Question 1

Where does my conscience come from?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 3:6-7The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.Romans 1:19-20They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.Romans 2:15They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.When God created humans, he created them with an innate knowledge of himself. Conscience is the God-given instinct he put deep inside you that guides you to know right from wrong and to understand if you are in line with God’s will and God’s Word.

Question 2

What does my conscience really do?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 42:21Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”Proverbs 29:7The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.Romans 2:15They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.Your conscience testifies against you to yourself, pointing out your sin and bringing a sense of guilt. It then urges you to remove this sense of guilt by righting the wrong. It is essential to listen to and obey your conscience or else it will become dulled and useless.Acts 23:1Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”1 Peter 3:16Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.Your conscience can also work in a positive way in your life. When you maintain a clear conscience, knowing that you are following close to God, you will have confidence and be able to stand strong when you face opposition.

Question 3

When my conscience testifies against me, how should I respond?

Accepted Answer

Ezra 9:6“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.”In the courtroom of righteousness and decency, your conscience witnesses against you when you violate it. You should feel shame for your sin before God and yourself. A feeling of guilt over wrongs committed is a good indicator that your conscience is in working order. When you feel this shame and guilt, confess your sin to God and ask his forgiveness. Then you will be free from the guilt of your sin and your conscience will have done its work in you.

Question 4

If God created everyone with a conscience, why have some people done such horrible things?

Accepted Answer

1 Timothy 1:19Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.Sin is the act of going against your conscience. You know what you are doing is wrong because your conscience tells you so, but you do it anyway. If you consistently go against your conscience, you can train yourself to not hear it calling out to you, warning you of danger. You then become insensitive to sin. In a sense you have “tricked” yourself into thinking all is well when it really isn’t.

Question 5

Can I lose my conscience?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 7:24“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.”Micah 3:1-2“Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil.”1 Timothy 4:1-2Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.You can’t entirely lose your conscience, but you can become so dulled to its urgings that you don’t or can’t hear it. The conscience is like a muscle; it must be exercised and developed. Even if you don’t exercise it, the muscle is still there. Those who have done horrible deeds still have a conscience. But over time they have learned to tune it out. Without your conscience you feel free to do whatever you want.

Question 6

How does God use other people to awaken my conscience?

Accepted Answer

2 Samuel 12:7, 9, 13Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! . . . Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?” . . . Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”David’s conscience condemned him, and he confessed his sin of murdering Uriah and taking his wife. But it condemned him only after Nathan confronted him. God sometimes uses others to testify to your conscience so that your conscience may testify against you.

Question 7

How do I keep a clear conscience?

Accepted Answer

Acts 24:16“I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.”Paul knew he would give an account of his actions to before God at the resurrection. Keeping that in mind drove him to avoid sin and to respond in a godly way whenever his conscience witnessed against him. You should do the same.1 Corinthians 4:4My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.Conscience is not always an unbiased judge. You may have persuaded your conscience that all is well when it isn’t. In a sense, you may have “bought off” your conscience. But you can’t buy off God. He is the only truly unbiased judge. So train and measure your thoughts and actions, as well as your conscience, by the standard of God’s Word.Hebrews 10:22Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.God will help you maintain a clear conscience through your relationship to him. Draw near to him at all times. Seek his guidance and wisdom in all situations.

Question 8

Can my conscience become too strong, so that I feel guilty over everything?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”Romans 4:7-8“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.As a believer, you have been forgiven and cleansed from sin. Yet, you will still sin at times and your conscience will continue to show you wrong actions that you should make right with God and others. Even so, there is no place for constant guilt in your life. As you seek to follow and stay close to God, as you confess your sins to him when your conscience pricks you, you will maintain a right relationship with God that is not weighed down by guilt.