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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 21
21 October 2007
Good Conscience before God
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, Oct 14, 07)
Text:
Acts 23:1
When we share the Gospel to others, we usually tell them that we all have sinned and we do need the Saviour Jesus Christ, but many still take sins lightly, saying “I have not done anything sinful. I have not stolen anything, nor murdered anyone, nor harmed anyone, nor done anything against my conscience…” They regard their conscience as their judge, and because they have not done anything against their conscience, they do not care about their sins. Is it reliable to trust in one’s own conscience?
Many years ago, it is the custom for the Indians to bury the wife alive together with her dead husband if he died first. When they were under the British colonial rule, this cruel custom was banned. The Indians requested, “Please allow us to keep this custom because we do this with a clear conscience.” The British officials replied, “Your conscience tells you to keep that custom, but if you continue doing such a wicked thing, our conscience
forces us to hang you.” This shows that human conscience is not a reliable judge because it depends on its accepted moral standard while “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9). The Bible says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov 16:25).
A man who murdered someone the first time felt conscience-stricken and could not sleep well. If he did not repent but kept on murdering, he would be hardened in his conscience and murder would become a norm to him. The moral depravity and rampant crimes everywhere have made many tolerate sins and regard lies, false declarations, tax evasion, breach of copyright, arrogance, hatred, contempt for others, anger, curse, covetousness, sexual immorality, homosexuality…as a norm because their consciences are not clear and sensitive any more.
Then what does it mean when the Scripture says about a good conscience? Paul said, “I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1). Do you and I have a good conscience before God? What is the standard for a good conscience? That is God’s Word, which is like a Mirror, showing us our sinful state and leading us to the Saviour Jesus Christ (Rom 3:20; Gal 3:24; James 1:23-24).
The Meanings of Conscience
First, it should be noticed that the
definitions of conscience from several philosophers or psychologists are not complete or right.
It is wrong to say, “Conscience is the voice of God speaking to man” because God is holy, righteous and perfect and He is never the author of sins, confusion, mistakes, wrongs or evils (1 Cor 14:33; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5) while the Scripture mentions evil conscience or defiled conscience or seared conscience! The Scripture confirms that God speaks to men through His only begotten Son, His living Word, and through the Scripture, His written Word (Heb 1:1-2).
It is wrong to say, “Conscience is acquired in life through discipline, education, training, or social morality” because God created human beings with conscience and every one has his or her conscience (2 Cor 4:2) although not all are the same. An unsaved scholar who is well educated and disciplined still does not have a better conscience than that of a saved farmer or worker.
It is not right and complete to say, “Conscience is a sense of right or wrong” or “the verdict of human reason and judgment” as conscience is not merely a sense nor a verdict but a faculty of the human heart, discerning between right and wrong, bringing remorse for the wrong committed or encouragement for the right done.
It is dangerous to say, “My conscience is my guide,” or “My conscience bids me to do this or that” because it is fallible and unreliable, and without God’s moral standard (God’s Word), it gives human beings license to justify themselves by their own standards!
It is not complete to say, “Conscience is a part of your mind to tell what you are doing is morally right or wrong,” or “ The set of personality processes involved in evaluating oneself by one’s accepted ideals or standards ” because it does not only tell us what is right or wrong or evaluate ourselves but also accuses us of our wrongdoings or defends and bears witness of our good deeds.
It should be also noticed that we are saved not because of our good conscience or we may know God more through our good conscience. We are saved only by God’s grace through faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone (Eph 2:8) and we may know God and His truth more through the revelation of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word alone (1 Cor 2:10-16). Therefore, we have nothing to boast of ourselves and we must humbly depend on the Lord and submit ourselves to Him and His Word. Then what is the meaning of conscience in the Scripture?
The term conscience can be found only in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, a general term “heart” is used to refer to the specific functions of “conscience” as used in the NT, “David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people” (2 Sam 24:10; cf. Acts 2:37), and “a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:17). Then, conscience is a faculty of the heart: “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” (Rom 2:15), and “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Heb 10:22). The English word “conscience” is from the Latin conscientia, a compound of con (“together” or “with”) and scio (“to know”). It is a translation of the Greek suneídēsis, literally “knowledge with.” This noun is used in the Greek New Testament at least thirty times. It is used first in the Gospel of John chapter eight to refer to those who condemned the woman taken in adultery after the Lord challenged them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” (v 7) and then “they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,” (v 9). Their consciences were convicted by Jesus’ Word. Then, conscience is the knowledge of oneself based on his accepted standard of morality, ethic or conduct. Due to the Fall of man, human conscience is unreliable and fallible. Without the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, no one can know the truth of himself or how sinful he is or what is God’s holy standard for him to live by.
Functions of Conscience
Based on Romans 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 (defending) one another,” the basic functions of conscience are: (1) bearing witness (of who we are or of what we are doing with discernment – Rom 9:1; 2 Cor 1:12); (2) accusing (and making us remorseful or regretful about our mistakes, shortcomings, sins, failures – John 8:9; Acts 2:37); and (3) excusing or defending (ourselves for our right thinking or good deeds – Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Peter 3:16). It is dangerous and dece ptive if these functions are not cleansed and sanctified by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. It is so dangerous for those who are living and fighting against God’s Word and God’s children at yet justifying themselves by thinking that they are serving the Lord! (John 16:2). “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness” (Prov 30:12).
Kinds of Conscience
The Scripture tells us about several kinds of conscience: evil conscience due to a depraved heart (Jer 17:9; Heb 10:22), weak conscience due to a lack of knowledge of God and His Word (1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12), seared (or burnt and hardened) conscience due to unbelief, impenitence, wrong doctrines, apostasy,
lies, seducing spirits (1 Tim 4:1-3), defiled conscience due to ignorance, unbelief, or wrongdoings (1 Cor 8:7; Titus 1:15), un-offensive (or blameless, clear) conscience (Acts 24:16), pure conscience (1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim 1:3), and good conscience (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5,19).
Good Conscience before God
It is important and vital to have a good conscience before God like Paul, who said, “I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1). Without a good conscience we cannot be a good testimony for the Lord nor defend ourselves before the enemies (Acts 23:1; 1 Peter 3:16), nor love others as God commands (1 Tim 1:5), nor fight a good fight of faith (1 Tim 1:18-19). A good conscience before God must be redeemed and cleansed by Jesus’ blood, submissive to the
Lord and His Word and un-offensive to others. Then, how can we have a good conscience?
Keep the Conscience Clean and Pure in Jesus’ Blood: Our worship and service are acceptable unto the holy God if our consciences are pure (1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim 1:3). Living in sin without repentance will make our consciences dull, defiled, bad, and hardened. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, it is wisest to repent right away, confess and forsake all known sins and pray for the cleansing in Jesus’ blood (Ps 51; Heb 9:14; 10:22; 1 John 1:7,9). When Satan accuses us of our confessed sins, we can overcome him only by Jesus’ blood ( Rev 12:10-11), and not by defending ourselves.
To keep our consciences clean and pure, we must separate ourselves not only from sins but also from wrong doctrines, worldliness and even “from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess 5:22) and “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph 5:11).
Know More of God and His Word: Our consciences are weak due to our lack of the knowledge of the Lord, His Word and His truth (1 Cor 8:7). Knowing more of the Lord and His Truth, our consciences shall be stronger and have a firmer foundation for our conviction and a higher standard for our discernment and judgment. As our Lord Jesus is our perfect Example, we just look unto Him and follow Him, and not men. A Christian with a good conscience can discern and see that it is not good to go to entertainment centres, to watch worldly movies or listen to worldly music, or to read unbiblical articles, or to have fellowship with bad friends, even disobedient brethren although many others may do it.
Submit to the Control of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word: The commands, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18) and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col 3:16), literally, it means we keep on letting the Holy Spirit and God’s Word control and direct our whole being, our heart, our conscience, our mind, our body, our tongues, our lives, our service, etc. We shall not walk after our consciences but with a submissive
heart and conscience we walk after the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Then, the Holy Spirit may sanctify our conscience by cleansing it, setting it free from human or worldly influences, strengthening it by God’s Word, controlling it and making it more sensitive in conviction, witness, discernment and judgment. With our submissive consciences to the Lord and His Word, we cannot live against God’s Word or against our sanctified conscience. Living in a pure atmosphere, our sense of smell can quickly distinguish bad smell and run away at once as we cannot stand it, but living in a dirty and smelly environment, our smell will be used to it and will not find it stinky any more. Martin Luther, whose conscience was submissive to God’s Word, when asked to recant his beliefs and writings, said, “My conscience is bound in the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is unsafe and dangerous to act against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me! Amen.” Those who are compromising and tolerant to sins, worldliness and wrong doctrines or do not submit to the Lord and His Word,
their consciences have become dull and defiled and they do not see it a serious sin to doubt, question, or criticise God’s Word, the sole Standard of their consciences!
Have Concerns for Others’ Consciences: As not every one has the same kind of conscience or the same knowledge of the Lord and His Word, we, who have a good conscience, must restrain ourselves and try our best not to be a stumbling block to others (1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Then like Paul, we can say, “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16)!
Conclusion
Dear friends, due to human corrupt and sinful heart, our consciences cannot be good if they are not redeemed and cleansed by Jesus’ blood, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, submissive to the Lord and His Word, and have concerns for others’ consciences. May the Lord graciously search our hearts and help us repent right away of any known sins. May the Lord help us serve Him with good and pure consciences, clean, pure, clear, un-offensive and sensitive before Him always until our Lord comes. Amen.
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