For Conscience Sake

Our conscience. We joke about our consciences. We 'old' people think about Jiminy Cricket the conscience of Pinocchio. We also think about the little cartoonish red devil on one shoulder and a little angel on the other shoulder speaking to us, each trying to sway us their way to bad or good.  We know our conscience exists. Those who don't believe in God can still believe in their conscience because there is a voice in most people that will nudge them when they are about to do something wrong. There is also a voice that will nudge to do something good. To deny most people are guided internally is to deny reality. Very few will try to insist that there is no such thing as a conscience. You may have noticed I wrote- 'most people' a few times and I did that purposely because there are a very few people in a world filled with them that are considered abnormal for not having a conscience in the sense they feel nothing when very wrong things happen, and when very good things happen. They fake emotions, they fake a lot of what society considers normal for a human being.

If you are reading this and insisting that we don't have a conscience then I certainly will not be able to convince you that you do have one, it's not for me to convince anyone on that.

Biblically we've already seen that having a conscience is a very real thing. Hearing Paul say this--

I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23.1)  

--how can we deny this truth? 

Joh_8:9  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Act_24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Rom_2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Rom_9:1  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost

Rom_13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

1Co_8:7  Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

2Co_1:12  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

2Co_4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

1Ti_1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck

1Ti_3:9  Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

1Ti_4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron

2Ti_1:3  I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day

Clearly these Bible verses and still others show that our conscience is a real thing, an important thing.

May God help us learn more, to understand clearly the role our conscience needs to play in our lives so we may be His and only His, by His will, by His grace and mercy now and always!!!!

In Jesus Christ, our Savior!

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'A Good Conscience

“I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23.1). This is the secret of Paul’s life. The conscience he refers to is not that of an unregenerated person but of a Holy Spirit-filled conscience. Bold in approaching God and perfect in his communion with Him, the Apostle’s regenerated conscience gives him no reproach. He does everything according to it.

Never does he do anything that his conscience objects to, nor does he ever permit one item to remain in his life which it condemns.

He is therefore bold before God and man. We lose our confidence when our conscience is murky. The Apostle “always (took) pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men” (Acts 24.16), for “if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (1 John 3.21-22).

Believers simply do not realize how very significant their conscience is.

 Many have the idea that as long as they walk after the spirit all is well. They do not know that an unclear conscience means loss of confidence in approaching God and that this loss in turn means disruption of one’s communion with Him. In fact, a muddied conscience can hinder our intuitive communion with God more than anything else. If we fail to keep His commandments and to do what pleases Him our monitor within shall naturally reprove us, rendering us fearful before God and hence keeping us from receiving what we seek. We can serve God only with a clear conscience (2 Tim. 1.3). An opaque one shall surely cause us to shrink back intuitively from God. “Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have behaved in the world, and still more toward you, with holiness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God” (2 Cor. 1.12). This passage speaks of the testimony of conscience. Only a conscience without offense will testify for a believer. It is good to have the testimony of others, but how much better to have the testimony of our own conscience.'

Excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee

Do you live with a clear conscience in all things?

'A Good Conscience

“I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23.1). This is the secret of Paul’s life. The conscience he refers to is not that of an unregenerated person but of a Holy Spirit-filled conscience. Bold in approaching God and perfect in his communion with Him, the Apostle’s regenerated conscience gives him no reproach. He does everything according to it.

Never does he do anything that his conscience objects to, nor does he ever permit one item to remain in his life which it condemns.

He is therefore bold before God and man. We lose our confidence when our conscience is murky. The Apostle “always (took) pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men” (Acts 24.16), for “if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (1 John 3.21-22).

Believers simply do not realize how very significant their conscience is.

 Many have the idea that as long as they walk after the spirit all is well. They do not know that an unclear conscience means loss of confidence in approaching God and that this loss in turn means disruption of one’s communion with Him. In fact, a muddied conscience can hinder our intuitive communion with God more than anything else. If we fail to keep His commandments and to do what pleases Him our monitor within shall naturally reprove us, rendering us fearful before God and hence keeping us from receiving what we seek. We can serve God only with a clear conscience (2 Tim. 1.3). An opaque one shall surely cause us to shrink back intuitively from God. “Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have behaved in the world, and still more toward you, with holiness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God” (2 Cor. 1.12). This passage speaks of the testimony of conscience. Only a conscience without offense will testify for a believer. It is good to have the testimony of others, but how much better to have the testimony of our own conscience.'

Excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee

More study on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of GOD all through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever!!!!!!! AMEN.

Is Your Conscience Working?

'No Christian can be so spiritual as to have no further necessity to confess his sin. He must be fallen spiritually if his conscience is dull and insensitive. Excellent knowledge, hard labor, excited feeling and strong will cannot substitute for a sensitive conscience. He who does not heed it but seeks mental and sensational progress is retrogressing spiritually. The sensitivity of the conscience can be increased as well as decreased. Should anyone give ground to his conscience to operate, his spirit’s window will let in more light next time; but should he disregard it or answer it with reason or works other than what it demands, then his conscience will speak more and more softly each time it is rejected until ultimately it ceases to speak. Every time a believer does not listen to conscience he damages his spiritual walk. If this self-inflicted wounding of his spiritual life continues unabated, he shall sink into the state of being fleshly. He will lose all his former distaste for sin and former admiration of victory. Until we learn to face squarely the reproach which arises from conscience, we do not actually appreciate how meaningful to our walk in the spirit this heeding of the voice of conscience is. '   The Spiritual Man - By Watchman Nee

 Psa_32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Jas_5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

Joh_1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 

Rom 6:2  God forbid.

Rom_6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom_6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom_6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Rom_6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 

Rom 6:2  God forbid.

He chose death for us over life without us.

We spend a lot of time trying not to feel guilty about various things in our lives. Did you just read that sentence and say to yourself that you don't spend any time feeling guilty, that there is no sense in feeling guilty about anything? To say we shouldn't feel guilty is to say we shouldn't recognize our guilt. If we spend a lot of time not feeling guilty about anything then we are spending a lot of time condoning sin in ourselves. If we don't have a sense of guilt as we contemplate the purity, the sinlessness of our Savior, then are we recognizing our need of Him? You might say you are relishing the forgiveness our Savior has extended to you, but is the forgiveness extended without first recognizing the guilt, without recognition of needing forgiveness because of our sins? The recognition of need is something we can never lose. The recognition of need is knowing we are sinners. That recognition is realizing when we sin, or are about to sin.

We are to take up our cross daily- just knowing that brings the realization we need to recognize that daily we are to be reminded of the cross of our Savior and what took place upon that cross. Our Savior died upon that cross, and He died because of our sins- your sins, my sins, all of our sins. Asking forgiveness for our sins is recognizing the innocence of our Savior and the magnitude of His sacrifice. He died for us when He did not have to die at all. He chose death for us over life without us. And yes, there is an enormous sense of gratitude for His sacrifice within us, because we know He died for our guilt.

Our feeling guilty is truly recognizing our wrongs, recognizing all those wrongs, each of those wrongs killed the Innocent One.

When, by the grace of God and through the Holy Spirit our conscience is awakened to our guilt in all its many forms, we need to thank God for the sense of guilt. We are given a chance to repent and seek forgiveness as we are convicted of the sins in our life.  Yes, we are to take up the cross daily, not try to bury the cross, not try to hide the cross, not shroud the cross in false purity when we have no white robes of righteousness to cover it in- all our righteousness are filthy rags, only Christ's righteousness can bring purity.  We must take up our cross willingly, knowingly understanding what we are taking up.

Please Lord, please don't let us ever lose our knowing need of You and Your sacrifice, never, please.

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our LORD now and forever!

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

1Jn_1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Isa_64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Gal_5:5  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

Rev_19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Conscience speaks

Please read all of the following and look up the Bible verses when they are given. There is so much truth in what is said here. If we truly desire to be Spiritual Men and Women we can be -all by the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through His will, by His grace.

'A believer’s conscience is quickened when his spirit is regenerated. The precious blood of the Lord Jesus purifies his conscience and accordingly gives it an acute sense that it should obey the will of the Holy Spirit.

The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in man and the work of conscience in man are intimately related and mutually joined.

If a child of God desires to be filled with the Spirit, to be sanctified, and to lead a life wholly after God’s will, he must adhere to the voice of conscience.

Should he not grant it its rightful place, he shall fall inescapably into walking after the flesh.

To be faithful to one’s conscience is the first step toward sanctification. Following its voice is a sign of true spirituality. If a Christian fails to let it do its work he is barred from entering the spiritual realm. Even if he regards himself (and is so regarded by others) as spiritual, his “spirituality” nevertheless lacks foundation.

 If sin and other matters contrary to God’s will and unbecoming to saints are not restrained as dictated by its voice, then whatever has been superimposed through spiritual theory shall ultimately collapse because there is no genuine foundation.

Conscience testifies as to whether we are clear towards God and towards men and as to whether our thoughts, words and deeds follow the will of God and are not in any way rebellious to Christ.

As Christians advance spiritually the witness of conscience and the witness of the Holy Spirit seem to close ranks. This is because conscience, being fully under the control of the Holy Spirit, daily grows more sensitive until it is attuned perfectly to the voice of the Spirit.

The Latter is thereby able to speak to believers through their consciences.

The Apostle’s word that “my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 9.1) carries within it this meaning. If our inward monitor judges us to be wrong we must in fact be wrong. When it condemns, let us repent immediately. We must never attempt to cover our sin or bribe our conscience. “Whenever our hearts condemn us” can we be less condemned by God, since “God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3.20)?

Whatever conscience condemns is condemned by God. Can the holiness of God pursue a lower standard than our conscience? If conscience insists we are wrong, we must be wrong indeed. What should we do when we are wrong? Cease proceeding to do the incorrect thing if we have not yet done it; repent, confess, and claim the cleansing of the precious blood if we have done it already.

It is to be regretted that so many Christians today do not follow these rules. Immediately after the reproof of their inner voice, they lay plans to quench its protest. They usually employ two methods. One is to argue with it, trying to marshal reasons for their action. They suppose that anything reasonable must be God’s will and will be condoned by the conscience.

 What they do not understand is that conscience never argues or reasons.

It discerns God’s will through intuition and condemns everything which is not according to Him. Conscience speaks for God’s will, not for reason.

Christians ought not walk by reason but by God’s will as disclosed in their intuition.

Whenever they disobey any movement there, conscience raises its voice to condemn.

Explanation may satisfy the mind but never conscience.

As long as the issue condemned is not removed it shall not cease condemning.

During the initial stage of a Christian’s walk conscience only bears witness to right and wrong; as spiritual life grows, it bears witness as well to what is of God and what is not of God. Although many things appear good to human eyes, they are nonetheless condemned by conscience because they do not originate with God’ revelation but are initiated instead by the Christians themselves.

The other method is to ease conscience with many other works. To solve the dilemma of refusing to obey their inner voice of accusation on the one hand but continuing to be afraid of its condemnation on the other, believers resort to many good works. They replace God’s will with laudable deeds. They have not obeyed God, yet they insist that what they now do is just as good as what He has revealed—perhaps even better, broader in scope, more profitable, greater in influence. They highly esteem such works; God, however, deems them of no spiritual account whatsoever. He looks neither at the aggregate of fat nor at the number of burnt offerings but solely at the sum of obedience to Him.

Nothing, regardless how commendable the intention, can move God’s heart if the revelation in the spirit has been neglected.

Doubling the consecration will not silence the accusing monitor; its voice must be followed; that and nothing else can ever please God.

Conscience simply demands our obedience; it does not require us to serve God in any spectacular way. Let us therefore not deceive ourselves. In walking according to the spirit we shall hear the directions of conscience.

Do not try to escape any inward reproach; rather, be attentive to its voice.

By constantly walking in the spirit we are constrained to humble ourselves and to heed the correction of conscience.

Children of God should not make a general confession by acknowledging their innumerable sins in a vague manner, because such confession does not provide conscience opportunity to do its perfect work. They ought to allow the Holy Spirit through their conscience to point out their sins one by one. Humbly and quietly and obediently they should permit their conscience to reprove and condemn them of every individual sin.

Christians must accept its reproach and be willing, according to the mind of the Spirit, to eliminate everything which is contrary to God.

Are you reticent to let conscience probe your life? Dare you let it explore your real condition? Will you allow it to parade before you one after another all the things in your life as they are beheld by God? Will you grant conscience the right to dissect every one of your sins? In case you dare not, in case you are not willing to be so examined, then does not such drawing back prove that there remain many elements in your life which have not been judged and committed to the cross as they ought to have been: that there are still matters in which you have not wholly obeyed God nor fully followed the spirit: that some issues continue to hinder you from having perfect fellowship with God? If so, you cannot contend before God that “there is nothing between You and me.”

Only an unconditional and unrestricted acceptance of the reproach of conscience with a corresponding willingness to do what is revealed can show how perfect is our consecration, how truly we hate sin, how sincerely we desire to do God’s will.

Often we express a wish to please God, to obey the Lord, to follow the Spirit; here is the test as to whether our wish is real or fancied, perfect or incomplete. If we are yet entangled in sin and not completely severed from it, most likely our spirituality is largely a pretense.

 A believer who is unable to follow his conscience wholly is unqualified to walk after the spirit. Before conscience has its demand realized, what else but an imaginary spirit will lead the person, since the true spirit within him continues to petition him to listen to the monitor within?

A believer can make no genuine spiritual progress if he is reluctant to have his evil conscience judged in God’s light and clearly dealt with.

The truth or falsity of his consecration and service depends on his willing obedience to the Lord—both to His command and to His reproach. After one has permitted conscience to begin operating, he should allow it to perfect its work. Sins must be treated progressively one by one until all have been eliminated. If a child of God is faithful in his dealing with sin and faithfully follows his conscience, he shall receive light increasingly from heaven and have his unnoticed sins exposed; the Holy Spirit shall enable him to read and to understand more of the law written upon his heart. Thus is he made to know what is holiness, righteousness, purity and honesty, concerning which he had had only vague ideas before. Moreover, his intuition is strengthened greatly in its ability to know the mind of the Holy Spirit. Whenever a believer is therefore reproved by his conscience his immediate response should be: “Lord, I am willing to obey.” He should let Christ once again be the Lord of his life; he should be teachable and should be taught by the Holy Spirit.

 The Spirit shall surely come and help if a person is honestly minding his conscience. Conscience is like a window to the believer’s spirit. Through it the rays of heaven shine into the spirit, flooding the whole being with light. Heavenly light shines in through the conscience to expose fault and to condemn failure whenever we wrongfully think or speak or act in a way not becoming saints. If by submitting to its voice and eliminating the sin it condemns we allow it to do its work, then the light from heaven will shine brighter next time; but should we not confess nor extirpate the sin. our conscience will be corrupted by it (Titus 1.15), because we have not walked according to the teaching of God’s light. With sin accumulating, conscience as a window becomes increasingly clouded. Light can barely penetrate the spirit. And there finally comes a day when that believer can sin without compunction and with no grief at all, since the conscience has long been paralyzed and the intuition dulled by sin.

The more spiritual a believer is the more keenly alert is his inner monitor. '  Excerpt - 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee

Spiritually Cleansed

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

' “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10.22). We do not draw near to God physically as did the people in the Old Testament period, for our sanctuary is in heaven; nor do we draw near soulically with our thoughts and feelings since these organs can never commune with God. The regenerated spirit alone can approach Him. Believers worship God in their quickened intuition. The verse above affirms that a sprinkled conscience is the basis for communion with God intuitively. A conscience tinged with offense is under constant accusation. That naturally will affect the intuition, so closely knit to the conscience, and discourage its approach to God, even paralyzing its normal function. How infinitely necessary to have “a true heart in full assurance of faith” in a believer’s communion with God. When conscience is unclear one’s approach to Him becomes forced and is not true because he cannot fully believe that God is for him and has nothing against him. Such fear and doubt undermine the normal function of intuition, depriving it of the liberty to fellowship freely with God. The Christian must not have the slightest accusation in his conscience; he must be assured that his every sin is entirely atoned by the blood of the Lord and that now there is no charge against Him (Rom. 8.33-34). A single offense on the conscience may suppress and suspend the normal function of intuition in communing with God, for as soon as a believer is conscious of sin his spirit gathers all its powers to eliminate that particular sin and leaves no more strength to ascend heavenward. '

Excerpt from - 'The Spiritual Man' by Watchman Nee

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Daily we take up our cross.

Daily we are to seek forgiveness.

We would have no need to be instructed on a daily prayer in which we ask for forgiveness if we were supposed to be sin free before coming to pray daily. Truly our conscience must be cleared of every sin conviction we experience and believe it or not sometimes it seems like a lot of conviction going on.

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

We need to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit and we need this Spiritual bath daily.

May God bless us as we draw near to Him with a true heart (from Him) in full assurance of faith. Let our hearts be sprinkled from an evil conscience, let our bodies be washed with pure water. May the Holy Spirit live in us!

All by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Now, and forever!

Amen.

Conscience, Intuition, and Communion.

' “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10.22). We do not draw near to God physically as did the people in the Old Testament period, for our sanctuary is in heaven; nor do we draw near soulically with our thoughts and feelings since these organs can never commune with God. The regenerated spirit alone can approach Him. Believers worship God in their quickened intuition. The verse above affirms that a sprinkled conscience is the basis for communion with God intuitively. A conscience tinged with offense is under constant accusation. That naturally will affect the intuition, so closely knit to the conscience, and discourage its approach to God, even paralyzing its normal function. How infinitely necessary to have “a true heart in full assurance of faith” in a believer’s communion with God. When conscience is unclear one’s approach to Him becomes forced and is not true because he cannot fully believe that God is for him and has nothing against him. Such fear and doubt undermine the normal function of intuition, depriving it of the liberty to fellowship freely with God. The Christian must not have the slightest accusation in his conscience; he must be assured that his every sin is entirely atoned by the blood of the Lord and that now there is no charge against Him (Rom. 8.33-34). A single offense on the conscience may suppress and suspend the normal function of intuition in communing with God, for as soon as a believer is conscious of sin his spirit gathers all its powers to eliminate that particular sin and leaves no more strength to ascend heavenward. '

Excerpt from - 'The Spiritual Man' by Watchman Nee

I'm under the weather today, hopefully tomorrow I'll feel up to a more in depth study of this excerpt. Please, read- and re-read as needed. We truly need the grace and mercy of our Savior to be wholly His! Lord help us to live for YOU now and always!

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR!