Conscience

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, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared (1 Tim 4:1-2).

Paul's warning is a bit ominous to me. You see, we have a built-in sin detector. It's called "conscience". Of course, as believers we're not necessarily supposed to rely on that sensor. We're supposed to observe all that we are commanded. In that sense, whether or not we detect a particular act or attitude as sin, if we're told it is, it is. Still, most of us operate with that "sin detector" as our first and best line of defense. If it doesn't feel like a sin, it's quite difficult for us to conclude that it is. "How can it be sin? I don't see how it's harming anyone. I don't feel like it's wrong." Or, in the words of a 1977 hit by Debby Boone, "It can't be wrong if it feels so right."

Paul is warning Timothy about the problem with this very common thinking. There is a problem in human beings. If you indulge in lying (and all humans suffer from the suppression of truth to varying degrees), you can suffer a seared conscience. In the movie, Marathon Man, the dentist who was torturing our main character by attacking a nerve in a tooth assured him, "Don't worry, I won't do that again. There's no point. That nerve is already dying." That's us. Ignore the pangs of conscience long enough and we become numb to the sensations. What we once were pretty sure was wrong we no longer see that way. "It can't be wrong if it feels so right."

The conscience is indeed a valuable tool. Paul commended himself to the consciences of his observers (2 Cor 4:2). He told Timothy that the goal was "love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." A good conscience is a good thing. But there are conscience malfunctions. Besides searing it, you can have a weak conscience. Paul uses this phrase to describe people who tend to think of things as "bad" that aren't necessarily so. Interestingly, Paul recommended that we avoid doing things that would offend people with weak consciences. It is more important, then, to avoid violating conscience than to be right. And there are solutions offered for conscience problems. The author of Hebrews says that we can come to Christ to have our consciences purified (Heb 9:14). Drawing near to God helps to clean what is termed "an evil conscience" (Heb 10:22). The seared conscience, then, can be repaired by bathing in the blood of Christ and continually drawing near to God.

Conscience is a good thing. It's best when it works. It can be harmful when it is weak. But Martin Luther said, "To go against conscience is neither right nor safe." We can, with some effort, violate our conscience enough to make it numb. Bad choice. Keep in mind: "It can't be wrong if it feels so right" may not be the best method of determining right and wrong. We can, through immaturity, have a weak conscience. But the real aim is a good conscience, a clear conscience. It is obtained by a vibrant relationship with Christ. It is a primary component of the love that we are aiming at. As such, it isn't an optional item for Christians.