INTRODUCTION
CORRUPTED HEARTS AND MINDS
Through the Scriptures God declares that He has shown enough of
himself in the natural world for man to be unable to plead ignorance
of His existence or to have an excuse for his wickedness:
Yet this evidence-and the testimony of their hearts and minds-mankind
rejected! There is no vacuum: if God is not acknowledged and glorified,
even for his physical blessings, then the Devil sees to it that
the heart and mind become corrupted and even perverted:
Paul takes this theme a little further in his letter to the Ephesians,
in which he continues to describe the moral breakdown of the Gentile
world, an example the Church is admonished not to follow:
WHAT IS THE CONSCIENCE?
The conscience seems to indicate a process of agreement and disagreement
in conflict in the same mind. Good and evil are in juxtaposition.
Order and disorder have to be resolved, logic and illogicality
must be dealt with. Choices are made. From what has already been
shown scripturally, we should be able to see that a pure conscience
is one that consistently resolves to reject evil, folly, disorder
and illogicality and accepts good, wisdom, divine order and logic.
It is then self-evident that when someone sometimes has a good
conscience and at other times a bad conscience, confusion in his
speech and his actions becomes evident to someone who is observing
him from a godly perspective.
The awareness and sharing of knowledge within the conscience is
reflected in what one admits to, in what one says and does on
the basis of how the conscience has been used. So how aware are
we to the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ and how do we choose
which parts of biblical teaching we shall use?
A good conscience can be an effective judge if there is a corresponding
relationship between what it confesses to us about ourselves and
the action we subsequently take. Let us consider this a little
further.
A RESPONSIVE CONCIENCE
So the conscience should be our judge: it may defend as well as
accuse. But the purpose of God is that the conscience, when it
accuses, should evoke the correct response. An accusing conscience
ignored is an act of weakness. Let us note some examples in unconverted
people to make the point.
Where God is involved in a the life of a human being, the response
of the conscience should be one of repentance.
WEIGHING THE HEART: DAVID AND JOB
However, Job, although he knew better, instead of allowing God
to do so, had actually weighed and tested his own heart-looked
at his own good works (Job 31: 5,7,9,13,16,17,19-22, etc. Note
especially v 33)-and declared himself blameless:
THE SPIRIT, THE WORD AND FAITH
In his letter to the Church in Rome, Paul attests to the sincerity
of his sorrow for his fellow-Jews by taking an oath before Christ
and appealing to his conscience-a conscience impacted by the Holy
Spirit-as a co-witness to his vow:
ASSURED BEFORE GOD
Paul and the writer of the Book of Hebrews could therefore claim
this "pure", this "good" conscience before
God:
Let us now bring this topic of Christian conscience into the realm
of the Church community.
RESPECTING AND OFFENDING THE CONSCIENCE
Paul takes the whole argument over meats a step further:
Paul attests to this lack of complete enlightenment in the knowledge
of God in his letter to the Corinthians, where the subject is
similarly addressed:
So what is the lesson for us here? Simply that, in the interests
of building each other up in our common faith, let us be considerate
of the "weaker" consciences of our brothers and sisters
and let us not, lest our actions result in offence, seek to impose
upon them, by words or actions, directly or obliquely, the fullness
of our understanding-our consciences-in particular matters that
do not involve any violation of the Law of God. And if this is
the teaching of the Scriptures even if our consciences are fully
approved by God through His Word, how much more so should this
be the case in matters where opinions and ideas are falsely or
tenuously proffered as doctrine or expressions of a more enlightened
"godliness"?
CONCLUSION
The testimony of the Spirit of God is also the testimony of our
conscience.
The antinomian-the hater of the Law of God-sees the law as restrictive
and confining. However, the Christian comes to realize that within
that same law he finds true liberty, a liberty exercised before
God in diverse areas of his life as he strives to live both by
its letter and spirit. Invariably, each of us interprets the personal
applicability of the law to areas of our lives somewhat differently
than a fellow brother or sister. Decisions are made on the basis
of our consciences. The Scriptures have much to say about conscience.
For instance:
So how would God have us correctly follow and respond to our consciences?
How can we be sure that our consciences are in harmony with the
will of God? And how should we respond to the consciences of our
fellow brothers and sisters in the Body of the Church?
Let us consider the nature of the conscience and also its role
in our Christian lives.
We will begin by examining what God tells us in His Word about
the mind, the heart and the conscience of man.
Ro 1:18-21 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress
the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about
God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his
eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
This fact that all who fail to acknowledge God and give
Him glory are "without excuse"-whether they are "under
the law" or not-is further reinforced:
Ro 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law [in the first
instance, here referring to the Old Testament] says, it says
to those who are under the law [Paul's direct reference is
to the Jews], that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world [even those not "under the law"]
may become guilty before God.
So in God's court every human being-law-keeper or not-is found
guilty. Paul elsewhere gives us some of the reasons for this:
Ro 1:21 For although they [the gentile world specifically
is being referred to] knew God [from His creation],
they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but
their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Knowing God, humankind should therefore have, in their minds (their
"thinking") and in their hearts, acknowledged Him and
His goodness on the basis of the evidence before them. We are
told, for instance, that it is good and proper for mankind to
honour God whose bountiful blessings to humanity are a testimony
to His existence:
Acts 14:15-17 [Paul and Barnabas are speaking to the
inhabitants of Lystra] and saying, "Men, why are you
doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you,
and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things
to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and
all things that are in them, 16 who in bygone generations allowed
all nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Nevertheless He
did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good,
gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts
with food and gladness."
Indeed, by-gone history is also our witness that in ages past
the beneficence of God was considered and acknowledged by generations
of a more noble character, where atheists and agnostics were perhaps
far less prevalent!
Ro 1:22-25 Although they claimed to be wise, they became
fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images
made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over [but the choice was their
own (Eph 4:19); God gave them over to their fate, to reaping what
they had sown] in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual
impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever
praised. Amen.
A DEAD CONSCIENCE
What then is the result of this corruption of heart and mind?
Ro 1:26-32 goes on to list the price paid for this rejection of
God by the Gentiles: a perversion of the conscience. Notice the
climax of sin in verse 32:
Ro 1:32 (NIV) Although they know [or "they ought
to know"-by the conscience, as we will go on to show]
God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,
they not only continue to do these very things but also approve
of those who practice them.
Through rebellion and self-will, the conscience-perhaps a faculty
of the spirit in man- given by God to man to discern right and
wrong, because of misuse, can be inexcusably stifled. This stifling
can occur to such a degree that evil is accepted as if it were
good and the sins of others assented to. A corrupt conscience
is evident because of discrepancy between confession or admission
and any resultant action taken. Your conscience may well confess
something to you, but you choose to do nothing about it.
Eph 4:17-19 (NIV) So I tell you this, and insist on it
in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their
understanding [so there was understanding] and separated
from the life of God because of the ignorance [now there is
also ignorance, an ignorance arising from their decision to reject
the revelation of God] that is in them due to the hardening
of their hearts [because of habitual sin there is no longer
the correct response by the conscience to evil]. 19 Having
lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over [this
equates to the "God gave them over" of Ro 1:24: sin
will run its course unless checked] to sensuality so as to
indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
So sin can produce a dead conscience, one that no longer responds
appropriately to sin. God likewise condemned His people Israel
and their leaders for such a dead conscience:
Jer 6:14-15 (NIV) "They [the false prophets] dress
the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace,
peace,' they say, when there is no peace. 15 Are they ashamed
of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all [the
correct response of their consciences to sin is not forthcoming];
they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the
fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says
the LORD.
Could such a dead conscience, where evil is called good, and good
evil (Isa 5:20) still be reachable by God, we may ask ourselves?
While ultimately God will reveal this to us, the Scriptures, testifying
to His great mercy, offer hope. We have considered in the past
the possibility that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
in part to forestall an irreversible descent into corruption.
Yes, the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was exceedingly great
(Ge 13:13; 18:20); not even ten righteous men could be found in
the former city (Ge 18:32). Yet let us notice the words of Jesus
Christ:
Mt 11:23-24 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted
to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works
which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained
until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom [so there is hope even for the Sodomites]
in the day of judgment than for you."
Why is the condemnation for cities such as Capernaum greater than
that for the dead consciences of the Sodomites? As we will see,
a conscience can be "twice dead".
So what exactly is the conscience? Perhaps amazing to us is the
fact that in Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic there is no word
for "conscience". However, the Old Testament has much
to say about the spirit in man. In the New Testament Greek, the
word for "conscience" is "syneidesis", from
the root "synoida", "to be aware, to share knowledge".
We human beings become aware through the forces that have helped
to educate us: home, school, friends, relatives, culture, information
given and information gained. This knowledge presents us with
responsibilities. Do I believe such and such? Why? Shall I accept
this? Why?
Paul continues his theme that mankind should possess this awareness
of the standards of God through the correct use of the conscience:
Ro 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law [Paul's
reference is to the Gentiles to whom the specific revelation of
the law was not given] will also perish without law [you
are still guilty before God even if you have not been the recipient
of a written code of law], and as many as have sinned in the
law [the reference here is to the Jews] will be judged
by the law.
He then links an awareness of godly standards with the
conscience:
Ro 2:13-16 (for not the hearers of the law are just in
the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the
things in the law [fulfill the spirit of the law, we might
say], these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15 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) 16
in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ,
according to my gospel.
Now while Paul tells us here that the conscience accuses
or excuses, it also warns, advises, corrects, placates,
and decides for or against. We can see parallels today: for instance,
if unconverted people show respect and honour to parents, they
do something that is right and in accordance with the law of God,
and good fruits are produced. Deeds done are pronounced good or
evil according to this moral consciousness, this activity of the
conscience, and witness is borne to an awareness of God's standards,
even if imperfectly.
Mk 6:16 But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John,
whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"
Jn 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.
Did any of these individuals correctly listen to and act according
to their consciences?
Jn 16:2-3 "They will put you out of the synagogues;
yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that
he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you
because they have not known the Father nor Me."
Persecution in "good conscience" before God-but bereft
of the Holy Spirit! This, too, is the fruit of a conscience defiled.
Ge 42:21-22 (NRSV) They said to one another, "Alas,
we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw
his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen.
That is why this anguish has come upon us." 22 Then Reuben
answered them, "Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy?
But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his
blood."
So if we have sown ungodliness, should our consciences not be,
at some stage, condemned by the ungodliness that we will eventually
reap?
Jon 1:12 (NRSV) He said to them, "Pick me up and
throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for
I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon
you."
Ge 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
knew that they were naked [What were their consciences telling
them? Was this really the response God wanted?]; and they
sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Mt 27:3-5 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had
been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces
of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I
have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said,
"What is that to us? You see to it!" 5 Then he threw
down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went
and hanged himself.
Judas may have also wept bitterly but, unlike Peter, did not turn
to God in repentance! Why then do some respond correctly to their
consciences while others fail to do so?
Mt 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had
said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me
three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
Acts 4:18-20 And they called them and commanded them not
to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter
and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right
in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and
heard."
Do we listen to our conscience as we should? Do we recognize and
respond to any inner discord, and if so, how? Or do we deny it?
Does our conscience accuse us, judge us, and correct us? And even
if it does, is this all there is to the story? Are our consciences,
even in good faith toward God, infallible?
We know that the heart of man is desperately wicked, so how can
we be sure that our conscience is clean before God before we respond
to it and even allow it to act as judge for us?
Pr 16:2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the spirits [ruwach: H7307]-the spirit,
the motive, the intent.
God weighs, or measures, the heart, the motives, and also tests
the heart (Pr 17:3)-and we must ask him to do this for us personally,
as David did:
Pr 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but
the LORD weighs the hearts [NIV: "heart" [libbah:
H3826].
Ps 139:23 (NRSV) Search me, O God, and know my heart [Heb:
"lebab"-used also to denote the feelings, the will,
the intellect]; test me and know my thoughts.
So David called upon God to test-or "weigh"-his heart,
his conscience, and to instruct and correct him if he fell short;
when he did this, he was able to be convicted in his conscience
before God when he had gone astray:
Ps 16:7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
my heart [Heb: "kidneys"-the mind, the centre of
deep emotions and desires] also instructs [Heb: "chastises,
disciplines, corrects"] me in the night seasons.
1Sa 24:5 Now it happened afterward that David's heart
[Heb: "leb"-the heart; also used very widely for
the feelings, the will and even the intellect; hence the conscience]
troubled [NIV: "David was conscience-stricken"]
him because he had cut Saul's robe.
We may parallel this to David's prayer of repentance in Ps 51,
where he called upon God to create in him a "clean heart
(v 10)" [Heb: "leb"], a conscience no longer
defiled, but cleansed through forgiveness.
2Sa 24:10 And David's heart [Heb: "leb"]
condemned him [NIV: David was conscience-stricken] after
he had numbered the people. So [notice the response] David
said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done;
but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant,
for I have done very foolishly."
Job 31:6 (NIV) let God weigh me in honest scales
[did he feel that God's weighing of his heart was flawed?]
and he will know that I am blameless.
Job referred to his conscience in his case before God-but his
conscience was wrong, defiled because of his self-righteousness!
It was no longer a reliable guide-but Job thought it was!
Job 27:6 "My righteousness I hold fast, and will
not let it go; my heart [Heb: "lebab", related to
"leb"; NIV: "conscience"] shall not reproach
me as long as I live."
So even with the indwelling of the Spirit of God, our conscience
is not infallible. How then can we be sure that it is indeed a
reliable guide to godliness? Could it be similarly defiled and
unresponsive to God because we are blinded by our own righteousness
or our own misperceptions?
It was a consistent claim of the apostle Paul that he had always
striven to serve God with a good conscience:
Acts 23:1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council,
said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience
before God until this day."
This same godly conscience was extended to his fellow man:
Acts 24:16 (NRSV) Therefore I do my best always to have
a clear conscience [Gk & NKJV: "a conscience without
offense"] toward God and all people.
So we can deduce from this that if there is a discrepancy between
the fruits produced by the response of our conscience in terms
of our actions towards God and towards one another-if there is
offense or injury-then our consciences may well be found wanting
before God!
Ro 9:1-3 (NIV) I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying,
my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have
great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could
wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the
sake of my brothers, those of my own race.
A conscience fully led by the Holy Spirit of God is a reliable
conscience! It is a testimony to others. It is ever guided by
the love and mercy of God. Let us also notice the connection between
faith and this good conscience, this conscience approved by
God:
1Ti 1:5,18-19 Now the purpose of the commandment is love
from a pure heart, from [produced by] a good conscience, and from
sincere faith [and yet we each believe that our faith is sincere,
do we not?].
A good conscience is linked to a sincere faith.
18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the
prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may
wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience
[the two go hand-in-hand], which some having rejected,
concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.
Our consciences must always be subject and responsive to the living
Word of God which has the power to judge the heart, the mind and
the conscience:
1Ti 3:8-9 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued,
not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery
of the faith [NIV: "the deep truths of the faith"]
with a pure conscience.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division
of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
[it shows us what's there in the nether recesses] of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
So it is the Holy Spirit of God, the entire Word of God, and the
purity of the faith produced by these that will help to build
a conscience fully approved by God.
Our conscience should convict-reprove or correct-us if we are
guilty, or otherwise acquit us. This was the case for the apostle
Paul. Notice how his conscience, first judged by him according
to God's standards, left him free of guilt before God:
1Co 4:1-4 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required
in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a
very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human
court. In fact, I do not even judge myself [according to the
standards by which you judge me!]. 4 For I know nothing against
myself [when I judge myself correctly I am guiltless and/or
am cleansed of guilt; NIV: "My conscience is clear"],
yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
The apostle John spoke of this same confidence engendered by a
conscience judged and assured before God:
1Jn 3:18-22 My little children, let us not love in word
or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know
that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
20 For if our heart [and our conscience] condemns us,
God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved,
if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His
commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
It is then that we know that we do indeed have this good, this
pure conscience before God, which is a testimony to others:
2Co 1:12 (NIV) Now this is our boast: Our conscience [which
we have first judged] [then] testifies that we have conducted
ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you,
in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done
so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace.
Such confident commendation-on the basis of a pure conscience
before God-results from the teaching and application of the undistorted
Word of God!
2Co 4:2 (NIV) Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful
ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.
On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend
ourselves [confidently] to every man's conscience in the sight
of God.
2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience,
as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my
prayers night and day.
A conscience so self-judged is then confident of being judged
and assessed correctly by others-opinions and accusations notwithstanding:
Heb 13:18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have
a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.
2Co 5:11 (NIV) Since, then, we know what it is to fear
the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God,
and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
A "SEARED" CONSCIENCE
We spoke earlier of a "dead" conscience, evident in
Paul's description of the immoral excesses of the Gentiles. The
Bible speaks also of a "seared" conscience:
1Ti 4:2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience
seared with a hot iron.
The conscience has become insensitive and unresponsive to sin
because of persistent and undiluted evil and the absence of repentance.
Indeed, Paul may even mean here that such a conscience bears the
brand-mark of the Devil: the individual is already owned by him!
This bespeaks of a total defilement of mind and conscience:
Tit 1:15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those
who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their
mind and conscience are defiled.
A human conscience-converted or unconverted-can be "seared"
if it declares itself unresponsive to and unreachable by the Spirit
of God through wickedness, rebellion and self-will. This was Christ's
warning to the Jewish leaders who denied Him (Mt 12:31; Mk 3:28;
Lk 12:10), to the cities who rejected the Gospel He brought from
His Father (Mt 11:23-24), and it is His warning to Christians
today who would neglect the spiritual enlightenment given to them:
Heb 6:4-8 For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become
partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word
of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away,
to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for
themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame [so
repentance is not sought]. 7 For the earth which drinks in
the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for
those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8
but if it bears thorns and briars [only evil fruit], it
is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
In Hebrews 10:32, the same description of enlightenment, or illumination,
is given and, in the light of this, the same warning against apostasy
which can destroy the Christian conscience:
Heb 10:26-27 (NRSV) For if we willfully persist in sin
[with no thought of repentance] after having received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire
that will consume the adversaries.
Jude provides us with a description of the spiritually-dead conscience:
Jude 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they
feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are
clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn
trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.
The unconverted mind is described as being "dead in trespasses
and sins" (Eph 2:1,5; Col 2:13), so the spiritually dead
are depicted as "twice dead".
How does God expect us to deal with matters of conscience between
each another?
In Romans 14, the apostle Paul addresses the issue of the eating
of meat purchased in the marketplace that may have been consecrated
to pagan gods. Some Christians, for conscience' sake, elected
not to eat meat for this reason; others had obviously reasoned
the matter out and concluded that there was nothing wrong in eating
this meat. Let us notice carefully what Paul is actually saying
as he admonishes the Church:
Ro 14:1-4 (NRSV) 1 Welcome those who are weak in faith,
but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions [so the
subject-matter has to do, at least in part, with opinions, or
"disputable matters" (NIV)]. 2 Some believe in
eating anything [that may be eaten], while the weak [in
faith] eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise
those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment
on those who eat; for God has welcomed them [or accepted them
as part of the Body of the Church]. 4 Who are you to pass
judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that
they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able
to make them stand.
Paul here condemns the ungodly, judgmental attitudes of some and
their attempts to compel others in the Church to conform to their
practice, to enforce uniformity of opinion. Each Christian is
personally responsible to His Lord and Master and is to be accepted
by others just as the Lord has accepted him. Therefore, he enjoins
upon them all their responsibility not to impede another Christian's
spiritual progress:
13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but
resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in
the way of another.
Yet what was the apostle's personal conviction in regard to the
issue of meat offered to idols?
14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing [in
this matter of meats offered to idols] is unclean in itself;
but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean [so we may
well be dealing with perceptions arising from the functions of
the conscience].
He then continues, seemingly addressing those "strong"
in the faith with whose position over this issue he is obviously
in agreement:
15-17 If your brother or sister is being injured by what you
eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat
cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let
your good [the Christian rights or liberties you have]
be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and
drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Consider the consequences of your enlightened behaviour and, in
love, do not fly in the face of the sensitivities of the "weak"
and compel them to act against their consciences, Paul is telling
them. Christian liberty must be willing to subject itself to the
law of love, and to be merciful and longsuffering. To seek to
impose upon others what you perceive as being "lawful"
is to act contrary to this law and to deny mercy, longsuffering
and brotherly kindness.
20-21 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything
[that is clean] is indeed clean [so your spiritual comprehension
of the realities may be perfectly valid], but it is wrong
for you to make others fall by what you eat; 21 it is good not
to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother
or sister stumble.
He concludes this section of his letter commending the firm convictions
of the consciences of the spiritually-strong:
22-23 The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before
God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves
because of what they approve. 23 But those who have doubts are
condemned [Gk: "stand condemned"] if they eat
[perhaps under coercion], because they do not act from
faith; for whatever [in relation to Christian conduct
in this matter of meats offered to idols] does not proceed
from faith is sin.
Notice the NEB translation of verse 23:
But a man who has doubts is guilty if he eats, because his action
does not arise from his conviction, and anything that does not
arise from conviction is sin.
EDUCATING THE CONSCIENCE
Let us, however, pose the question: how and by whom is such an
individual condemned? Is he condemned by God according to His
law? What would have been the nature of the condemnation whose
end result could have seen a brother abandon the faith? To be
sure, these "weak" Christians had a strong conviction
of what was right and what God's will for them was, and acted
according to their conscience, for whose sake they were unable,
of themselves, to make any concessions. However, they had not
yet grasped the fullness of the will of God and of His Word in
this matter, had they? So Paul, in verse 14, gives them teaching
of which he was persuaded "in the Lord Jesus" as part
of the on-going process of helping them to develop consciences
fully in accord with the Word of God.
1Co 8:4-8 (NIV) So then, about eating food sacrificed
to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world
and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called
gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many
"gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet for us there
is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for
whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through
whom all things came and through whom we live. 7 But not everyone
knows this [a quite remarkable statement from Paul; he
is referring here to Christians in whose consciences old associations
and sensations of the power of the idol could still be reawakened].
Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat
such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol,
and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
So such a person would therefore be condemned by his own conscience.
1Co 8:8-10 But food does not bring us near to God; we
are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful,
however, that the exercise of your freedom [that you may indeed
understand fully the will of God in this matter] does not
become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a
weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an
idol's temple [perhaps at some official function], won't
he be emboldened [the Greek literally means "built up"-the
weak individual's conscience is built up to participate, under
pressure, and to its own downfall; the conscience would thus be
built up falsely, instead of being built up correctly through
love (v.1)] to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
From distress and initial shock at another's ostentatious "enlightened"
actions, they then violate their consciences and a situation for
a potential spiritual disaster is set up:
1Co 8:11-13 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died,
is destroyed by your knowledge 12 When you sin against your brothers
in this way and wound their weak conscience [which now tells
them that they are defiled], you [not necessarily
the brother compelled to go against his conscience] sin
against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother
to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will
not cause him to fall.
So their consciences were still being developed, enlightened,
as to the complete will of God. Patience, mercy, understanding,
edification were called for (these were brethren according to
the will of God, not self-willed heretics!)-not judgement, criticism
or pressure to conform. Therefore, as is so often the case, the
logical step of ordering conformity was one that Paul avoided
in Romans 14, no doubt realizing that any quick, forceful attempt
to educate their consciences could well be disastrous. And sometimes
it may even prove futile: Christ Himself took no further action
after the rich young ruler was condemned by his conscience as
covetous and an idolator (Mt 19:22; Mk 10:22; Lk 18:23).
Paul reaffirms this in chapter 10 of this epistle, still dealing
with meat offered to idols:
1Co 10:23-33 All things [that are indeed lawful]
are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things
are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek
his own, but each one the other's well-being. 25 Eat whatever
is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience'
sake; 26 for "the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness."
27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner,
and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no
question for conscience' sake. 28 But if anyone [most probably
a weaker brother or sister] says to you, "This was offered
to idols," do not eat it for the sake of the one who told
you, and for conscience' sake; for "the earth is the Lord's,
and all its fullness." 29 "Conscience," I say,
not your own [for your conscience before God is unchallengingly
free], but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged
by another man's conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks,
why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?
31 Therefore, [or better, "because"-in answer to
the questions Paul has raised] whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, [you should] do all to the glory of God. 32
Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the
church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things
[in terms of understanding their needs], not seeking my
own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Let our example of love and deference, following a conscience
approved by God, rather than any attempts to impose ourselves
and our standards, ideas and opinions upon others, be what helps
propel the consciences of our "weaker"-whether perceived
or real-brothers and sisters towards full enlightenment as to
the complete will of God in all aspects of their lives.
The conscience of each human being is God's testimony to Himself
as Creator. He has endowed humanity with this capacity to discern
between right and wrong and, through His Spirit and His Word,
He affords each son and daughter of His the opportunity to develop
the conscience further to the full measure of the knowledge of
His will. Let us ensure that our consciences are good, pure, approved
by God and not neglected or dead like the world's, or spiritually-seared,
overridden and aborted. And in the community of the Church let
us be mindful of the consciences of one another and conduct ourselves
in deference to one another in pursuit of the good of each individual.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the
heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men
and brethren, what shall we do?"
If we are convicted by the conscience as were the multitudes on
that Day of Pentecost, then there is only one action possible:
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent…"
Belief in the whole Gospel and repentance are the final, true,
godly responses of a good conscience-a conscience convicted by
the Faith of God.
