LAMENTATIONS 3:40–66
Let us examine our ways and test them and let us return to the Lord
(Lam. 3:40 niv).
The English Pastor William Ames wrote that the conscience belongs to the “practical judgment” by which a man can know right from wrong “to the end that it may be a rule within him to direct his will.” This is the case for both those who have never heard the Scriptures and for those who have. In the person who has never heard the law of God or read it, the conscience still knows the law in its most fundamental form. And knowing the law, the conscience directs the will of the individual to do what is right. Of course, as we have said before, a person can ignore or manipulate the conscience to the point of searing it altogether; but just because they have silenced this governor within the soul, they will still be held accountable for disobeying the law God has revealed to them in creation.
The conscience, of course, also bears witness in believers. Just as in the case of the unbeliever, it bears witness of natural law and brings to mind the Scriptures as they have been proclaimed through teaching and preaching. But the conscience does more than just bear witness of the law, it shows how to apply principles that have been established in the Scriptures. This is where the activity of the conscience can get sticky, but this is the function of conscience Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians. God has laid down certain principles in His Word, and it is up to us to know ourselves and to know how to apply those principles to our particular situation. Often, we err in the application because of wrong knowledge. We think God has said something is wrong when actually it isn’t, or we think something is acceptable even though it isn’t. In either case, we must abide by our conscience. If we go against our conscience, we will be overcome with guilt and even risk becoming hardened in those areas in which the conscience is rightly informed.
This is why it is important to know the Word. Even though Paul does not exhort the weak brethren to get their information right, the principle stands that we should be growing in our understanding of God’s will and His ways so that we might have a clear, and rightly informed conscience that is free in Christ, free from error, and free from sin.
CORAM DEO
2 Chronicles 34–36
Acts 1
What role does the church (preaching) play in keeping our consciences rightly informed? What role does the government and legal system play in keeping our consciences tender and rightly informed? What role do parents play in instructing the consciences of their children? What happens when these institutions fail in their duty?
For further study: Deut. 6:1–9 • Prov. 28:14; 29:1 • Rom. 13:1–7
wednesday
june