Conscience

02/08/2017/PastorAdmin
  1. The conscience is the place where standards of right and wrong are stored in a person’s soul and spirit. The word is συνειδησις  suneidesis (Strong #4893). The idea is knowledge with oneself. Paul, in Acts 23:1; 24:16; Romans 9:1 illustrates the value of a conscience, and in Romans 1:19; 2:1,14-15 indicates the conscience is a basis for God’s judgment.
  2. The conscience operates on what it is aware of and so needs to be educated.  Spiritual growth builds the conscience.  (1 Corinthians 10.25; 1 Timothy 1.5).
  3. The conscience provides the standard for right and wrong thinking and acting. It feeds the thinking (Romans 2.15; 9.1; 13.5; 2 Corinthians 1.12; 1 Peter 3.16).
  4. When the conscience is not trained it is a weak conscience and then prone to give wrong information. This wrong information causes pain to the individual (1 Corinthians 8:7,10,12; 10:27-29).
  5. Strong believers need to be aware of the weak conscience of immature believers. Strong believers are to be alert so not to give pain to a young learning conscience of another (1 Corinthians 10.27-29).
  6. Believers are to follow the Bible taught conscience. When believers follow this Bible taught conscience they are said to have a good conscience and a clear conscience. This is one that does its job by feeding the thinking. The good benefit is freedom of pain in the thinking (1 Timothy 1.19; 3.9; Hebrews 13.18; 1 Peter 3.16).
  7. The conscience can be scarred over and defiled so that it does not feed the thinking the way it should (1 Timothy 4.2; Titus 1.15).
  8. The death of Christ for sins gives the conscience a new start. Grace forgiveness removes the old pain and Bible doctrine gives a new standard (Hebrews 9.8-15; 10.22).
  9. The application of this doctrine is to teach and train the conscience according to biblical standards and then to follow the trained conscience as Paul did (Acts 23:1; 24:16).
    • God is creator and king
    • Bible and learning Bible doctrine
    • Prayer
    • Church importance and consistency
    • Right and wrong
    • Authority
    • Respect for property, freedoms, law
    • Work ethic
    • Responsibility
    • Organization and orderliness
    • Manners—please, thank you, excuse me, table manners, dress and grooming, phone, driving