Understanding Your Conscience - Part 2 The Function of Conscience The definition of conscience is con - "together with," and science - "to know." It applies to that part of the mind that knows the motives, deeds and words of a person that no other but God can know. Conscience is not a guide. It cannot and does not tell the person who possesses it what is right and what is wrong. It's only function is to let its possessor know whether or not he is ACTING in harmony with what he believes to be right and wrong. Often we hear the admonition: "Follow your conscience," which means they believe conscience tells one what is right and what is wrong. And if one believes a thing is right, it is right for him to do it. That is a lie! It is the heart of humanism. The devil invented no greater deception than to make one believe he is right if he thinks he is right. Conscience can not be a guide for anything because that is not its function. Conscience cannot be a safe guide for anyone because: 1. It would have to be infallible. The only safe and reliable guide in spiritual things, with one's eternal destiny in the balance, is the infallible word of God. It is not the function of conscience to guide. Without knowledge of right and wrong, conscience is paralyzed. The inspired apostle Paul said he persecuted the way of Christ, putting both men and women in prison for serving the Lord (Acts 22:4). Before king Agrippa he said, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts 26:9). He said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23:1). He said he did many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, including persecuting Christians, even consenting to their death, and at the time he thought he ought to do these things. He was acting in good conscience, but he was fighting against Jesus Christ by trying to destroy his word and work. He did this with a good conscience. Paul said he "was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13). 2. Some thought they were right when they were wrong. ''There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 16:25). The man who thinks he is going in the right way has a good conscience, but this verse says it may be the ways of death. Paul "made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison" (Acts 8:3). He knew the truth only when the Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4). At that point he had knowledge that Jesus was the Son of God, and to follow his former course, he would have had a guilty conscience. The apostle described his conviction before he knew that Christ was the Son of God. "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it; and profited in the Jews' religion above many equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers" (Gal. 1:13-14). While he was doing this he thought he was doing the will of God (Acts 26:9). He had a good conscience (Acts 23:1), but he said he was persecuting the church "beyond measure." He said he had a conscience always void of offence toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). But he did it ignorantly in unbelief (1 Tim. 1:13). 3. If conscience is a guide, religious people are hopelessly divided because of their consciences. The unity of the faith once delivered to the saints is useless. People are making their consciences their guides, and people have different consciences. How can we say anyone is wrong about anything unless we can know that he did not have a good conscience? At the time the apostle Paul said he persecuted the church of the Lord, and did many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, he said he had a good conscience. If conscience is a safe guide, he was doing right because he said he had a conscience void of offence toward God and all men. Was his conduct right? The warring creeds of religious people speaks loudly for the failure of conscience as a guide. 4. If conscience is a safe and reliable guide, why did some have to change? Paul said he obtained mercy because he persecuted Christ and the church. He changed. Why? He said he did it ignorantly in unbelief, and he thought he ought to do these things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, yet he said he had a good conscience, void of offence toward God and men; a pure conscience, yet he was wrong and had to change to please God. I have studied the New Testament with many who began the study believing they were right. What is the function of conscience? What does it do? 1. To "bear witness together" is to have two to bear witness to the same thing: one's conscience bears witness with his spirit that something is true. "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 9:1). Just as "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16); we bear witness to self (Rom. 2:12-15). 2. The conscience sits in judgment on one's heart and conduct in harmony with his knowledge of right and wrong. (1 Cor. 8:7-11; 10:25-29). 3. The conscience accuses or excuses one of his motives, thinking, conduct and words; and it convicts him in wrong doing based upon his understanding of right and wrong. "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). "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). 4. The conscience commends or defends one (Rom. 2:15).
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