This is Your Conscience Speaking

Understanding the “Conscience”

Freddy Cardoza, Ph.D.

Our Consciences Keep Secrets

The Weight of the Inner Psychological and Emotional Discomfort Placed on Our Soul

Because of Personal Secrets Creates the Need for a Clear Conscience

So We Sometimes Tell Our Secrets

Everybody Has Secrets

Governments.Companies.

People.

Examples of Secrets

Governments.Nuclear Proliferation Programs

Spying, Black Ops Sites, Area 51

Companies.The 11 Secret Herbs and Spices of KFC

The Formula for Coca-ColaGrand Central Station “Track 61”

People.Actions. Motivations. Indiscretions.

Keep Secrets To YourselfBut Never From Yourself

Prov. 11:13; John 8:32 ESV

Some (But Not All) Secrets Are Legitimate and Need to Be Kept

To OurselvesWhoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he

who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.Prov. 11:13

But We Should Never Keep Secrets From Ourselves

(i.e., avoid self-deception and self-delusion)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 ESV

When We Allow the Heartto Keep Secrets From OurselvesWe Corrupt Our Conscience and Lose Discernment of God’s Will

“They are darkened in their understanding… because of the ignorance that is in them

due to the hardening of their hearts”Ephesians 4:18

What is the Conscience?

The conscience isGod’s automatic warning system–

Dr. John McArthur “The Vanishing Conscience”

God Gave Us a Conscience

He gave it to help us “know and understand ourselves”

That’s part of what it meansto have a “soul”

The soul and the conscience give us the ability to reflect upon ourselves.

God created the conscience to help us deliberate within

ourselves about choices, decisions, and ethics

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or

even excuse them Romans 2:15

The Conscience and the Spirit

• All people have a soul and a conscience (Romans 2:14-15). These help them know ourselves, be aware of God, and to make decisions for life/eternity.

• Only believers have soul, conscience, AND the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). These help us know God’s Will, in addition to the others.

Everyone has a soul.Everybody has a conscience.

Our “soul” is our innermost being. It’s who we are and who we are becoming.

The conscience is what God uses to help us understand and evaluate our souls and who

we are becoming.

The conscience is the intersection of our thoughts, motivations, and actions. God,

the Holy Spirit, speaks to us and confirms His Voice and His Way through our Conscience.

It helps us mediate between them, to discern good or bad– and to help us know whether each of them are “of God” or

not

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel [H.S.]; in the night also my heart [conscience] instructs me. Ps. 16:7

Sometimes Our Own Duplicity, Caused By A Spoiled Conscience, Experiences Great Inward Conflict Between Wanting To Obey God And

Wanting To Be (Our Own) God.

That drives our minds toward instability because we try to have it both ways

A fool does not delight in wisdom becausehis heart meditates upon madness.

Prov 18:2 Aramaic Bible-PET

The Holy Spirit and the Word of God speak to our conscience–

they inform our minds (thoughts) and emotions

(feelings)

It is meant to help shape our wills (our decision-making

capacity)— as free agents/human beings

The conscience has three possible “statuses” or conditions

And two possible “states”

Strong, Weak, Seared Status(1 Cor.8; 1 Tim. 4:2)

Clear [also, blameless/pure] (Acts 24:16) or Guilty State (Heb

10:22)

(Guilty can lead to Reprobate Mind, Rom 1:28)

The Reliability of Your Conscience

The conscience has three possible “statuses” or conditions:

Strong, Weak, Seared

Its ability to help show you what to do and to know God’s Will depends on how it’s treated.

The Reliability of Your Conscience

The Conscience That Works As It Is Intended, Objecting to Bad and

Affirming Good Behavior and Decisions

1 Cor. 8; Rom. 14

The Strong Conscience

The Conscience that Objects When It Should But Also Objects When It Should’t

(Overreactive)

Signifying Legalistic, Immature Believer

1 Cor. 8; Rom. 14

The Weak Conscience

The Conscience That, Due to Abuse By Our Frequently

Doing Whatever We Want, Fails to Accuse or Object

When It Should

1 Tim. 4:2

The Seared Conscience

5 Ways to Gain a Clear Conscience

1Remember, Doing “Good Works”

to “Make Up” for Personal Wickedness Cannot Clean a Dirty

Conscience

This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not

able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.c.f., Hebrews 9:9

2Tell Yourself the Truth

About Everything

(Always Make Sure You’re Dealing with Facts by Having a Personal Commitment to “Traffic in Reality”)

And you will know the truth,and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32 ESV

3Acknowledge the Truth to God

God Already Knows Everything, So We Can’t “Reveal” Anything To Him. We Can only

Acknowledge It

4Obey Your Conscience

Respond to ItDon’t Silence ItDon’t Abuse It

5Retrain Your Conscience By

Knowing and Obeying Scripture and the Holy Spirit

Additional Study1)http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Guilty-Consciences2)http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Clear-Consciences

3)http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/1811/Conscience-Seared.htm 4)http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/1999/how_is_your_conscience.html

SourcesImage Courtesy:

Little Zoker on Flickrhttp://cardoza.link/LittleZokerConscienceonFlickr