What is the conscience?
We are talking about that inner voice that comments upon moral matters and conduct.
It gives us a sense of approval when we do what is good, and it bring guilt when we do what is wrong, or evil.
The best available commentary on moral matters is the Holy Bible.
It speaks frankly about the “good versus evil” struggle.
It clarifies the dividing line between good and evil.
It teaches us about the holy God who promotes morality, and it exposes the adversaries of God and of morality. It gives insight into the spiritual realm, where the good versus evil struggle is very intense.
This holy God is personal.
He knows us and we can know Him in our spirit.
He is righteous, just, meek, loving, merciful, caring, all-wise and all-powerful. He is vitally interested in mankind.
He made our first parents “in His own godly image.” He warned them that seeking to know evil would lead to death, but they chose to seek it anyways.
This caused a break in their relationship with God, and it started the process of degeneration and death in the human race, and it activated the conscience.
You can read an account of this in the first chapters of the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible.
The conscience speaks silently to us.
It is like a personal warning from God against evil and its degenerating effects. When temptations come to us, the conscience tries to restrain us from disobeying, or sinning against, the moral code that is written in our image. It even monitors our thoughts and tries to dissuade us from thinking evil. Since our self-will is biased towards evil, the conscience often generates conflict in our being.
The conscience is meant to be a benefit to us.
It is meant to help to restore the broken relationship with God.
To heed it will save us from moral failures, shame, guilt and remorse. It will help us to live the way that we were designed to live to develop a godly and loving character, to have friendship with God, and to be a blessing to humanity. It will help us to coexist in peace with our neighbors. If we offend others, our conscience urges us to apologize and make amends. If others offend us, it urges us to forgive them. If we yield to lusts and selfish desires, it urges us to confess our weaknesses and to ask God to help us to overcome them.
On the contrary, to disobey the counsels of the conscience will result in our hearts hardening against God.
This leads to moral defeat, inner conflicts and troubles, sin and despair.
By continued abuse, its voice gets weaker and it may even seem to be dead; however, it does not die. Romans 2:1-6 tells us the conscience will be the prime witness at the final judgment. There it will reveal its secrets.
How can we escape the feeling of guilt and condemnation?
Guilt is the evidence of unforgiven sins, and only the pardon of those sins will remove the guilt. Pardon for sins against others should be sought from the offended ones. Then we need to extend pardon to those who have offended us. Pardon for sins against God and against our godly image needs to be sought from God. God fully knows our weaknesses and He invites us to ask for pardon.
He is merciful, and He will respond to the sincere pardon-seeker.
Can a guilty conscience be cleansed?
Yes, it can be, thanks to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
To cleanse a human conscience, God needed a human to break the power of evil. The Son incarnated and identified with mankind. He was tempted in all ways to do evil, but he did not yield to evil; He did not sin.
Please, read His biography in the New Testament part of the Holy Bible. His many opponents succeeded in having Him condemned to death. He submitted to their evil plots. He knew Gods will in the matter and He voluntarily offered Himself to His Heavenly Father as an atonement, or a sacrifice, for the sins of mankind.
He paid the ransom price, so that sinners can be reconciled to God, be forgiven of their sins and be redeemed from the power of evil. God offers this redemption to whoever turns from their sins and trusts in Jesus Christ.
Death had no claim on Jesus Christ. God raised Him from the dead and then took Him up to Heaven. He is now, as a Mediator, helping those who trust in Him (Hebrews 2:14-18). He indwells His followers with His Holy Spirit, and empowers them to live a godly life. If we fall in a temptation, and repent, He will pardon us and encourage us to continue following Him.
The Bible tell us that “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:1.
We can be guilt free, our sins forgiven and our conscience clean, by trusting in Jesus Christ and by living as He directs.
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