Conscience

Doctrine: Conscience

  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 Cor 10.25; 1 Tim 1.5).
  3. The conscience provides the standard for right and wrong thinking and acting. It feeds the thinking (Rom 2.15; 9.1; 13.5; 2 Cor 1.12; 1 Pet 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 Cor 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 Cor 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 Tim 1.19; 3.9; Heb 13.18; 1 Pet 3.16).
  7. The conscience can be scarred over and defiled so that it does not feed the thinking the way it should (1 Tim 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 (Heb 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).
    1. God is creator and king
    2. Bible and learning Bible doctrine
    3. Prayer
    4. Church importance and consistency
    5. Right and wrong
    6. Authority
    7. Respect for property, freedoms, law
    8. Work ethic
    9. Responsibility
    10. Organization and orderliness
    11. Manners—please, thank you, excuse me, table manners, dress and grooming, phone, driving