Good Conscience – Acts 5:19.
We all have a conscience; that little voice inside our head that bears witness to the fact that we are moral beings. Sometimes that conscience is a still small voice that convicts us when we have done wrong, while other times it is like an alarm that rings loud. We have all been given a conscience by our creator to prevent us from doing things that we ought not to do and to do things we ought to do.
Acts 24:16 says, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”
Romans 9:1 says, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit.”
1 Timothy 1:5 says, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”
Guilty Conscience – Pro. 28:1, 1 Sam. 24:5, Tit. 1:5, Heb. 10:26-27.
A guilty conscience is not always a bad thing; if it leads us to repent over sin. A guilty conscience is God’s way of convicting us of sin and wrong doing with the aim of leading us to do what is just and right before men and Himself.
Let us look at a few examples in Holy Scripture of a guilty conscience.
Joseph’s brethren – Genesis 42:21 says, “Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Pharaoh – Exodus 9:27 says, “And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.”
The Scribes and Pharisees – John 8:9 says, “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.”
Dead Conscience – 1 Tim. 4:2.
There is nothing worse than a conscience that is deaden by sin, wickedness and evil. There can come a point in a person’s life where they are so wicked that their conscience no longer concerns them. They have become so desensitised to sin that the voice of conscience has been silenced. 1 Timothy 4:2 says, “speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” That word, “seared” means, “cause to wither.” Hebrews 9:14 says, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Our conscience ought to bear witness to the truth of God. The big question in Holy Scripture is not about a confession of sin, but an admission of guilt. Conscience is a good friend. May we have our conscience fixed and in turn with the Holy Scriptures and bring glory to God.
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