Understanding Your Conscience - Part 1
By:  H.E. Phillips

Man has a dual nature.  "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23).  The body is temporal; the spirit is eternal.  Man will live somewhere forever (heaven or hell), depending upon the way he lives in this life.  The word of God repeatedly instructs us to obey His word and strive to live blameless and to be holy.

I want to give a good definition of conscience because many do not know how the word is used.  Conscience is used with the following meaning:

What Is Conscience?
Greek definition: sunidesis: "Lat. conscientia [lit. 'joint-knowledge']  . . . a. the consciousness of anything with a gen of the obj . . . a soul conscious of sins, Heb. x.2... (Heb.10:2)  b. the soul as distinguishing between what is morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter, commending the one, condemning the other." (Henry Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, page 602).

The English definition: conscience -"from Latin conscientia, a joint knowledge, feeling, from conscire; con-, together with, and scire, to know."
"Internal or self-knowledge, or judgement of right and wrong; of the faculty, power or principle within a person which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of his actions and affections, and approves or condemns them.
Consciousness: knowledge of our own actions or thoughts (Obs).
The estimate or determination of conscience; justice; honesty." (Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged).

From Webster’s New World Dictionary, College Edition: Conscience: " ...Consciousness, knowledge, feeling, sense, moral sense conscire 'with + scire,' to know, replacing ME. inwit, knowledge within, a knowledge or feeling of right and wrong, with a compulsion to do right; moral judgment that prohibits or opposes the violation of a previously recognized ethical principle."

These definitions of conscience indicate that the intelligence is not the same as conscience.  Moral behavior rests upon a good conscience.  One must do what he knows to be right.

What the Scriptures Say About Conscience
"And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst" (John 8:9 ASV).
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9 KJV).

Lived in All Good Conscience
"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23:1).

Conscience Void of Offense Toward God and Men
"And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men" (Acts 23:16).

Conscience Bears Witness
"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 one another" (Rom. 2:15).
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 9:1).

Response for Conscience Sake
"Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake" (Rom. 13:5).

Weak and Defiled Conscience
"Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled" (1 Cor. 8:7).
"For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols" (1 Cor. 8:10).

Conscience Sake
"Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake" (1 Cor. 10:25).
"If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake" (1 Cor. 10:27).
“But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof " (1 Cor. 10:28).
"Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" (1 Cor. 10:29).

Witness of Conscience
"For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward" (2 Cor. 1:12).

Commending Conscience
"But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2).

Good Conscience
"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (1 Tim. 1:5).
"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:19).
"Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ" (1 Pet. 3:16).
"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly " (Heb. 13:18).
"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21).

Pure Conscience
"Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience" (1 Tim. 3:9).
"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day" (2 Tim. 1:3).

Seared Conscience
"Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Tim. 4:2).

Defiled Conscience
''Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled" (Tit. 1:15).