MAY 2, 2016
Conscience 2
Memory verse: John 8:9 “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst”
3. Seared conscience
1 Timothy 4:1″ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron”
Amazingly this refers to Christians .
In another post I will speak on how to keep your conscience tender and how to follow it.
A seared conscience refers to one that has been quietened and hardened by disobedience to the truth and an embrace of what’s wrong.
In this case the conscience loses the sensitivity to what’s true and what’s false it once had such that it cannot be a good guide anymore. At this stage the conscience cannot respond as it should to the truth of God’s word preferring error instead.
This takes a long time to happen!
And yes it can occur to believers.
4 . A defiled conscience
Titus 1:15 “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
This refers to a polluted conscience.
One exposed to a lot of contaminants and pollutants.
What defiles a man’s conscience is usually wrong information or an evil report.
A defiled conscience never sees people as God sees them. It sees people in shades.
A defiled conscience will make a believer leave church or reduce commitments because of something he “heard” about the brethren or the pastor.
5 . Weak conscience
1 Corinthians 8:7-11 “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died”
A weak conscience is one that hasn’t received a full knowledge of what the gospel really is. He is the man who thinks idols are real and everything offered to them must be avoided. He doesn’t know the idol is nothing. He doesn’t know that a lady wearing trouser doesn’t affect her righteousness. He doesn’t know.
So when he sees a lady in trousers he is offended in his conscience and defiled. He has a weak conscience.
Remember, a weak conscience is weak because it doesn’t know!
We must walk in wisdom to them in Christ who have a weak conscience.
They also have to be taught properly to develop a good and pure conscience.
6 Evil conscience
Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water”.
An evil conscience is one without Christ in its consciousness. A consciousness that doesn’t acknowledge the lordship of Jesus and his redemption. That is an evil conscience.
The new birth alone delivers from an evil conscience.
When a man gets born again he receives a God or excellent conscience and he is to walk in the Spirit and by the spirit keep his conscience free of offence,pollution and contamination. This he cannot do by the flesh but in fellowship with the Lord.
Amen.
CONFESSION: I am born again, I function with a pure conscience. I teach those who are with a weak conscience. I walk in love towards all.
FURTHER BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 15, Phillippians 4
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