Conscience

1 Peter 3:16 (NASB)

Keep a good conscience.

Are our consciences always good and reliable? Is the noblest of consciences a reliable barometer of Christian or even human morality? Should Christians be led by their noble conscience? Let's investigate this issue. As often as the Bible applauds a good and clear conscience, the Apostle Paul clearly mentions that conscience is not a reliable moral faculty. In Romans 1:22, the Apostle criticizes those who claimed to know God but exchanged God's glory for statues and idols. Growing up a Hindu, I was taught that there is only one God and that God manifests in many shapes and forms. I was supposedly a good boy with a clean and clear conscience. But was that conscience correct? Obviously not. In hindsight, I realized I should have known that God doesn't look like a man, reptile, or bird. Although I was a good man who never fornicated, lied, stole, etc., I did break the first command even without knowing when I should have known better.

Let's look at the example of the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-30). The young ruler kept all the Ten Commandments and lived a morally flawless life (Matthew 19:20-21). In other words, he had a good conscience but was still found wanting by the Lord. A final example of a good conscience that is not good enough in God's sight is from the life of Saul of Tarsus. The Apostle Paul had a supposedly clean conscience when he was murdering Christians because he thought he was serving God, albeit in ignorance (1 Timothy 13-14). Paul was highly applauded by the Jews (Philippians 3:4-6) but rebuked by Christ (Acts 9:4-8). This shows that even the most refined and sensitive conscience will fall short of comprehending God and His glory.

Christians should not be led by our conscience but by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). Conscience is a personality trait given to the natural man. In contrast, the Holy Spirit is only gifted by God Almighty to a born-again penitent sinner. A holy conscience is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and always submissive to Him. The next time your conscience tells you something, check with the Holy Spirit whether that impulse is correct.