Life Lessons
Life Lessons
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
A new lesson is posted each weekend.
A new lesson is posted each weekend.
Our Conscience
Our Conscience
What do you think about your conscience? Can you trust it? I admit I used to struggle a great deal with mine, but not so much anymore.
What do you think about your conscience? Can you trust it? I admit I used to struggle a great deal with mine, but not so much anymore.
A person’s conscience is an inner awareness of conforming to the will of God or departing from it, resulting in either a sense of approval or condemnation. God gives everyone a conscience, but He gives the Holy Spirit only to those who through faith accept His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit indwells the heart of every believer, convicting their conscience and empowering them to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God and enabling them to accomplish God’s plan and purpose for their life. The believer’s conscience has been cleansed by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ; therefore, it no longer accuses and condemns (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22).
A person’s conscience is an inner awareness of conforming to the will of God or departing from it, resulting in either a sense of approval or condemnation. God gives everyone a conscience, but He gives the Holy Spirit only to those who through faith accept His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit indwells the heart of every believer, convicting their conscience and empowering them to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God and enabling them to accomplish God’s plan and purpose for their life. The believer’s conscience has been cleansed by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ; therefore, it no longer accuses and condemns (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22).
Our conscience is divinely given to protect us and lead us into a personal relationship with our Creator and Savior. God’s intention in giving every man a conscience is to: 1) Help him distinguish between that which is morally right and wrong, 2) urge him toward the right, 3) restrain him from wrong; sometimes it even screams, and 4) pass judgment on his actions.
Our conscience is divinely given to protect us and lead us into a personal relationship with our Creator and Savior. God’s intention in giving every man a conscience is to: 1) Help him distinguish between that which is morally right and wrong, 2) urge him toward the right, 3) restrain him from wrong; sometimes it even screams, and 4) pass judgment on his actions.
Scripture speaks of four different types of conscience:
Scripture speaks of four different types of conscience:
1) Good, pure, or clear: “Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, ‘My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day’” (Acts 23:1; cf. 1 Timothy 1:5);
1) Good, pure, or clear: “Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, ‘My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day’” (Acts 23:1; cf. 1 Timothy 1:5);
2) Struggling: “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4),
2) Struggling: “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4),
3) Weak, soiled, or defiled: “Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled … When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:7, 12).
3) Weak, soiled, or defiled: “Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled … When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:7, 12).
4) Seared: “Such teaching comes through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). A seared conscience is a dead conscience; it does not speak anymore. It belongs to one who is living an immoral and wicked life of habitual sin. They have become desensitized to the wicked and sinfulness of their actions.
4) Seared: “Such teaching comes through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). A seared conscience is a dead conscience; it does not speak anymore. It belongs to one who is living an immoral and wicked life of habitual sin. They have become desensitized to the wicked and sinfulness of their actions.
There comes a point wherein, if you continue to disregard your conscience by disobeying God, then He will eventually turn you over to the eternal consequences of your sin. The Apostle Paul counseled his young pastor: “Timothy, my son, I give this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to the faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith” (1 Timothy 1:18, 19). Those whom Paul was referring to were “shipwrecked” because they chose to live life without God.
There comes a point wherein, if you continue to disregard your conscience by disobeying God, then He will eventually turn you over to the eternal consequences of your sin. The Apostle Paul counseled his young pastor: “Timothy, my son, I give this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to the faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith” (1 Timothy 1:18, 19). Those whom Paul was referring to were “shipwrecked” because they chose to live life without God.
Our conscience is a universal gift from God given for our protection – that is, if we listen. It is our spiritual radar. It is an internal grid system that sends out a signal for our protection. As Christians, we are to work to maintain a pure conscience and be mindful not to encourage others to act against their conscience. My brethren, you cannot violate your conscience and walk in the will of God, for actions that go against your conscience cannot arise out of faith (1 Corinthians 8; 10:23 – 33). And yes, you can and should trust your conscience.
Our conscience is a universal gift from God given for our protection – that is, if we listen. It is our spiritual radar. It is an internal grid system that sends out a signal for our protection. As Christians, we are to work to maintain a pure conscience and be mindful not to encourage others to act against their conscience. My brethren, you cannot violate your conscience and walk in the will of God, for actions that go against your conscience cannot arise out of faith (1 Corinthians 8; 10:23 – 33). And yes, you can and should trust your conscience.
Amen
Amen
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