creator. And because humanity has eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the person’s moral standing before God is reflected in the conscience.
“It is a universal fact,” writes Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “that there is a sense of God in mankind.”iii
Still addressing mankind in general, Paul says of them in verse 32 of Romans 1: “who, knowing
the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not
only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” There is an inner sense of moral
accountability. It may be rather uninformed or even ill-informed, but conscience is there. After
quoting Romans 1:32, Lloyd-Jones explains: “Now that is a way of describing the conscience.
There is in mankind universally the sense of right and wrong, this feeling that sin deserves to be
judged and that sin will be judged, and that the moral governor of the universe is righteous and
just. They know that: ‘knowing the judgment of God’—that is something that is innate in the
whole of human nature, in the whole of mankind, and that is why I stress the importance of our
remembering that the Apostle here is speaking about Gentiles, the pagan races, as well as the
Jews, who have been given a special revelation.”iv
Webster’s Dictionary defines conscience as “the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or
blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of
obligation to do right or be good.”v Conscience is the moral compass in the heart of a person. It
is unclear how much it is a result of the original creation versus the eating of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil. But one thing is evident: everyone has this inner sense of moral
accountability to God and self.vi Everyone is responsible to steward this faculty so that it is
healthy and functions properly.
In our next message, we will talk about how to maintain a conscience. Today we will lay a
foundation for that teaching by discussing the various conditions of conscience referenced in
Scripture.
CONDITIONS OF CONSCIENCE
1. A PURE conscience is one that is free from accusation.
It is undefiled in that the person has not violated its standard. In Acts 24:16 Paul said he always strived “to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” The NIV says, “I strive always to keep my conscience
clear before God and man.” This is a key to the success Paul experienced in life and ministry.
The Phillips translation says, “I do my utmost to live my whole life with a clear conscience
before God and man.” Are you doing your utmost to keep your conscience clear of any offense
against God or people?
Sometimes a pure conscience is called a good conscience. When Paul was brought before the
Sanhedrin, he testified that he had lived “in all good conscience” (Acts 23:1). Peter talked about
the importance of having a good conscience when suffering unjust accusations (1 Pet. 3:14).
Then in 1 Peter 3:21 he attributes the value of water baptism to the declaration of a good or clear
conscience. It is not the ritual of water baptism that saves us. It’s the answer of a good
conscience cleansed by the blood of Jesus. After referencing Noah in the Ark as a type of our
salvation, Peter writes: “There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the
removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21). The cleansing of the conscience is part of the salvation provided for us through the death and resurrection of Christ. In those verses, a pure conscience is called a good conscience.
In 2 Timothy 1:3, said that he serves God “with a pure conscience.” Notice that he is aware of the condition of his conscience. In 1 Timothy 3:9 Paul says church leaders must maintain a pure conscience. The Greek word translated pure is katharos. We get our English word catharsis from it. It means pure, clean, or unsoiled. Why am I taking time to define this condition of the conscience? We should be occupied with keeping our conscience in this condition. Later in this teaching we will discuss how to do that. Right now, we want to be clear on this as a goal in life: living in all good conscience--maintaining a pure conscience. So, what other conditions of conscience are discussed in Scripture?
2. A DEFILED conscience is referenced in Titus 1:15. There Paul talked about people who pursue dishonest gain and are greedy liars. He says: “even their mind and conscience are defiled.” That context gives us some idea of what can defile the conscience: dishonest gain, gluttony, lying are all mentioned. The conscience is polluted, soiled, and stained.
3. An EVIL conscience is the opposite of a good conscience. It is a bad conscience. It is a corrupt, diseased, troublesome, guilty conscience. Hebrews 10:22 tells us to: “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” This kind of conscience needs to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
4. The worst condition of conscience is a SEARED conscience. This is the condition of apostates who have rejected the truth and lead others into their error. First Timothy 4:1-2: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” Notice how these people are characterized. They are people who “depart from the faith.” To depart from a place means you were once in that place. They are people who have renounced the faith. They have given “heed to deceiving spirits.” They chose to follow deceiving spirits and are therefore deceived themselves. But they also deceive others “speaking lies in hypocrisy.” They pretend to be one thing, but in their hearts, they are something very different. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They have given heed to “doctrines of demons.” All of that has produced a seared conscience.
The metaphor used is likening it to skin that has been seared with a hot iron and has lost its sensitivity. These people have no sensitivity to conviction of sin. Through their repeated and confirmed sinfulness, their conscience has lost its functionality. For all practical purposes, they have no conscience.
This is the worst-case scenario for any human being because repentance is only possible as a response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That conviction comes through the faculty of conscience. We see that in John 8 when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus. When Jesus said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,” their conscience was pricked with conviction. John 8:9 says: “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience [notice where the conviction took place], went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.” At that point, their conscience was not seared. But unfortunately, they did not repent. They simply walked away.
So, we have seen the difference between a good conscience and an evil conscience, which can be defiled in various degrees. In general, we can say that one’s conscience is either accusing or affirming. An ACCUSING conscience is letting the person know something needs to be attended to. An AFFIRMING conscience is letting the person know that he is walking in the light that he has and is pleasing to the Lord. In Romans 9:1, Paul said that his conscience was affirming that what he was saying is truthful. In 2 Corinthians 1:12, Paul wrote to that church: “Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.” We know from Paul’s testimony that it is possible to live with a pure conscience. I want to mention one other condition of the conscience:
5. A WEAK conscience is not necessarily defiled, but it is not well-informed. This dynamic is important to understand for two reasons: (1) If our conscience is weak, we must be careful to not defile it. It is somewhat fragile and can be easily defiled. (2) If we are relating to someone with a weak conscience, we must be sensitive to their vulnerability and avoid anything that would lead them into defilement of conscience.
Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 8 when answering questions about meat that had been offered to idols and then sold in the marketplace. Let’s read the whole chapter to get the context:
“Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
We don’t have time to expound this passage in detail. But in Corinth, meat that had been dedicated to idols by the pagans was being sold in the marketplace. Christians knew that they were not to participate in the pagan idolatry. But was it okay to eat this meat that had been offered to idols. Some said yes, others said no.
They asked Paul’s counsel, and Paul’s answer was not a simple yes or no. Instead, he explained to them that “an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is not other God but one” (v. 4). Based on that knowledge it was okay to eat the pagan meat. But verse 7 begins with the word “However.” “However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” If a person does not have the knowledge that an idol is nothing—if that person violates his own conscience by going against his own sense of right and wrong, then he defiles his conscience and is laden with guilt. He has violated the light that he has, and that is not a good thing.
His conscience is weak because it is not informed by the truth concerning this specific subject. The long-term answer to a weak conscience is biblical teaching that brings greater knowledge that strengthens the conscience. But in the meantime the person must not violate his own conscience, regardless of the liberty others may have.
You have heard the saying: “Let your conscience be your guide.” That is true, but untrue. Some things are absolutely right or wrong and are not an issue of conscience. To murder another person is wrong regardless of what a person’s conscience is telling them. Just because your conscience is not accusing you about living in adultery, that does not make it right. On those matters, we cannot simply let our conscience by or guide. We must follow the commandments of the Lord.
But the Scripture does not say that we cannot eat meat bought in the marketplace that may have previously been offered to idols. It is not objectively wrong. However, a new convert who was heavily involved in idol worship before getting saved, may have a hard time separating the meat from the idol worship that he used to do. In his heart, he feels like it is wrong. In that case, he should let his conscience by his guide. He should not violate his conscience even though it is not objectively wrong. He should maintain a conscience free of accusation.
This brings us to an important fact: A person’s conscience is a product of the knowledge they have been given. It may be misinformed. But even then, it should not be violated. It reflects the light that the person has at that time. As the person gets more biblical knowledge he may have more liberty. But in the meantime, he must walk in the light that he currently has.
So, how is a weak conscience strengthened. It is strengthened by increased knowledge from the Lord. That increased knowledge my teach him that what he thought was wrong is okay. But it may teach him some things that he thought were okay are not okay. The better informed we are of revelation in Scripture, the stronger and more reliable our conscience becomes. Paul’s first point in 1 Corinthians 8 is: If your conscience tells you it is wrong, then don’t do it.
Paul’s second point in that chapter is: If your conscience tells you that its okay to do it yet doing it would lead a weaker Christian into violating his conscience, then don’t do it. First Corinthians 8:9-13: “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13
Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
Conclusion:
Maintaining a pure conscience is paramount. If we defile the conscience, we live under the cloud of self-accusation, we lose our confidence before God, and we lose our confidence before people.
This morning we have discussed what conscience is and some of the conditions that conscience can be in. This provides needed foundation for what we want to talk about next week. Next week we will consider the benefits of a pure conscience and how to maintain a pure conscience. Our spiritual wellbeing depends on this. Our psychological wellbeing depends on this. Our level of joy and peace depends on it. Our intimacy with God depends on it, and our effectiveness in ministry depends on it.
ENDNOTES:
i See sermons entitled “The Gospel of Self-Esteem” (preached 9-17-23) and “Managing Self-Awareness” (preached 9-24-23).
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 1 The Gospel of God, 1985 (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018), 368.
iv Lloyd-Jones, Romans: An exposition of Chapter 1, 369. Godet says, “Paul means: ‘What can be known of God without the help of an extraordinary revelation is clearly manifest within them’ A light was given in their conscience and understanding and this light bore on the existence and character of the Divine Being” (emphasis Godet’s). Frederic Louis Godet, Commentary on Romans (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977), 103.
v Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., 245.
vi Conscience is a faculty of the heart. Watchman Nee thinks it is a faculty of the human spirit. I consider it a faculty of the human soul closely associated with the mind. In the believer, the human spirit is resurrected as a new creature in Christ joined to the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:17). As said of the mind in Rom. 12:2, the conscience needs renewing. Although I disagree with Nee’s assignment of conscience as a faculty of the spirit, his counsel concerning the management of the conscience is very helpful. See Watchman Nee, The Spiritual Man (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977), 106-128.
