Conscience

Today I was reading a book about spiritual warfare and I came across a very interesting paragraph. It reads: “The conscience is one of our God-given internal faculties, a critical witness within us that tells us we ought to do what we believe to be right and not to do what we believe to be wrong. The conscience, however, does not instruct us as to what is right or wrong; it prods us to do what we have been taught is right. It is therefore possible to be led astray by our conscience if we are deceived about what is right and what is wrong. It is important to understand that our conscience must be informed by the Word of God, by what it says is right and what it says is wrong. Without being shaped by the absolute standard of God’s Word, our conscience is an unreliable guide for life because it is easily deceived and subject to emotions and moods.”

I don’t entirely agree with this statement.

The dictionary defines the word ‘Conscience’ as, “a person’s moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one’s behavior.”

John 8:9, “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last, And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” This is the woman who was caught in adultery and who was going to be stoned to death, when Jesus saved her.

Acts 24:16, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

Romans 2:13-15,”for the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law unto themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Romans 1:18-22, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew Go, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

I could be mistaken, but these verses tell me that there is a built-in knowledge of right and wrong in every person. If that person does not want to acknowledge God and glorify Him, their thoughts become contaminated and their consciences become seared. To me these verses say that people should not be excused from knowing what is right and what is wrong, irrespective of whether they know the bible and biblical values or not. It also follows that when people don’t follow what is right, in other words they open doors to the devil, then the devil will enter those doors. The person then will become subject to what those demons are telling him and thus not do what is right. That is the reason they do not seem to have a conscience, a reason, but not an excuse. God did not make people bad. Genesis 1:26 – 27, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

If God made people in His own image, He would hardly make them bad, and although we are born into a fallen world, and have a sinful nature, I believe we still retain that part that recognises God and that can see the difference between right and wrong. Unless, of course, we reject it.

The goal of every believer should be to carry out the Gospel to as many people as possible by whatever means are available to them and then nobody can use any excuses