What About Your Conscience, Teen?

HOW IS YOUR CONSCIENCE?
Written By Dr. Ed. Watke Jr.
What About Your conscience and the Holy Spirit?

• I don’t hear much said these days about the conscience.
• As a child, I was told to let my conscience be my guide. Now, however, we are often warned not to trust the conscience, So, which is it?
• I know of only one book ever written about the conscience. And I have never heard a whole sermon brought on the subject, at least in my memory.

Facts:

1. Our conscience is a constant companion.

2. Every person has a conscience, that is God-given.

3. The conscience has something to say about every decision, invitation, thought, word, and deed of any significance at all.

4. So how should I respond? What should I believe about the conscience?

5. As a Christian, how seriously should I take the promptings, convictions, and accusations of my conscience?

6. The conscience has been condemned by many as an untrustworthy source of information, an uninformed guide not to be trusted.

Nothing could be further from the truth -- for the Holy Spirit uses the conscience as a primary avenue of communication with the believer. (But there are facts which we need to understand.)

7. The term conscience appears ______ times in the New Testament, and almost in every instance it is spoken of in a positive light.

• What is conscience? “It is grandma,” said a little girl.
• The Readers Digest (Nov. 1960) says, “Conscience is a thinking man’s filter.”
• The Oxford dictionary says, “It is an inward knowledge or consciousness; the faculty that passes judgment on the moral quality of actions or of individuals.
• The Winston Dictionary says ”The moral sense or consciousness within oneself that determines whether an action is right or wrong, good or bad.”


I. THE CONSCIENCE IS AN INNER GOD-GIVEN CAPACITY

A. It’s Within Every Person to Discern Right from Wrong, Wise and Unwise:
1. Everyone has a conscience, but it is not the voice of God. (Rom. 2:14-15)

2. We all have been given an inner sense of right and wrong but even that can only be based on the person’s knowledge. (II Cor. 4:2)

3. God has placed in each person’s heart a moral barometer that is constantly accusing or defending our motives, thoughts, attitudes and actions.

4. The word conscience is not found in the Old Testament, but instead the word heart is substituted (I Sam. 24:5) “David’s heart (conscience) smote him.”

5. It is an internal judge, expressing itself before, during, and after the act.

B. For some this inner judge operates on a very primitive or uninformed level.

1. But it still operates.

2. Others suffer from what the Bible calls a seared conscience (see I Tim. 4:2).

3. A seared or calloused conscience is one that has been ignored so long that it cannot be felt. It’s there, but has been rendered ineffective through long neglect.


II. THE CONSCIENCE AND THE HOLY SPIRIT (Rom. 9:1-2)

A. When a person is saved, the conscience takes on a new significance.

1. It can now function as a divine messenger.

2. Now it can be like a megaphone in the control of the Holy Spirit.

3. It becomes the means through which the Holy Spirit assures of the will of God to the heart and mind of the saved person, via the Scriptures.


Consider an illustration: Romans 9:1-2. Paul makes a radical statement. He was so burdened over the lost condition of Israel that he was willing to forfeit his salvation for their sake.

1. Paul was willing to trade places with the lost sheep of Israel,

2. This was an extreme statement that some could have challenged.

3. To remove any doubt of his sincerity, he states the claim as given in Romans 9:1-2. “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.” (v. 1) What did that mean?

4. He had a clear conscience as far as this extravagant claim was concerned.

5. And he believed his conscience was tuned in to the Holy Spirit in such a fashion that his clear conscience was an indication of the Holy Spirit’s approval.

6. It was like saying, “I am not lying, if I was, the Holy Spirit would be displeased and would convict my conscience that I am lying.”



B. The conscience functions like a computer.

1. It must be programmed to respond in specific ways to specific incoming information. For it must be programmed by the Word of God.

2. It responds to incoming information based on the beliefs it has been programmed to follow.

3. As computers are responders, so the conscience is a responder. It responds to certain input the way it has been instructed to do so.

4. As this process continues the conscience tunes in with the moral code of the Holy Spirit (He uses the Word to convict and guide), a code that reflects the moral and ethical standards of God.

5. We become much more responsive to God’s will for us. The life of the new convert may change drastically as this process takes place.


C. God has programmed every man and woman’s conscience to respond in particular ways to certain data. Paul put it this way -- Romans 2:14-15.
1. God has placed, or programmed His moral code into the heart of every man and woman. We were born with it.

2. When a person’s actions or thoughts are contrary to that code, the conscience (if it has correct info, and is not seared) responds by sending a message to the brain -- NO!! Don’t!! If we respond properly to the code -- then our conscience responds accordingly.

We experience the conscience in our lives every day. At times it comes as an inner hesitation, at other times it is just plain guilt we feel.
Then at other times the opportunity to do good comes our way, and we are urged to follow through. This voice within is usually the conscience. Paul says our thoughts sometimes defend or point out the legitimacy of certain actions. (Rom. 2:14-15).


III. THE FALLEN CONSCIENCE WE WERE BORN WITH

A. Facts:

1. Not all consciences are active -- in fact, because of the fall (Gen. 3), they were depraved, and conscience was and is ___________. (Titus 1:15)

2. The conscience of man suffered terribly in the fall in the Garden of Eden.

3. Eph. 4:18 described the unsaved man as having the understanding darkened because of the darkness of their heart. (conscience).

4. Rom. 1:18-32, is a sad commentary of what happened when, “their foolish heart was darkened,” (vs 21) sin had clouded the pure Adamic conscience of mankind.




5. I Timothy 4:2 tells us of the last days when men have “their conscience seared with a hot iron;” they are almost without a conscience, it is seared and warped.

B. Need: We need to pray the thought of Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with
a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”


IV. THE SAVED OFTEN HAVE A WEAK CONSCIENCE, Especially When
First Saved.

A. It may be weak because ---- (Heb. 5:13-14) It may be too weak to rely upon.

B. It may be defiled and needs _____________. (I Cor. 8:7; 8:10)

C. Conversion brings the reactivating of conscience which has been long silenced.

D. This weakness can be overcome by prayer, Bible study, and constant obedience.

E. Often converts blame their problems of failure (sinning) on:

1. their environment 2. education, 3. their friends, etc.

Remember: The Lord desires to strengthen and change the weak conscience.


V. AT SALVATION, THE CONSCIENCE MUST BE REPROGRAMMED!

A. Facts:

1. When you became a Christian, a change began to occur in your conscience.

2. The basic moral code that everybody is born with was overhauled, renewed, or reconditioned by the inner working of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Spirit of Truth took up residency in your heart. He is there to bring a change in your responses. (I Cor. 3:16; I Cor. 6:19-20)

4. He immediately set about to complete the programming of your conscience based on your having His indwelling, a new nature in Christ, a new life with new purposes, goals, aspirations, values, etc. (II Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10)

B. Purposes:

1. While you may have had a general sense of right and wrong, now the Holy Spirit begins to renew your mind to more specific and complete way that you might walk in truth.
(Jh. 8:31-34; II Jh. 4 III Jh. 3-4; Jh 15:26)

2. You participate in this renewal process every time you read your Bible, attend worship, memorize the Word, or pray.



3. The Holy Spirit uses all this input to reprogram the data base through which your conscience evaluates --

a. every opportunity,
b. situation, c. invitation,
d. word, and action, even ever motive.

4. This is not a subject for some elite Christians; the Spirit-filled life is not reserved for a few super-saints.

5. The Spirit-filled life is not reserved for some who are more in tune with the deeper things of God. . . it is for every saint of God.

SO. . .
• The conscience is to be taken seriously.
• It is one of the primary tools the Holy Spirit uses to guide the life of the saint of God.
• Don’t ignore the warnings and promptings of the conscience.
• Join with the apostle Paul in striving to keep a conscience clear before God.
____________________________________________________

What Do You Have??

1. Convicted Conscience -- Rom. 2:15;

2. Purged Conscience - Heb. 9:14;

3. Pure Conscience -- I Tim. 3:9; II Tim. 1:3;

4. Weak Conscience -- Heb. 5:13-14; I Cor. 8:7; I Cor. 8:10;

5. Good Conscience -- I Tim.1: 5-6; 1:19-20; 3:16; 4:1-2

THE HOLY SPIRIT USES THE CONSCIENCE TO DO THREE THINGS IN PARTICULAR:

A. The Holy Spirit uses the conscience as an instant convicting device.

1. The Holy Spirit uses the conscience to warn us of moral and physical danger.

2. The Holy Spirit was warning Paul (Acts 20:22-23) in every city that prison and hardships were facing him if he went on to Rome.

3. The Holy Spirit see and knows what we don’t understand;

a. He has a divine perspective on our lives;
b. He can see what is coming into our lives.
(I believe He uses the conscience to make us aware, if we are attuned, walking in the Spirit. And of course He always uses the Word of God to give that direction as we memorize it, mediate upon and apply it.
(Gal. 5:16-17, 24)

In many events of life the Holy Spirit warns us of:

1. The potential of going to wrong places;

2. The potential of being with wrong people; making wrong choices.

3. Having uneasiness about the friendships of our children; a holy sense a foreboding of what is taking place, given by the Holy Spirit. (Prov. 22:3) “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin...” (Rom. 14:22-23)

4. The Spirit-filled parent has extra help. . .The Holy Spirit’s inner direction, if the parent is discerning, aware of His leadership through the Word of God as the foundation of His work of convicting our spirit.


B. The Holy Spirit energizes the conscience to function as an accurate evaluator and discerner: (Rom. 2:14-15)

1. The conscience, once it is empowered by the Holy Spirit, taught by the Word of God, can correctly discern or evaluate what is and what is not of God.

2. In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the believers in Corinth, it is apparent that he was not sure of their response in his ministry.

a. He was sure that God approved of what he was doing.
b. He really wanted the Corinthians to trust him as well. (II Cor. 5:11)

• The word manifest means “clear, obvious, apparent, or self-evident.”
• Paul was concerned, “It is clear to God what I am up to. I hope your consciences will make it equally clear to you.”

Paul was asking them to evaluate his ministry based on the message they received from their consciences. He believed their consciences would line up with the truth... as an accurate discerner/evaluator! (See II Cor. 4:2)

C. The Holy Spirit energizes the conscience to function as a judge and jury!

1. This third way in which the Holy Spirit works through the conscience is the one with which we are most familiar -- the Holy Spirit uses the conscience to convict us of sin.

2. Jh 16: 8-11 -- When He comes, he will convict the world of sin... righteousness, and of judgment; convincing us about sin.

3. I Pet. 3:15-16 -- The need to have a good conscience is always there.

a. Here Peter views the conscience as a trustworthy indicator of the presence or absence of sin.
b. A good or clear conscience suggests no sin.
c. II Cor. 1:12 -- Here Paul communicated the same idea. “Our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but the by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.” (II Cor. 1:12) NKJV
c. Acts 24:16 -- Here Paul wrote about having a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man.

Applications:

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