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A Blameless Conscience
By George Stroh
August 24, 2020
... I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before man. (Acts 24:16)
We are each born with a conscience that either approves or disapproves of our deeds, words, and thoughts, including our true motives. Everyone starts out with a conscience that is sensitive to the will of God; ..In that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. (Romans 2:15)
However, as our inherited sinful nature continues to manifest sin, our conscience becomes less sensitive and less convicting. As an example, the first time someone lies, their God given conscience strongly convicts them of their guilt and sin. But after repeated lies, their conscience becomes increasingly less sensitive and callous when lying; ...by means of hypocrisy of liars seared {callous) in their own conscience as with a branding iron. (1 Timothy 4:2) I once saw an interview of a serial murderer in prison with a seared, insensitive and callous conscience. The interviewer asked the question, "Didn't your conscience bother you after so many murders?" He honestly responded, "No... not at all."
Many people feeling guilty about their sinful deeds, words, and thoughts pay a lot of money to psychiatrists, psychologists and other false religious practitioners who try to help them ease their conscience, without having to forsake the sin they love. They don't understand or appreciate that their guilty conscience can be a good thing, convicting them of their guilt before God; Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen (a guilty conscience)? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6,7)
There is, of course, only one way to master sin, and to have a blameless conscience; How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
Maranatha!
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