The Conscience of Man

1. The Conscience of Man “An inward moral impression of one’s actions and principles… as the inward faculty of moral judgment… as the inward moral and spiritual frame” (Analytical Greek Lexicon) “Conscience is that which perceives and feels rightness and oughtness in motives.” (Joseph Cook, Cook’s Monday Lectures)

2. Different Types of Consciences • A Good Conscience 1 Timothy 1:18-19; Acts 23:1

3. 1 Timothy 1:18-19 “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.”

4. Acts 23:1 “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’” A good conscience is one that is pure, and that has been respected by the individual

5. Different Types of Consciences • A Good Conscience 1 Timothy 1:18-19; Acts 23:1 • An Evil or Defiled Conscience Hebrews 9:14; 10:22; 1 Cor. 8:7

6. Hebrews 9:14; 10:22 “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?” (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.”

7. 1 Corinthians 8:7 “However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” Whenever the accepted standard is violated, the conscience is defiled. This is an evil conscience.

8. Different Types of Consciences • A Good Conscience 1 Timothy 1:18-19; Acts 23:1 • An Evil or Defiled Conscience Hebrews 9:14; 10:22; 1 Cor. 8:7 • A Weak Conscience 1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12

9. 1 Corinthians 8:7, 10 “However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” (10), “For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?”

10. 1 Corinthians 8:12 “But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” A weak conscience does not have the strength required to cause one to act according to knowledge. Note: Violating the weak conscience is sin… & To cause a weak brother to violate his conscience is to sin against him!

11. Different Types of Consciences • A Good Conscience 1 Timothy 1:18-19; Acts 23:1 • An Evil or Defiled Conscience Hebrews 9:14; 10:22; 1 Cor. 8:7 • A Weak Conscience 1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12 • A Seared Conscience 1 Timothy 4:1-2

12. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” Has become insensible to moral and spiritual discernment through persistent violations of it.

13. The Conscience of Man To have a good conscience, we must live consisently with the knowledge we possess. Since the conscience may be misinformed, it is necessary that we educate the conscience with the word of God Always, we must live by the directives of our conscience!