Part 24 – The Deceitfulness of Sin

OUTLINE:

Conscience
“conscience” = con + science = with + knowledge; means to know oneself; a person’s good conscience is based on data; it is not the source of data; rather, it is especially equipped to judge right from wrong.

A Good Conscience
Only submission to the Word of God and His Holy Spirit can educate us rightly, so that we have good information to judge from.

“their conscience bearing witness”
God has inserted a conscience in mankind that innately responds to God’s law. For example, except for psychopaths, all people (believers and unbelievers) know it’s wrong to murder another person. This doesn’t exist in the animal kingdom, which functions on instincts.

For unbelievers, it’s not an issue of their conscience failing, it’s what they DO with their convictions (they say “no”).

Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection [to governing authorities], not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
Ro 13:5

“their conscience being weak is defiled”
Their conscience is weak because the data set has recently changed and their confidence is affected. Doubt seeps in as a result, also, which is a normal part of reorientation to Truth.


Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.
Php 2:3


Love is patient, love is kind…
1 Co 13:4a


Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
1 Pe 1:22

Don’t Blame the Conscience
We mustn’t make a habit of blaming, and eventually attacking, another person’s conscience for simply doing its job. Rather, we ought to investigate the data setsaid conscience is dependent upon and challenge the data (false knowledge), not the conscience (which is a slave to it).

Don’t Fight Over Consciences
One of the most effective ways of diffusing emotional banter over right/wrong arguments is to objectively consider each party’s underlying knowledge and compare it to Holy Scripture.

Paul Defended His Conscience
The Jewish leaders were infuriated at the possibility that Paul maintained a clear conscience, having defected from their religion to “the Way”. This is possible for the person whose false knowledge is replaced with the divine.

Even when the conscience is “defiled,” it’s as a function of rotten data, bad doctrine, false knowledge, etc.

“Both their mind and their conscience are defiled”
Here we have the connection between the mind (the keeper of knowledge) and the conscience (that which depends upon it). If the mind is defiled, the conscience follows.

Is 47:10b
Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded [perverted, warped] you.

Pay attention to that which you believe to be true… and compare, daily, the knowledge you have against Holy Scripture, the very fountain of Truth.