IS CONSCIENCE A SAFE GUIDE?

Mike Johnson

“Always let your conscience be your guide.”  “Just do what your conscience says.”  The statement expresses many people’s attitudes when determining what is right or wrong religiously.  Many think they are correct as long as they follow their conscience, on some doctrinal matter or even on a moral issue.  Is conscience a safe guide?  Is there a guide beyond conscience that needs consideration?

What do we mean by conscience?  The conscience is the internal recognition of right and wrong regarding our actions and motives.  It is the part of the mind that either approves or disapproves of one’s deeds.  The approval or disapproval resides in the conduct being in or out of harmony with a chosen standard.

It is essential to recognize that a conscience not “programmed” with the proper standard will lead a person astray.  For example, a person might not think it is wrong to lie.  Thus, he could tell a lie, and his conscience would not condemn him.   He sins, of course, by telling a lie, but since he has not received proper teaching about lying, he could lie with a good conscience.

Paul serves as an excellent example in this area.  Before his conversion, he persecuted Christians, and he did this with a good conscience, thinking he was doing the right thing.  Before the Jewish council (much later), he said in Acts 23:1, “. . . Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”  He always did what his standard told him to do, but his standard was not correct before his conversion.  In Acts 26:9, he said, “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”  Thus, Paul’s actions before his conversion make it clear that a good conscience is not proof that one’s conduct is correct.

If conscience is to be our guide, then there would be as many guides or standards as people.  A person’s conscience, for example, may tell him a particular practice is correct.  Another person’s conscience may show him the exact opposite.  With this approach, right and wrong are based only on each individual’s perception.

What is to be our standard?  It is to be the Bible — God’s Word.  Christ has all authority (Mt. 28:18).  We must abide in the doctrine of Christ and not go beyond His Word (2 Jn. 9, Rev. 22:18-19).  It is essential that we “program” our conscience with the teaching of God’s Word.