1) Conscience without Offense (Kyle Pope)
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Conscience without Offense<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kyle Pope<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On one occasion when Paul was accused by his Jewish countrymen, he was allowed to answer before the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:10-16). In his defense he declared that he strove always to have \u201ca conscience\u201d <\/strong>without offense toward God or man (Acts 24:16). The world has many different notions about the \u201cconscience\u201d from a soft voice that speaks in one\u2019s head, to a cute cherub that appears on the shoulder. What does Scripture teach about this part of the inner man that is called the conscience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word \u201cconscience\u201d is actually a Greek concept that comes into the Bible record when Greek became the language of the ancient world. Most translations don\u2019t use the word conscience in the Old Testament because the Hebrew text speaks in terms of the \u201cheart\u201d and not the \u201cconscience.\u201d The term \u201cconscience\u201d was born from the Greek word sunoida<\/em> which literally means \u201cto know-with\u201d something. It first was applied to a witness in court who had personal knowledge of something, then came to have a reflexive sense of knowing one\u2019s self (see Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, <\/em>Vol. 7, p. 898). It is interesting how often this judicial sense is retained in Scripture. Paul spoke of the \u201ctestimony\u201d<\/strong> of the \u201cconscience\u201d<\/strong> (2 Cor. 1:12). He described the conscience \u201cbearing witness\u201d <\/strong>within one\u2019s self so that the thoughts of a person \u201caccuse\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cexcuse\u201d<\/strong> him (Rom. 2:15). Properly, the conscience is not something distinct from the inner man, but it is the knowledge we have regarding our own thoughts, attitudes, and behavior. The New Testament teaches that one may be \u201cconvicted\u201d <\/strong>by the conscience (John 8:7-9). This is what Acts 2:37 calls being \u201ccut to the heart.\u201d<\/strong> Those who heard Peter preach understood that they were not right with God, and they sought to remedy this problem. Simply following the conscience does not make one right with God. One can be condemned in what he approves (Rom. 14:22). Paul lived in \u201cgood conscience\u201d <\/strong>even when he was persecuting the church (Acts 23:1). While Paul was not right with God in that situation, Scripture teaches that it is always sin to go against one\u2019s conscience. Paul\u2019s epistles to the Romans and his first letter to the Corinthians, both teach a number of important principles about the conscience. The book of Romans was addressed to Christians in Rome, most of whom had come to Christ out of a Jewish background, as seen in many places in the book. In chapter fourteen Paul addresses two issues that would have been struggles for Jewish brethren who wrestled with their responsibility to the Old Law now that they had come to Christ: foods and observance of Mosaic holy days (Rom. 14:1-7). What must the Jewish Christian do? <\/em>Should he follow Mosaic dietary laws? Should he keep Mosaic holy days? In Christ Paul told the Colossians these things were no longer obligations (Col. 2:16-17). He echoed the same thing in Romans 14:14a, declaring, \u201cI know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself.\u201d<\/strong> That was the Divine revelation on the matter\u2014but what must be the reaction towards those who don\u2019t fully understand this? Obedience to the Gospel allows one to be able to have a \u201cgood conscience\u201d<\/strong> (Heb. 10:19-22). The Hebrew writer speaks of Christians having their, \u201cHearts sprinkled from an evil conscience\u201d<\/strong> (10: 22a). This is probably comparing the Mosaic practice of \u201csprinkling\u201d the blood of various sacrifices on the priests and on the altar with what happens to the heart in the gospel. The blood of Christ can \u201ccleanse\u201d<\/strong> the conscience from \u201cdead works\u201d <\/strong>(Heb. 9:13-14). We feel guilt because of sin. We regret past deeds. Christ\u2019s blood can \u201ccleanse\u201d the conscience. The Hebrew writer goes further to say Christians have had their, \u201cbodies washed with pure water\u201d<\/strong> (10:22b). In Christ, the only \u201cwater\u201d that is ever said to \u201cwash\u201d the body is baptism. The Bible tells us baptism is an \u201cappeal to God for a good conscience\u201d <\/strong>(1 Pet. 3:18-22, NASB). Having been forgiven of sins, and striving to live obedient to Christ, Christians should always live with a \u201cgood conscience\u201d<\/strong> (Heb. 13:17-18). It is interesting that the Hebrew writer speaks of obedience to the eldership yet then goes on to speak of maintaining a \u201cgood conscience.\u201d <\/strong> If these responsibilities ever conflict, we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:26-29). It is commendable before God to suffer wrongfully \u201cbecause of conscience toward God\u201d<\/strong> (1 Pet. 2:18-23). When we maintain a \u201cgood conscience\u201d and yet suffer for it, those who persecute us will be caused to be ashamed on the Day of Judgment (1 Pet. 3:15-17). 1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street Sunday: 9 a.m. <\/strong>Bible Classes and 10 a.m. <\/strong>Worship Service. Congregational Song Service<\/strong>: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday: 7 p.m. <\/strong>Bible Classes<\/p>\n\n\n\n evangelist\/editor:<\/strong><\/strong> Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).——————– Contents: 1) Conscience without Offense (Kyle Pope)——————– -1- Conscience without Offense Kyle Pope On one occasion when Paul was accused by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2412"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412\/revisions\/2418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Meaning of the Word \u201cConscience\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The New Testament word suneidesis<\/em> (translated \u201cconscience\u201d) literally means \u201cknowledge-with [one\u2019s self].\u201d It carries the same conceptual sense as our English word \u201cconscience\u201d which comes from the Latin conscientia<\/em> meaning \u201cknowledge-with [one\u2019s self].\u201d While the Old Testament does not properly use the idea of the conscience, the same concept is expressed in terms of the \u201cheart.\u201d It is the soul with a \u201cpure heart\u201d<\/strong> that can approach God in worship (Ps. 24:3-4). After his sin with Bathsheba, David prays to God \u201ccreate in me a clean heart\u201d <\/strong>(Ps. 51:10). The heart can be \u201ctroubled\u201d<\/strong> when one feels that he has done wrong (1 Sam. 24:4-5\u2014the NASB uses the word \u201cconscience\u201d here, but the word is literally \u201cheart\u201d). The soul willing to do what he knows (or believes) to be wrong is described as having \u201cstiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord\u201d <\/strong>(2 Chron. 36:13). The New Testament uses both concepts in juxtaposition. Paul acts from a \u201cpure heart\u201d<\/strong> and a \u201cgood conscience\u201d <\/strong>(1 Tim. 1:3-7). This makes it clear that the heart and the conscience are simply two different ways of describing the conviction of the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConviction and Defilement of the Conscience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Violating one\u2019s conscience leads to a conscience that is \u201cdefiled\u201d<\/strong> (Titus 1:15). It leads to a conscience that is \u201cseared with a hot iron\u201d <\/strong>(1 Tim. 4:2). In such a condition, our faith may suffer \u201cshipwreck\u201d<\/strong> (1 Tim. 1:19). Instead, Christians must maintain a \u201cpure conscience\u201d<\/strong> (1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). Our understanding of God\u2019s word may be insufficient causing us to be mistaken in our convictions, but we must never act against what we believe to be right.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRomans and First Corinthians on the Conscience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
First, we must note that Paul is not talking about matters of human imagination (e.g. someone thinking its acceptable to fornicate or murder). Paul is talking about matters of indifference before God. The divine revelation was that it was not sin to eat, but neither was it sin to refrain from eating. May the Christian who understands this compel the one who does not to violate his conscience and eat? No. Paul explains this in Romans 14:11-22. He declares, \u201cTo him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean\u201d <\/strong>(Rom. 14:14). The conscience is a precious thing which must be kept tender. It is what convicts us when we do wrong. It can be misinformed but acting to violate the convictions of the heart is always wrong because it destroys that part of our inner man which draws man back to obedience to God. We may teach, persuade, and strive to come to a different understanding with a brother, but we want to bring a person to be \u201cfully convinced in his own mind\u201d<\/strong> (Rom. 14:5). Before God it was acceptable to eat all meats, but if one \u201cdoubts\u201d<\/strong> and eats such a person \u201cis condemned\u201d <\/strong>(Rom. 14:23). Does that mean that the truth is determined by each person\u2019s conscience?<\/em> No, it means God expects us at all times to do what we understand His word to teach. The soul who would believe something and act contrary to it\u2014or compel someone else to act contrary to it is a rebel before God. To do so is not acting from faithful obedience and is sin!
First Corinthians is addressed to a church that was largely made up of Gentiles. For them, the problem was not one of following Mosaic dietary restrictions, but a history of eating meat sacrificed to idols as an act of pagan-worship (1 Cor. 8:4-10). If the Christian who understood that eating meat was not necessarily an act of worship to an idol disregarded the influence he might have on new converts he might \u201cwound their weak conscience, and sin against Christ\u201d<\/strong> (1 Cor. 8:12). Christians must show respect even for the conscience of others (1 Cor.10:24-33). Why? Because only when the conscience is preserved can one be acceptable to God. The soul with a defiled, seared, or hardened conscience will not be moved by the word of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Conscience and Obedience to the Gospel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It is probably in this sense that Paul speaks to the Corinthians of \u201ccommending\u201d <\/strong>himself \u201cto every man\u2019s conscience in the sight of God\u201d <\/strong>(2 Cor. 4:2). Think about this for a moment\u2014how much would you respect someone who claimed to believe something but then willingly went against that in the face of pressure? Would you trust that person? In the same way, when we hold our ground, and stick to our convictions, people may disagree with us, but they will never be able to claim that we were not sincere. This is the point we noted in the beginning. We, as Paul, must strive to have \u201ca conscience without offense towards God and men\u201d<\/strong> (Acts 24:16).
\u2014 Via Faithful Sayings, <\/em>Volume 25, Issue 23 (June 4, 2023)
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2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith <\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized <\/strong>in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to\u2026
6) Continue in the faith <\/strong>by <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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<\/strong><\/strong>Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
<\/a>https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm<\/a> <\/strong><\/strong>(This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)
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