Nik Schatz

Jiminy Cricket once told Pinocchio, “Always let your conscience be your guide.” This is good advice. We ought to strive to do everything in our power to obey our conscience and keep it clean.

God has implanted each of us with a sliver of his moral awareness. Acting as an internal judge and guide,[1] our conscience is “the law written in our hearts” (Rom 2:15). Our conscience can either plague us or free us, accusing or excusing our behavior.

Most importantly, our conscience can be shaped. Neglecting to cultivate it can wreck our faith, while aligning it with God’s values results in a fruitful life.

A Neglected Conscience
Our conscience can be off. This can happen when our focus remains on legalistic habits while overlooking much weightier matters. Or, it can happen when we are oversensitive and judging others for perfectly acceptable behavior. Our conscience can even conflict with itself, accusing or excusing our actions.[2]

Our conscience can be wrong. The New Testament teaches that a conscience can be wounded, defiled, or seared. It can be worn down from the experiences of life and manipulated by our upbringing. It can turn evil because of sin inflicted against us or sin committed by us.[3]

While our conscience is a gift from God, an ignored conscience can become defiled. After frequently overriding its moral prompts, a conscience can be worn down, leaving one in a miserable and dangerous state of existence.

An Upright Conscience
Our conscience can be right. Scripture speaks positively about having a clear or clean conscience. In Psalm 32, David’s conscience drove him to depression. Once he acknowledged and confessed his sin, he could once again “be glad in the Lord and rejoice” with an upright heart.

So, how can we align our conscience with God’s moral character?

Jesus calls us to a life of discipleship. This is a daily practice of growing in our faith by moving from spiritual infancy to maturity. In Acts 10, Peter experienced a life-changing encounter. His Jewish background had shaped his conscience to be overly strict. This plagued his conscience unnecessarily and caused him to be judgmental and hypocritical towards others. One day, the Word of God convicted his heart. After reflecting on this moment, he began the process of re-calibrating his conscience to more closely match God’s moral standards. So, make a habit of studying God’s Word.

Likewise, consider the way Paul prayed for those he led. He did not pray for them to act better, but to think better. He prayed for their “spiritual wisdom and understanding” to “increase in the knowledge of God” (Col 1). He requested for them to be “rooted and grounded in love” so they may “comprehend [. . .] and know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3). A deeper knowledge of God’s Word results in a wise and discerning conscience.

By cultivating habits of walking with God, we grow in the knowledge of God’s will. The closer we get to our Heavenly Father, the more confidently we can become “fully convinced” of our moral decisions (Rom 14:5). This brings us assurance that we are living a blameless life and, ultimately, frees us to serve other people. With a mature conscience, the apostle Paul was able to adjust his behavior around various people to win them over “for the sake of the gospel” (1 Cor 9).

Scripture challenges us to add virtues to our faith, not simply behaviors. Peter did not write, “add to your faith accomplishments and tasks and fulfillment of duties;” rather, he encouraged us to add virtues to our faith (2 Pet 1:5–8). Scripture challenges us to adjust our thinking, not merely our actions.[4]

Jesus was not known for being a rule follower. He was known for being a virtuous person. We must redirect our efforts to becoming more like Jesus and not just accomplishing things for Jesus. In doing so, we will be less like Martha, distracted and anxious, and more like Mary, who “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened,” being nourished in her spiritual formation. If we develop spiritual discernment, our conscience will naturally guide us towards godly living.

[1] Paul A. Hartog, “Conscience,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016)
[2] Cf. Mattew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 8:7; Romans 14
[3] Cf. Titus 1:15; 1 Timothy 4:2
[4] Philippians 4:8

Nik Schatz (DMin ’24) is the executive pastor at Hershey Free Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania.