IS CONSCIENCE A SAFE GUIDE? (Proverbs 16:25) Many people today follow the “Jiminy Cricket” philosophy...”Let your Conscience be your guide.”
A. Not safe in travel
1. Can honestly choose the wrong road
2. Discover going wrong way we turn around
3. Are we more interested in visiting earthly friends than going to heaven?
B. Not save in health
1. Doctor may honestly treat wrong disease
2. Person may honestly take poison (get wrong prescription)
3. Person may take hold of powerful live electric wire, honestly believing it is safe
4. Following conscience does NOT change physical laws.
A. Conscience is a court----NOT a guide
1. Judge or jury hears evidence and renders a verdict
2. Conscience either accuses or excuses conduct (Romans 2:12-15)
a. C* bears witness (Romans 9:1) “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.”
b. C* tells us when we go CONTRARY to what we’ve been TAUGHT
B. Conscience does not MAKE laws but follows teaching
1. Following what was taught to be “right”….THEN,
a. C* is good (Acts 23:1) “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
b. C* is pure (2 Timothy 1:3) “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.”
c. C* is void of offence (Acts 24:16) “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.”
2. Violating warning of conscience….
a. Defiles 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.”
b. May eventually sear C* (scar tissue, no nerve endings, no feeling) (1 Timothy 4:2) “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
c. Should NOT violate conscience (Romans 14:14) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
d. IF we doubt something is right: DON’T DO IT (Romans 14:23) And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” [Can’t do something just because C* says its right, BUT, must NOT do What C* says is wrong]
C. Conscience is formed by teaching
1. “Perception” of right and wrong are innate
2. “Principles” of what IS right or wrong is TAUGHT
a. Methodist learns to sprinkle for baptism
b. Mormon learns that man can become a god in the next life, ruling worlds
c. Adventist child adopted by Mormons learns Mormonism
d. Methodist doctrine = Methodist conscience
e. Lutheran doctrine = Lutheran conscience
f. Bible only = Christian only Has your conscience been trained by God’s word? Is Christ your guide, leading through His word? Obey Jesus today!