What is “conscience?” The dictionary defines conscience as “the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motive, impelling one toward right action.” Conscience has to do with the mind and inner most thoughts of a person. Essentially, conscience enables a person to discern right from wrong, and good from evil. “Our conscience is a divine alarm system,” writes Dr Charles Stanley, “that protects us from making wrong decisions. It’s a gift from God that enables us to distinguish between what is right and wrong—between what’s good and best in our lives” (The Charles F Stanley Life Principles Bible p. 1330).
Conscience, therefore, has to do with the mind. God created every human being with a mind and a “free will,” hence, our individual ability to choose either to do right or do wrong. A classic example of this is recorded in the Bible. God created man and gave him specific instructions of what to do and what not to do. But man chose to disobey God and as a result “sin came into the world through one man”(Romans 5:12). Man had therefore a free will in choosing to obey or disobey God. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Today, man still chooses to disobey God. And disobedience is sin no matter how we look at it.
Generally, public consensus seems to be that the vast majority of people have a conscience. It is assumed that anyone who appears “not to have a conscience,” is as a result of that person’s inability to fully comprehend the difference between right and wrong, and good and evil.
We have heard the following: “on second thought, I could have done it this way or that way.” Or, “if I had to do it again, I would do it differently.” Or, “do good for conscience sake.” Also, everyone has to make decisions, which can either be right or wrong. These examples say something important about our conscience. Take for instance a person who commits a crime and is being sentenced by the judge. This person may ask for a “reduced sentence,” realizing he could be denied freedom for a very long time. Maybe something he pondered in his mind that triggered the request.
One of the things that Christians must guard against is to avoid being “insensitive” to sin. This can occur when we fail to take a stand for the tenets (main principles) of the Christian faith—things that pleases God and upholds His sacred Word. As a result, we allow our consciences to be immune or “seared” in the process of time.
In writing to Timothy on the topic of the believer’s walk as the good minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul points out, ”Now the Spirit expressly says that in the later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1Timothy 4:1,2). William MacDonald writes, “Their conscience is seared with a hot iron. Perhaps early in their lives their conscience had been tender, but they suppressed it so often and sinned against the light so much that now their conscience has become insensitive and hardened” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 2091).
Our conscience acts like an “appeals court” in our minds. When we are undecided or unsure of what, when, and how to act or to react, the conscience alerts the mind on how to proceed. We must allow God to be the divine Ruler (not my will, but His) over our mindset, will, intellect, and thought processes.
Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the Cross and our faith in God, “our hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience,” and therefore with “holy boldness” we have the divine privilege of drawing near to God. The writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22). Only the blood of Christ has the tremendous power to cleanse the conscience. How wonderful is this gracious invitation. “Let us draw near.”
At the conclusion of the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer exhorts believers in Jesus Christ to “Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls . . . “ And then he makes this request. “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things” (Hebrews 13:17,18). Note: “for we are sure that we have a clear conscience.” This takes us back to Paul before Felix the governor, when he was accused of “one who stirs riots among the Jews and even tries to profane the temple.” Paul’s response, “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16). This highlights the necessity of having a “clear conscience” to both God and man. A clear means being void of offense. We have no option to do otherwise.
We are bound to conclude that conscience is an integral part of the human psyche which creates the awareness of right and wrong, good and evil. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). Let us listen and pay attention.