What is a minute? Simply a measurement of time. There are 60 in an hour, 1,440 in a day. But during those 60 clicks of the second hand, a tidal wave of thoughts with their accompanying emotional responses can sweep over you. Today, during one particular minute, a feeling of dread hit me hard. Why? I was deeply afraid that I’d done something wrong.
Ever had that feeling before? There’s a reason for it—conscience. Bible teacher John MacArthur comments, “The wisdom of our age says guilt feelings are nearly always erroneous or hurtful; therefore we should switch them off. But is that good advice?”
In Romans 2:15 we see that God has placed some sense of His moral character and law in each person’s conscience. This hard-wiring stirs us to do what we believe is right and restrains us from doing what we believe is wrong. A good conscience is a powerful ally in living to please God.
The conscience, however, is not infallible. Cultural ideals and childhood experiences may play a part in calibrating our moral compass. So even though we might hold to certain standards, they may not be biblical and can condemn us unnecessarily.
So should we switch off our conscience and harden our hearts? MacArthur offers these thoughts: “[Our] conscience reacts to the convictions of [our] mind and therefore can be encouraged and sharpened in accordance with God’s Word.”
A regular diet of Scripture and a diligent application of it will help us cultivate a good conscience as well as keep a clear one (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 5:14). As Martin Luther said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” Now, that’s some good advice to apply to each minute of every day.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 1:1-28
More:
Read 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 and consider what Paul said about his conscience and how God examines our hearts.
Next:
How has your conscience been affected by the stuff of life? What can help you recalibrate your moral compass?
Gary Shultz on March 19, 2015 at 6:23 am
The saying “let your conscience be your guide” does have some truth. It is well instructed, as you point out, by our training or input. I think we do have a moral compass, but it’s how it’s fed that makes all the difference. Garbage in garbage out and vice verso . Thanks
Tom Felten on March 19, 2015 at 10:14 am
Poh Fang, it’s so true that there’s a line between what is godly remorse and conviction and what isn’t. We can go to extremes, either berating and condemning ourselves unnecessarily, or we can ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit and persist in sin and lack of repentance. With that in mind, I’m grateful for Paul’s words: “The kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
yemiks1 on March 19, 2015 at 1:27 pm
The greatest factor for change is time. While change is the only constant thing, time is the only constant change. To everything was a time given, to every dream is a time for fulfilment, to every vision is a mission period, and to every glory is a specific time to blossom and shine.
However, true obedience is a working conscience in the right (or with an active) time.
daisymarygoldr on March 19, 2015 at 6:06 pm
God’s word, certainly instructs us to distinguish between right and wrong. Don’t know any scripture passage telling us to recalibrate. But to prevent the conscience from condemning us, God’s word teaches us—to keep a clear conscience.
How can we keep our conscience clear?
If your conscience says something is wrong, then do not do it for the sake of conscience—both yours and others. It is true; cultural ideals and childhood experiences influence the conscience. Whether it concerns submission to the governing laws of a land (Romans 13:5), or eating of food offered to idols in a pagan culture—we must not violate our conscience.
And to talk another into doing something against their conscience is to sin against Christ (1 Corinthians 8:12). Paul said, if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live.
So, why keep our conscience clear?
For being effective witnesses for Christ, we need to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people (Acts 24:16). Paul explains: so whatever I do, I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved (1 Corinthians 10: 31-33).
Also, it helps us to serve others better when we serve God with a clear conscience. Imagine a ministry made of heavy drinkers and money swindlers. When our conscience is clear, we will strive to live honorably in everything we do (Hebrews 13:8)