The Disciple and His Conscience - By Imanuel G. Christian

September 2011

For the last four months we have been dealing with the topic, knowing the will of God. In the last article we noted four things that help us know His will. These are the Word of God, the Spirit of God, the people of God, and finally the peace of God as we prayerfully seek God’s guidance in this matter. Another related topic is the conscience of man and what role it plays in discerning whether what we are doing is according to the will of God and pleasing to Him or not. Actually, the conscience is involved in the fourth step above: the peace of God. If we come to the right decision that is pleasing to God, our conscience will be at peace about that decision. Man’s conscience is a gift of God, a voice telling him what is right and good and what is not. When we do something that is right, our conscience is at peace; and when we do not, our conscience goads us. It is an instinctive sense of right and wrong that produces a sense of guilt when violated.

Every person is born with a conscience. It is a stamp of God’s image in every human being that separates us from the rest of the creation. It is the conscience that guides man, even the pagans, to discern the difference between right and wrong and through it man knows the moral law of God, the will of God, and feel a sense of guilt when it is not followed (Romans 2:14-15).

However, the conscience is not the best or fool-proof guide in discerning the will of God and knowing the difference between right and wrong. Because of man’s sin nature it is possible that his conscience may not always lead him to the right choice and he may not feel a sense of guilt even when he is doing something morally wrong. Man’s conscience may not always spoil the pleasure of sin, or render a wicked person miserable, and may not force man to confess his wrongs.

Paul uses terms like “seared” conscience (1 Timothy 4:2) and “corrupted” conscience (Titus 1:15). When a person continues to ignore the voice of his conscience and continues to follow evil ways, his conscience becomes so seared, calloused and cauterized that it loses the sensitivity of good and evil and so does not feel the shame or guilt of following evil ways. As Paul describes, “Having lost all sensitivity they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:19).

History provides ample examples of the dead conscience of man. How could the Nazis participate in the wholesale slaughter of the Jewish community? Or, think of the many instances of genocide around the world in recent years. According to one account, during the twentieth century alone more than a hundred million people have been slaughtered this way, more than the causalities in all the wars in the whole world combined. Or, how can we understand all the terrorist activities around the world today unless their conscience has gone awry.

On the other hand, a person’s conscience may be “weak” and may easily be offended even when doing things that are not really morally offensive. In Paul’s days, for example, some people with weak consciences were troubled about matters such as eating meat and determining which days should be considered special (1 Corinthians 8:7-12; Romans 14:1-6).

Now we want to raise a few questions regarding the relationship of the conscience and the Holy Spirit. Are they either the same or different entities? What is the work of the Holy Spirit towards the unbeliever’s conscience? How does the Holy Spirit affect the believer’s conscience? What is the responsibility of the believer’s conscience towards the work of the Holy Spirit?

Obviously, the conscience and the Holy Spirit are not one and the same. As we noted above, the conscience is a part of every human being, whether a believer or an unbeliever. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit is given only to those who have become a part of God’s family by believing in Jesus Christ. Only the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Ephesians 2:22; etc.).

However, this does not mean that the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the unbeliever’s conscience. Not only is it the Spirit that restrains the sin in the world in general (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), but He also convicts the unbeliever of his sin, tells his conscience of God’s righteousness, and informs him of God’s judgment if that righteousness is not carried out (Romans 2:15-16). As Jesus told His disciples, “When he (the Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). However, that does not always lead the unbeliever to do what his conscience requires.

On the other hand, the work of the Sprit in relation to the believer’s conscience is much more extensive and effective. First of all, through the work of the Spirit the believer’s conscience is cleared of any feeling of guilt of past sins (Hebrews 9:14). Secondly, the Spirit helps the believer to keep his conscience clear. The believer maintains a clear conscience by living in harmony with the truth of the Word of God as he is guided by the Spirit (John 16:13-15; 2 Corinthians 1:12-13). As the believer grows in his relationship with God through his time in the Word, his conscience is sharpened and is more sensitive to sin and to what grieves the Spirit of God. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit provides the strength that is needed to keep the conscience clear of sin and to guard it against temptations (1 John 4:4). It is through the work of the Spirit that the believer is released from the power and slavery of sin (Romans 7:24-25).

The believer has a greater revelation. He not only has his conscience which is a mark of God’s image in man, but was defiled because of the Fall, but he also has the Holy Spirit who guides him into the truth. With greater revelation comes greater responsibility. Now the believer’s responsibility is to make sure that he does not grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and, like Paul, strives always to keep his conscience clear before God and man (Acts 24:16). The goal is to live with a pure heart and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5), and, as a result, to have no regrets at the end.