Begin with a review. The conscience was designed to be the human's moral compass that detects the presence of evil. The conscience is as valuable as its training. It must correctly differentiate between good and evil to be of significant value to the person. Becoming a Christian commonly involves retraining a poorly trained conscience. The objective of this training is to make a Christian's conscience aware of and sensitive to God's standards and values. The Christian desires to yield to God's perspectives rather than his/her own.
It is in that last statement that Christians experience personal struggle. To the Christian, as he/she trains his/her conscience to be sensitive to God by following Jesus Christ's teachings, the Christian's conscience becomes God's voice/directive to that person. [This does not suggest the Bible is unimportant--the primary agent that trains the Christian's conscience is God's word.] To rebel against that conscience is to rebel against God. Thus a conscientious Christians arrives at a conscience understanding/position. He/she cannot understand how another Christian could arrive at a different understanding/position. If he/she is not extremely careful, he/she becomes a judge of other conscientious Christians rather than a servant to the Lord. He/she easily concludes judging to be a part of servanthood. Responsibly following becomes to him/her a matter of either judging other Christians or holding other Christians in contempt.
Fact # 1: For each conscientious Christian, the conscience is "a work in progress." The conscience always is in the process of being trained. God is so above any human, so advanced to any human understanding that a Christian always is growing toward God. In any moment in a Christian's life, he/she must be true to his/her conscience in order to walk with God. However, at that same moment, no Christian should conclude that Christians who disagree with his/her conscience is (a) rebelling against God or (b) has no conscience.
Fact # 2: At every moment in Christian existence, the conscience is an invaluable aid in declaring the Christian's sincerity, commitment, and consistency. At any moment of spiritual development, if a Christian denies his/her conscience, he/she engages in hypocrisy.
Listen to these declarations: a Christ trained conscience is an invaluable, essential asset to Christian existence.
Romans 9:1,2 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
The Christian Paul was frequently accused by Jewish people [both by some who were Christians and by many who were not Christians] of having no concern for Israel as a nation or a people. Paul not only declared that was untrue, but he invoked his conscience as a witness in the argument/accusation.
1 Corinthians 8:10,12 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
The Christian Paul placed significance on knowledgeable Christians being sensitive to weak Christians' consciences in the matter of idol worship. He classified wounding a weak Christian's conscience [thus causing him/her to desert Jesus Christ] as sinning again Christ. Being right in knowledge did not give Christians the freedom to be insensitive to other Christians' consciences, even when those consciences lacked knowledge.
1 Corinthians 10:29-33 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
The context again involves idol worship and meals associated with idol worship. This time Paul emphasized the Christian's conscience must be sensitive to an idol worshipper's conscience.
2 Corinthians 4:1,2 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
The Christian Paul affirmed his credibility in a congregation where many attacked his credibility. He did so by affirming the sensitivity of his conscience. He was sincere and genuine as a person and as a teacher. Never did he seek to control or manipulate.
1 Timothy 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Paul the experienced preacher wrote Timothy the less experienced preacher. The goal of preaching Christ was (1) not to encourage acceptance of myths and genealogies [a common problem in teaching idol worshippers and non-Christian Jews] but (2) to encourage pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith that centered on Jesus Christ. Please note developing a good conscience was an important part of spiritually maturing in Christ.
1 Timothy 1:18,19 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
The certain result of neglecting a good conscience is a shipwrecked faith.
For Discussion:
One of the biggest ongoing struggles in the church is appropriate worship practices. Often this struggle is (1) insensitive to the needs of other Christians and (2) is often more emotional than biblically based. Discuss the relationship between conscience and this struggle.
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 9