Understanding and Nurturing a Clear Conscience

Devotional

Day 1: The Conscience as Our Moral Guide

Our conscience acts as an internal guide, helping us discern right from wrong. It reflects our moral makeup and our connection to our Creator. According to Acts 23:1, Paul declares he has lived with a perfectly good conscience before God, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a clear conscience in our spiritual walk. Our conscience bears witness to God's law written on our hearts, either accusing or defending us based on our actions. A well-informed conscience aligns with God's will and leads us to live a life pleasing to Him. This internal guide is crucial for our moral and spiritual lives, as it helps us navigate the complexities of right and wrong in a world filled with moral ambiguity. [02:42]

Romans 2:15 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: Think of a recent decision you made. How did your conscience guide you in making that decision, and how can you ensure it aligns more closely with God's will in the future?

Day 2: Informing the Conscience with God's Word

Feeding our conscience with God's Word and sound teaching is crucial for its proper functioning. Parents play a vital role in teaching their children God's law, helping them develop a strong moral foundation. A well-informed conscience can save us from making poor decisions and lead us to live a life of integrity. The conscience can be influenced by various factors, including upbringing, education, and exposure to God's Word. By immersing ourselves in Scripture and sound teaching, we can ensure that our conscience is well-informed and aligned with God's will. This not only helps us make better decisions but also strengthens our moral and spiritual lives. [14:43]

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV): "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Reflection: How can you incorporate more of God's Word into your daily routine to better inform your conscience? What specific steps can you take to teach God's law to those around you, especially children?

Day 3: The Consequences of a Defiled Conscience

A defiled conscience leads to a distorted sense of right and wrong, allowing us to sin without guilt and damaging our relationships. It is essential to guard our hearts and minds, ensuring we are not influenced by ungodly content. Regularly informing our conscience with Scripture and godly teaching helps prevent it from becoming defiled. When our conscience is defiled, we lose our moral compass, leading to poor decisions and strained relationships. By staying vigilant and immersing ourselves in God's Word, we can protect our conscience from becoming defiled and maintain a clear sense of right and wrong. [29:16]

Titus 1:15 (ESV): "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled."

Reflection: Are there any influences in your life that may be defiling your conscience? What steps can you take to remove these influences and protect your heart and mind?

Day 4: Sanctification and the Renewal of the Conscience

Through sanctification and the renewing of our minds, our conscience can be revitalized and aligned with God's will. This process involves immersing ourselves in God's Word, prayer, and obedience to His commands. A renewed conscience enables us to make right decisions and live a life that reflects God's holiness. Sanctification is an ongoing process that requires dedication and commitment, but it is essential for maintaining a clear and well-informed conscience. By continually seeking God's guidance and renewing our minds, we can ensure that our conscience remains aligned with His will. [41:57]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily life to aid in the sanctification and renewal of your mind? How can these practices help align your conscience with God's will?

Day 5: The Role of Conscience in Witnessing

A good conscience is a powerful tool in witnessing, as it can convict others of their need for a Savior and lead them to repentance. By addressing the conscience and using God's law to expose sin, we can help others understand their need for salvation and the grace offered through Jesus Christ. A clear and well-informed conscience not only guides our own actions but also serves as a testimony to others. When we live with integrity and align our conscience with God's will, we become effective witnesses for Christ, helping others see their need for a Savior and leading them to repentance. [50:41]

1 Peter 3:16 (ESV): "Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."

Reflection: How can you use your conscience as a tool for witnessing to others? What steps can you take to ensure your conscience is clear and well-informed, making you a more effective witness for Christ?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Tonight's teaching focused on the concept of conscience, exploring its role in our moral and spiritual lives. We began by examining Acts 23:1, where Paul declares he has lived with a perfectly good conscience before God. This sets the stage for understanding the importance of a clear conscience in our walk with God. The term "conscience" itself is derived from the Latin words "con" (with) and "science" (knowledge), meaning "with knowledge." Our conscience is an internal guide that helps us discern right from wrong, reflecting our moral makeup and connection to our Creator.

We delved into Romans 7:12 and Romans 2:15 to understand that God's law is written on our hearts, even on the hearts of those who do not believe. This law serves as a moral compass, and our conscience bears witness to it, either accusing or defending us based on our actions. The conscience can be influenced by various factors, including upbringing, education, and exposure to God's Word. It can be strong and well-informed or weak and defiled, depending on what we feed into it.

We discussed the importance of informing our conscience with God's Word and the role of parents in teaching their children God's law to develop a strong moral foundation. The conscience can be misinformed, weak, wounded, defiled, or seared, leading to a distorted sense of right and wrong. However, through sanctification and the renewing of our minds, our conscience can be revitalized and aligned with God's will.

The teaching emphasized the practical application of listening to and following our conscience, ensuring it is well-informed by Scripture and the Holy Spirit. We also explored the consequences of a defiled conscience, such as sinning without guilt and damaged relationships. Finally, we highlighted the role of a good conscience in witnessing, as it can convict others of their need for a Savior and lead them to repentance.

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Key Takeaways

1. informed conscience aligns with God's will and leads us to live a life pleasing to Him. [02:42]
2. The Importance of Informing the Conscience: Feeding our conscience with God's Word and sound teaching is crucial for its proper functioning. Parents play a vital role in teaching their children God's law, helping them develop a strong moral foundation. A well-informed conscience can save us from making poor decisions and lead us to live a life of integrity.

3. The Consequences of a Defiled Conscience: A defiled conscience leads to a distorted sense of right and wrong, allowing us to sin without guilt and damaging our relationships. It is essential to guard our hearts and minds, ensuring we are not influenced by ungodly content. Regularly informing our conscience with Scripture and godly teaching helps prevent it from becoming defiled.

4. Sanctification and the Renewal of the Conscience: Through sanctification and the renewing of our minds, our conscience can be revitalized and aligned with God's will. This process involves immersing ourselves in God's Word, prayer, and obedience to His commands. A renewed conscience enables us to make right decisions and live a life that reflects God's holiness.

5. The Role of Conscience in Witnessing: A good conscience is a powerful tool in witnessing, as it can convict others of their need for a Savior and lead them to repentance. By addressing the conscience and using God's law to expose sin, we can help others understand their need for salvation and the grace offered through Jesus Christ.

### [02:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Introduction to Conscience
[01:56] - Definition and Etymology of Conscience
[02:42] - Conscience and Connection to Creator
[03:37] - The Law Written on Our Hearts
[05:05] - Conscience Accusing or Defending
[06:40] - Evangelism and Conscience
[08:04] - Public Preaching and Conviction
[09:19] - Conscience in John 8:7-9
[10:37] - Standard of Morality
[11:17] - Conscience as Moral Judiciary
[14:43] - Old Testament Law and Conscience
[19:15] - Peace of Christ and Decision Making
[22:24] - Conscience Furnishing Law
[29:16] - Consequences of a Defiled Conscience
[41:57] - Sanctification and Conscience Renewal
[50:41] - Conscience in Witnessing
[52:05] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What does Paul claim about his conscience in Acts 23:1?
According to Romans 7:12, how is the law described?
How does Romans 2:15 explain the role of the conscience in relation to God's law?
What are some factors mentioned in the sermon that can influence the state of our conscience? [05:05]

Interpretation Questions

How does Paul’s statement in Acts 23:1 reflect his understanding of living a life pleasing to God?
In what ways does Romans 7:12 help us understand the nature of God's law and its impact on our conscience?
How does the concept of the law being written on our hearts in Romans 2:15 relate to both believers and non-believers?
What are the practical implications of having a well-informed conscience as discussed in the sermon? [11:17]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when your conscience guided you to make a difficult decision. How did you ensure your conscience was well-informed by Scripture? [19:15]
The sermon mentioned the importance of parents teaching their children God's law. How can you incorporate more biblical teaching into your family life? [14:43]
Have you ever experienced a defiled conscience? What steps did you take, or can you take, to renew and align your conscience with God's will? [29:16]
How do you currently inform your conscience with God's Word? Are there any changes you can make to ensure your conscience remains strong and well-informed? [25:39]
The sermon emphasized the role of a good conscience in witnessing. Can you think of a recent opportunity where your conscience helped you share your faith? How did it impact the conversation? [50:41]
What are some practical ways you can guard your heart and mind from ungodly influences that might defile your conscience? [29:16]
How can you actively participate in the sanctification process to ensure your conscience is continually being renewed? [41:57]

Sermon Clips

1. "The conscience is the with knowledge, the accompanying knowledge that we have in regards to our moral makeup, what we know and that is imported to us. Most importantly, the conscience is connected to our creator. So our moral likeness is in likeness to our creator. He created us. That's undeniable." [02:42] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "You need not to be offensive in any area. You can relax when you're sharing the gospel. You can be confident in the word of God. And you can let the word of God do the work. And it will assault the conscience. It will make them feel guilty because God's law was written on them." [07:28] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "It's what they call a turn away. As one is coming to abort their baby or murder their baby, preaching the moral law creates conviction. And when they just can't stand it anymore, and they fall under conviction, they turn away and they don't murder their baby. So that's the aim in publicly preaching or publicly proclaiming, preaching the word of God, the holy moral law of God." [08:40] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Pray to God. Ask him to work through your conscience so that you would know what the will of God is. Pray and then proceed slowly and pay attention to the peace. Because if it's God's will, then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will rule in your hearts. And that ruling, that ability that God has to give peace upon your heart will be the ruling." [20:46] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "The conscience simply furnishes what has been programmed. Let me ask you a question. Do you think that our younger generation playing violent video games has any effect on their conscience? Yes or no? I have had some long conversations with folks that say no." [23:53] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "A good conscience can save you from some really awful things in this world. I have been face-to-face with some things in the past that I really wanted to do, and I didn't because of the Word of God, right? I knew a chapter and verse that saved me from doing something really stupid, and I look back, wow, 20 years ago, I really wanted badly to do that. I'm so glad I didn't." [35:29] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "God's holy word and the Holy Spirit are the chief agents in rectifying our standards of judgment. They renew our mind and enable our conscience to make absolute, right decisions. As we experience God's sanctifying power, our conscience is enabled to judge rightly and to command us to be informed, be conformed to his image." [40:18] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "A good conscience is to be treasured. The conscience of a believer may have such right standards and its decisions may be followed by such right action that its voice becomes the very echo of God's voice. The renewed conscience thus takes up to itself and expresses the witness of the Lord." [44:02] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Fathers often become frustrated when their children have a lack of awareness or consciousness. But here you see through tonight's lesson that the law, the law of God is what informs the conscience. The word of God informs the conscience. And it's the father's job to teach the law, to teach the word of God to their children so that they can have a strong conscience and work with them and raise them up in the admonition of the Lord." [45:44] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "When you're witnessing, you're simply aiming at the conscience, aiming at the heart. You want to use God's law to be able to expose that they have sinned and they are in need of a savior. And if you are aiming at their conscience, then their confidence oftentimes will show it when they comprehend it. And that's a good thing." [50:41] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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