Conscience

[cheekie3]

All -

I am interested in knowing if any one of us can deny his conscience at any time - as some say - he / she did this (evil act) because he / she has no conscience.

Is it not true that we cannot deny or switch off our conscience.

This is an extract from one of Ray's teachings:

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,7848.0.html --------------

When one sins willfully or voluntarily, it means that he has lost his conscience about those particular sins. He feels no guilt nor shame for committing them.  We all sin, but sin is not to "reign" over us, as Paul admonishes.  When we sin, we should recognize it as sin, and feel shame, and repent, and go on. Once we feel no guilt nor shame, there only remains "judgment" which will assuredly remove (through fiery trials and purging) these "adversaries" that plague the human race. Hope that helps.

God be with you,
Ray

Thanks, Regards, George.

[Kat]

Hi George,

What exactly is conscience? It is the consciousness of the moral right and wrong of one's own acts or motives. And where does it come from? Our sense of right and wrong (conscience) is inculcated by frequent repetitions of things we are taught in life by family, friends - society, and it becomes what we know and believe.

If you participate in wrong behavior and are taught/told it is right for long enough you can become inculcated/brainwashed into accepting it as truth and believing it. So if you are around wrong behavior you get use to it, you may even come to accept it as being okay. Like there are many thing that this society accept as fine and good that in times pass would have been considered abhorrent and the other way around as well. In times of war people on the front lines after a while get used to death and dying, but people who have not been around that kind of things many times would be shocked and disturbed by such things.

We have a very good example of what having no conscience about something horrible with the idea of a fiery hell. Why do people believe in such a horrible thing? Because they are taught that it is real every Sunday in church. Not only do many of them believe in it, they embrace it and feel people deserve to go there. How is that for a seared conscience?

1Tim 4:1  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
v. 2  through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[doug]

George, nice meeting you!

I suppose if one can equate our "lost conscience state" to sinning as compared to one sinning from his being "ignorant of the law", then I believe ignorance or being non conscience of the law of God is no excuse for sinning against God.  IOW - if a person's conscience allows him to sin without him knowing it is a sin, he is still guilty of that sin, whether or not he is under the influence of a mind altering drug, a mental disease or whatever.  Check out the O/T verses in Leviticus 4:13, 4:27 & 5:17.

Jesus gives an example in Luke 12:47,48 that someone who is ignorant in good faith is worthy of "stripes" but will receive less than the one who willfully sinned: "And that servant, which knows his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worth of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.  For unto whomsoever much is given....".

In short - I believe ones who's conscience is seared or is ignorant of God's commandments does not free him from the penalty of transgression and will be chastised in this life - and if not in this life - will be judged accordingly in the coming Kingdom Age.

[Joel]

According to the scriptures you can have a weak conscience. 1st Corinthians 8:7, And a seared conscience. 1st Timothy 4:2
Romans 6:20 For when you were the SERVANT of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
             6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Joel

[cheekie3]

Kat / Doug / Joel -

Thank you.

I still find this difficult to understand.

1.1. For example, when we all first lied to our parents - did we not know it was wrong, particularly if it was for a wrong or selfish reason?; as I know that some believe it is acceptable to lie for some reasons (like Rahab the prostitute who lied to save the two spies).

1.2. I thought that we all know deep down when we are wrong and therefore in error and are sinning - including those in 'Babylon'; whether teaching or believing these false Doctrines.

1.3. Is it correct that these false Ministers who have had their consciences seared - they know deep down in their innermost being that they are sinning and wrong.

2.1. If conscience is not from Our Heavenly Father and linked to His Laws of the knowledge of Good and Evil - then it is possible to sin without knowing it is sin; and be judged for that sin by Our God and Saviour.

2.2. I thought that The Scriptures state that God's Law(s) were introduced because without them there cannot be any judgement from Our God and Saviour.

2.3. Since His Laws are already established and confirmed in the Holy Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures - they must be the instrument for His Judgements for all of humanity - including the ignorant.

George.