Weekly Devotional 5-6-19 A Good Conscience Doesn’t Just Happen

Weekly Devotional 5-6-19 A Good Conscience Doesn’t Just Happen

For the past few weeks, we have been considering man’s conscience and in that consideration we have found that man’s conscience is in essence his spirit. Man was created body, soul and spirit. We considered that a spirit was given to Adam at his creation, and that a spirit is part of every person’s makeup. The purpose of man’s spirit is to be aware of God, to be able to communicate with Him, and to have fellowship with Him. We considered that the tolerance of sin can, and does, sear one’s conscience, a.k.a. harden one’s heart toward God and His goodness. We considered that to avoid having a seared conscience one must fight against that searing. One cannot have a good conscience by not being consciously engaged against those things that would sear it. Not being actively engaged opens the door to the desires of our old fallen natures and the suggestions of Satan. (Even though we Christians have been given a new nature we still have our old nature). As we considered last week, we are to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18) that we might stand against Satan and the powers of darkness. Having put on this armor it becomes God’s battle on our behalf.

But, what about our battle against our old fallen natures? Yes, God is in the battle, but it requires our forceful stand against it, too. Earlier in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote that they were and we are to “²⁴put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. ²⁵Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷nor give place to the devil. ²⁸Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³²And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:24-32). 

Paul wrote that the Christian is not to grieve the Holy Spirit (vs. 30) by living like he did before being regenerated. They were and we are not to walk as the unsaved “¹⁸having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18). Grieving the Holy Spirit will certainly cause hardness of heart. Grieving the Holy Spirit will sear the believer’s conscience until we soon will be like those who are unredeemed. 

We Christians can find the antidote to a seared conscience by adhering to Paul’s advice found in his letter to the Colossians. “¹If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. ⁵Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. ⁸But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. ¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”(Colossians 3:1-17).

 
If we Christians what to live with a pure undefiled conscience, we must set our minds on things above and purity will follow.

stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man

All Scripture usage is from the NKJB