The Conscience • 01.14.24

Jack Flaherty   -   January 13, 2024

The Conscience 
Romans 14:1-15:13

A Biblical introduction for our good and God’s glory

1. What is it?
2. How is it to be stewarded?
3. Why does it matter?

Good morning! My name is Jack Flaherty and I serve as one of the Pastors here at Harvest. It’s a joy and privilege to open God’s Word with you all this morning. Praying you are all staying warm and safe. Thank you to those who are out cleaning roads and sidewalks for public and for neighbors. Thanks for those first responders and workers still out there. Praying for you all. As today is a bit unique in this format I actually want to start briefly with announcements:

–          First, a reminder that Next Steps all happening. Step 2 Harvest Essentails next Sunday 21st at 11 am. Step 3 Harvest Membership Feb 3rd and 10th. Sign up online!

–          Second, Lord willing Pastor Nick will start his Equipping for Daily Life classes this week kicking off with understanding the herat. Limited space at the parsonage so sign up online.

–          Third, don’t forget Men’s breakfast this Saturday 7-9am.

–          Finally, as you’ve heard we kick off a series in Isaiah next week. Don’t forget to snag a Scripture journal and check out Bible project 6-8 minute intro videos.

We kicked off 2024 last week with Vision Sunday as Pastor Nick took us through 2 Peter 1:1-15. We see that for those who have a new ID in Christ, have been given all we need for life and godliness by Christ, we are called to grow in Christ likeness. That going well this week? This section ends in 2 Peter 1:12-15 with Peter saying “I intend to always remind you…I think it right while on earth to stir you up by way of reminder…I will make every effort so that you may be able to recall these things at any time even when I am gone!” So here is your reminder, make this a priority to have some steps for growth as we strive for the Lord in 2024.

Part of this growth, as Nick mentioned last week, is today’s one-off sermon on the subject of the conscience. This is a topic I am excited to dive into and though I am very far from being an expert, I have been enjoying doing much Biblical study and prayerful meditation on the subject. In our day and age, we don’t talk much about the conscience but the Bible has much to say on it!

Two notes on where we will be in the Scriptures. First, online you can find a list of all the passages which use the word “conscience” in the ESV Bible. That’s 29 passages! I will refer to this list later and you can also take more time to look your own leisure.  Second, we will spend most of our time this morning in Romans 14-15. Open you Bibles J. Instead of trying to cover all the passages what I hope to do is use Romans 14-15 as a guide for us. Less a full explanation of the conscience but a demonstration of it at play. My goal to day is not to cover all the things but rather to provide  a Biblical introduction for our good and God’s glory. When you meet someone for the first time you don’t get all the info. That’d be awkward and weird! We learn more as we spend time and engage. I think that’s the same with this subject. Though I doubt many have spent much time I know we all have things to learn. We won’t learn them all today. That’d be awkward and long. Instead, we are going to be introduced to the conscience by asking three questions. Lets pray that God would help us.

Our first questions is…

1.      What is it?

Think of this as the conscience defined. Lets read Romans 14:1-12. This is known as one of the greatest theological letters every written and Paul gives 10% of it explicitly to matters of conscience. Even though its doesn’t mention the word, the concepts are all over. Before we unpack here is out definition: The conscience is a God given consciousness of right and wrong.

This lines up with by several other definitions!

–          “Inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness”—Oxford

–          “Seat of consciousness of moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, & character together with a felling of obligation to do right or be good”—Meriam-Webster

–          “Consciousness of what you believe is right and wrong”—Naselli and Crowley (show book)

–          “God given moral faculty to understand right and wrong”—DeYoung (show book)

You hearing a similar theme? On that handout you have those 29 references of conscience, all the NT ones are the same Greek word “syneidesis.” One more definition as we take the Greek word specifically into consideration.

–          “Inward faculty that distinguishes right from wrong”—BDAG

So back to our text, does it support our definition? Yes! In  Romans 14:1-12 we see a clear sense of right and wrong. Second, we see there is a difference in understanding of right and wrong. All that to say, in this case both those options can honor the Lord as v6 says. And all will give an account to God as v12 says. What we see here, though not necessarily the main crux, is all the pieces for a definition of the conscience.

One of the first things that comes into my mind when I think about the conscience is cartoons. We will discuss a new cartoon with each point just incase that’s helpful (and fun). First that come to my mind is all those Looney Tune’s and Disney characters with one devil looking guy on one shoulder and an angel looking guy on the other. They are to represent good and evil, right and wrong. And they are giving counsel to the person. This is I think such a helpful picture as we think about the conscience defined. It is almost something outside of us that is judging. That’s a reality. We all have one and it does the same thing. JI Packer says its “To be a sounding board for his word in its application to our lives. To be a mirror to catch light of moral/spiritual truth which shines rom from God and which reflects upon our deeds desires goals and choices.”

The conscience is created by God and represents God in our souls! We this in several places in the Bible like Ecclesiastes 3:11 which says God has put eternity on each mans heart. Also, this is the argument of Romans 1-2, especially 2:14-15 talking about those who reject nature even though the law is written on their hearts. There are no secrets hidden! Even just anecdotally we know there is a little voice in our head that is a consciousness or awareness or understanding of right and wrong and a sense by which we understand there is an accountability to someone or something.  So as we think about this definition, this gift that is given to us, what can is it like? And what does it do? Lets break it down a bit further referring to that list.

a.      What can it be

Really I just want us to see the accumulation of the biblical data.

–          Good or clean—we see this in places like Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Tim 1:5; 3:9 Heb 13:18

This is the idea that there is not guilt or shame or anything hanging over you. Not necessarily that it is perfect or without sin, but regenerated.

–          Evil or defiled or seared—we see this in places like 1 Cor 8:7; 1 Tim 4:2; 1 Tim 1:5

These are categories of bad to worse. Evil (Heb 10:22) means convicted of wrong but ignore it. Like when we are uncomfortable but push through without informing or stopping. Defiled in Titus 1:15 where we are totally out of what. This is what we see in Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for like and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Then seared (1 Tim 4:2) where we persist until we don’t feel it any more like spiritual scar or frostbite. These are ones not cleaned by repenting.

–          Strong or flexible

We see strong in places like a bit later in Romans 15 and also the 1 Cor 10 references. This idea is that we know what God allows and aren’t feeling guilty.

–          Weak or inflexible

Weak from 1 Cor 8 when our conscience says not to do something we totally can. Classic food to idols or alcohol or days of the week even as we see here in Romans 14. Lest these breakdowns  misinform you, strong or weak is not good or bad. Both strong and weak can honor the Lord as we read in Rom 14:6 and v5 says be convinced or convicted in your own mind. We will get more into this with how to steward it. That’s what it can be but how about what it can do.

b.      What can it do

All that be said, as we have the conscience defined, what it can be and do, Paul is more interested here in Romans 14 with how we use it! So that’s our next introductory question.

2.      How is it to be stewarded?

Lets read Romans 14:13-23. Think of this as the conscience deployed. Paul now says based on the knowledge you have of food, drink, days of the week, that conscience of what is right and wrong with those items, don’t pass judgment! Don’t be a stumbling block! Rather take this moral knowledge and steward/use it for my glory. The conscience is meant to be active! Helping us navigate life! The problem is it has been affected by sin! We don’t all agree on what is right and wrong! There are things across cultures that continents, cultures, and context that differ. Not to mention simply family units. My goal as we talk about deploying the conscience you aren’t expecting me to put on strips and be a referee. Though I do have opinions on things. Rather to show how we ought to use it not to destroy the work of God (v15) but to serve Christ (v18) and pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding (v19).

a.      Cleanse it

As we saw, having a clear or good conscience all over the Bible (Acts 24:15; 1 Tim 1:5; 3:9; 1 Pet 3:16). Christians ought to experience and good conscience! How? First work of the conscience to see how bad we really are. If you were to slow down right now and really ponder all that you’ve done, or said, or thought even just by what’s right and wrong in your own conscience, you know you need a savior. Now we may wrestle I was a good enough guy or gal. But we know we fall short of even our own standards. We can hide it, we can explain it away by comparing to the next guy or the circumstance or the season or that we somehow atoned. But the reality is, and I pray by God’s grace this is happening right now, when God’s Spirit as at work in our hearts it will awaken us to our wickedness.

But not so we sit in it, we turn from sin. That’s the second work of conscience. That conviction afterwards isn’t to feel miserable and pout and cover up with leaves. Rather it is God’s means of driving us to see his grace in the person of Jesus Christ! He is the Lord of the conscience and did you know he offers a free pardon and peace with God through Christ? 1 John 1:9 says if we confess he is faithful and just to forgives and purify us! Clean conscience! As Heb 10:22 says sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and guaranteed by his resurrection from the dead. One of the greatest pictures I’ve even see is that of Christian unloading his burden in John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress. He’s got this rucksack he dragging around for his whole life. He feels it and get shake it! And yet finally one look at the cross where the Kings Son laid down his life and that burden is gone.

Your conscience is not just a bad guy out to hurt you, but a good gift from God meant to protect you and bring you joy as you live a life of peace! Not your own peace but a peace that is won by the blood of Christ and is informed by God and His Word and His Spirit. Those puritan articles reminded me from the Word that a clean conscience brings sweetness in communion with God in prayer, sweetness of time in the Word, sweetness of enjoying all things in the world. We can better enjoy the world than the world itself because our pleasures doubled by peace or enlightened, tender, faithful conscience. Let God clean it today by turning from sin and towards Christ! That’s first thing, second thing is…

b.      Protect and obey it

That is really what this Romans 14:13-23 is about. Paul says for those who are more flexible you honor Jesus by serving others. For those who are less flexible, don’t cross the line of your conscience. When we do that is saying we are ok sinning, even if the act is not a sin. We will be accountable for our faith to God v22. So if we act against what we think is right that is sin. If you don’t have the flexibility, then protect yourself.

It’s less about the actions v16 specifically but more about understanding what God wants from us. Yes we can sin in action but also we have much freedom in Christ. We don’t want legalistic bondage nor antinomian(lawless) license. We want freedom and joy in Christ. So how do we make sure we get on the same page as God when it comes to what is right and what is wrong? How do I know what I am free to do? How do I know what I am not so free to do? We take time to search and make clean and calibrate our conscience according to the Word.

c.       Inform and train it

If there is one phrase to walk away with today it is cleanse you conscience and calibrate it Biblically. Calibrate is something we did in science where you added or subtracted to ge the instrument working right. Loved those lab reports. Heard it also said to be like a garden. We got weeds that need pulled out and we need new plants and organization brought in. Once we are cleansed that doesn’t mean everything is instantly fine. And of course even as Christians we aren’t perfect protectors and obeys. So we must continually and Biblically inform and train our consciences.

Again, conscience subject to God and his word not the other way around. Though we do want to obey our conscience and help others do the same, it is a dangerous error to be bound to do everything which is conscience tells him is the will of God and that every man must obey his conscience as if it were the lawgiver. Even Paul here in saying don’t cause another to stumble gives some clear instruction to help calibrate, to inform, to train both the strong and weak. Don’t use freedoms to pass judgment v13. And don’t forsake that God made all clean v20!

How do we go about this? Let me recommend that the first information/training we need is the recognition of levels of priority in matters. We call this theological triage from 1 Cor 15 where there are matters of first importance. First tier issues are those related to the gospel and salvation. These are non-negotiables for Christians—diety of Christ, the Trinity, Jesus sacrificially died for sinners and rose again and is coming back. Then there are matters of second importance. These aren’t salvation but they do impact association in the church–baptism, who can be a pastor, what sort of church government do you have. Not unimportant, might mean we don’t worship together, but we can affirm we are Christians. Then we get to matters of third importance (again all of these are still important) but these get into disputable matters or what we would call matters of conscience. Things that really don’t matter for salvation or church association, but they matter because the Bible speaks to all things of life and godliness.

What are some of these disputable issues? Here is a bunch: How do we treat Sundays, can you watch MMA (or WWE), what does modest dress look like, where do I buy my coffee, is this movie/book/video game OK, can girls wear makeup, can guys get ears pierced, can anybody get a tatoo, can we have drums in church, can I use essentials oils over medicine, school choice, eating fast food, taking shoes off going into a house, do we talk Santa and the Easter bunny, can you smoke and/or drink, can you have bath tub in your house, are radios ok, who are you voting for at Iowa caucus tomorrow. We could do more but don’t want to get too controversial. You might have opinions on these things, or opinions that I even consider these disputable matters! But the reality is whatever level we are talking of importance all of them require being rightly informed and rightly trained!

And we train on these levels of importance and what they contain by using the Word. We study the Bible like a Psalm 1 man/woman so we walk in the ways of righteous! This takes time and discipline.  Some things should come quickly, especially the things most important. Some will take more time, like those which are not gospel central but we hold tightly. But we must delineate what is manmade rules and what is God given rule or principle. And guess what, we can’t do this on the fly unless we practice. Don’t cram for the exam of life! EX of my students waiting till last minute. So are you spending time in the word? Pastor Nick challenged us on that. You can’t just expect to show up 5 minutes before SG ready to answers questions. How does that work when life throws a real surprise test? We want to go to the gym and get fit. Though weak and strong can honor God need to realize that training is the goal!

So take time in the Word to get ready. Again to the Puritans, this takes not just reading a quick glance but patient meditation and active penetrating application. We need to sit with the Word and chew on it and apply it. Then pray it out. Then ask others to help sharpen us. I think part of why we struggle so much with conscience issues is we don’t actually meditate. We think sure, but do we lay it out before God.  Say God help me inform this as Biblically as possible, then let me lay out my heart where your Spirit and my conscience meet and do what needs to be done at the seen and unseen level so that I can live rightly for my good and your glory. Inform you conscience with the Word then continue to train it by putting it in practice to the glory of God and good of others. Which brings our fourth and final stewardship…

–          Use it to serve.

We will say a bit more about this in the next point but the idea is that we would be willing to consider how the things we know from God’s Word help us love God and love others better. Use what we know of right and wrong encourage those beaten by burdens of sin to place their faith in Jesus. Use what we know about right and wrong to exhort those who are clueless to their recklessness to repent! To turn to Christ!

I told you we would rock with cartoon characters! Second we might think of Jiminy Cricket. This is the little cricket assigned to Pinocchio when he is going from wooden toy to boy. I think it illustrates well that conscience is unique to humanity. But also shows how to deploy it. We ought not ignore it! We also ought to not trust its perfect. If we ignore its more dangerous because we will sin and be ok with sinning and train it wrong! So stewards it to the glory of God and good of others. Have an active conscience which promotes Christian obedience and Christian liberty in accordance with the Word rather than carelessness or legalism of your own heart mind, or the world.

So this rightness and wrongness, maybe you already understand why it matters. Why it matters that we have the inner voice telling us this, but the final question which I think Paul answers via illustration here well is…

3.      Why does it matter?

Lets read Romans 15:1-13. We’ve talked conscience defined, then deployed, and now conscience displaying the glory of God. Why does the conscience matter? Because God is the Lord of conscience! And for us to understanding it rightly results in our benefit and God’s glory! Tats what we see here. Paul wraps up all this about the conscience and thinking differently on things by saying we need to understanding this so that we can bring glory to God! When we submit our conscience to God and use it for his glory and our good I think we see the importance played out in two specifics way.

a.      Human accountability

As we look at Romans 15:3 we see this quote from Psalm 69:9 which is a glorious gospel reality. Jesus took the pain we deserved! The conscience written on our heart is meant to remind us we are going to be accountable to God and we have One who has taking the reproaches of the reproached! Though the conscience itself can’t make us wise unto salvation, we got enough to be held accountable to the reproach due our sin, even our own inner knowledge of right and wrong again like Romans 2:14-15. We will either answer the blood of Christ or our own. This is for salvation first then for our continued sanctification. It shows the beauty of the gospel that we can be cleansed rather than sit in guilt and shame! So the conscience brings humility for our own repentance and belief, but also a tool in evangelism and apologetics and discipleship. Don’t have people ignore it OR hold it too tight. But show them how it points them to the God who gave it to them for his glory and our good. That’s the ultimately goal. For God to be exalted and enjoyed by all the nations! Which brings us to a second reason the conscience matters.

b.      Christian unity and mission

This is where Paul’s emphasis truly is. As he is dealing with this disagreement, he has mentioned in 14:19 and now in 15:2 the idea of building up even through disagreement. Disagreements sometimes are sin sometimes but most of the time are a sign that things have gone gloriously right! Church should be centered on Christ alone not shared opinions and convictions. He is enough to keep us together and uniting around him despite differences is part of how we show off the power of his gospel at work within us. So work together to talk through what God’s word says about right and wrong so that we can be in unity or as v5-7 says in harmony with each other and in accord with Christ so together we can bring him glory!

Difficulties that threaten are actually opportunities to demonstrate harmony in accord with Jesus Christ to the glory of God AND for us to grow. If we are about Jesus plus then we rob God of glory. What do we do when we disagree? Fight or flight is not the answer. Instead we live like John 13:35 our compelling community verse that we are known not by what we agree on but by how we love. The unity in diversity declares the gospel as Eph 3:10 says. Remember God’s mercy so that all of our bodies plural can be one sacrifice to him as Romans 12:1 says. Unity amidst difference is costly, it was more costly for our savior right? Where might we all need to humbly evaluate where our conscience if failing to promote unity?

And this reality again is not just for our own kumbaya unity.  We pursue unity to the glory of God displayed for the nations. You see that here in 15:8-13 starts with “for”. Welcome one another for the glory of God FOR  when we serve one another in the area of conscience, not seeking to please ourselves, we reflect Christ service and the nations will glorify God in turn. This is what Paul argues in a parallel passage in 1 Corinthians 8-10. In chapter 8 and 10 we see it littered with the reality of conscience, calibrating it, and using it to serve. But in chapter 9 Paul gets spot on missional. After discussing what rights/freedoms he has, true issues of clear conscience that are differing from the Corinthians but not from God, he says this 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Lay down freedom for the sake of gospel mission and glory of God. We get so pumped up for people willing to do incredible things going over seas and risking their lives for Jesus. How about simply risking your comfort or laying down preferences? It is worth it, for our good and God’s glory. Our third cartoon is more of a story, that of Goldlocks and the three bears. Instead of us sliding to too hard or too soft, too hot or too cold, we are by God’s grace called to be just right! Walking in the way of the Lord. The conscience is a gift from God for us to steward in the efforts of ourselves enjoying and exulting God and sharing him so that that nations would do that same for our good and his glory.

This is an area for lifetime growth in understanding and calibrating, but its worth it. As we have just scratched the surface today I image maybe more questions have come up. Bring those to the PT, to your SG, grab one of the resources referenced, and most importantly turn to God’s Word. Brothers and sisters, by God’s grace may we continue to see the conscience as a good gift from God for us to have cleansed by Christ and then trained Biblically. Lets close by asking God to help us live with clean conscience before him and continue to train it well.

Let’s pray.