The Conscience
The soul is the seat of the mind. All our faculties for learning and reasoning are controlled by the soul because there is where happiness is determined and generated. The pursuit of happiness is so key to man’s makeup that no law of man’s devising can successfully war against happiness without causing upheaval at the citizen’s core and the eventual dissolution of that law.
We do what we do because we love to do it. We do the things we do because they make us happy. They may even be self-destructive, but if they make us happy, we invariably do them. They may be foolish and illogical, but if they bring peace to the soul, if they bring pleasure, no amount of logic or wisdom or training will change our thoughts or drives or behavior.
The seat of the mind is the soul; the seat of the soul is the conscience. Some have taught that the seat of the soul is the “6th sense,” a mystical power to channel the spirits and bodiless personalities of “the ethers.” That is simply a trap by the devil and his angels to get first dibs on our conscience. The conscience is the very helm of the whole human being, the deepest of all that controls us; thus Satan’s determination to subdue and control it. The scriptures says, “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” Jas. 3:4. Here James is likening our tongue to the steerage of a ship, but isn’t it true what Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matt. 12:34). So our words are not only the expression of our tongues, but of the conscience, and if the conscience is first guarded, then the tongue will be guarded automatically. “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matt. 23:26).
The conscience is that faculty through which the Holy Spirit speaks to us if we can hear Him. As Jesus often affirmed, “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” “Let these sayings sink down into your ears.” (Rev. 2:7;Lk. 9:44). As we are in God’s image, we have the unique natural ability to recognize Christ’s voice to the soul. But that perfect communication Adam was created with has been well-nigh obliterated because of rebellion. By loyalty to another, Adam’s ability to hear God and commune with Him became hampered. By the tempter’s enslavement and control, and by Adam’s new propensity to serve self, and that same propensity in his children, the voice of conscience died away from the human race, blocked by the deafening chatter of self-interest and the rage cause by all of his powers in chaos under the masterful abilities of demon puppeteers. Satan knew man better than man knew himself, and the devils would create such havoc in the beliefs and thoughts, the desires and the appetites and passions, that it would be impossible for the human alone to withstand the power of the adversary and to respond to the non-stop work of God in reclaiming him.
But God has His ways. His methods may require time, but He lays His foundation very wisely. His methods may or may not take generations to execute, but against all the power Hell can muster, Christ will raise up a people who stand faithfully for His Father’s government and steadfastly refuse the ownership of Satan.
Satan claims to be God. To the infinite Creator, he says, My claim to Earth is proven by my going to and from it, and by walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7). To creation he is, “the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof: that opened not the house of his prisoners,” and dared God to do anything to stop him. (Is. 14:17). From his earthly headquarters he has shaken his fist at all heaven and “opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” (Rev. 13:6).
If Satan can inhibit the activity of the conscience, he will. Thus idolatry, his favorite tool. By the self-pleasing practices of idolatry, he can so clutter the soul with greed, ambition, revenge, appetite, fashion, and pretense, he can so bombard the senses with stimuli, that the influence of the Holy Spirit on the conscience becomes buried by the noise of the conflicting voices.
Another enemy of the conscience is ignorance to God’s will. If we haven’t united with Christ’s yoke and learned of Him, we are easy targets to the devil’s suggestions. He loves to befriend the unsuspecting agnostic or Christian, taking him under his wing, and lead him off the path of righteousness. Usually in the name of righteousness! (His brand, of course). Then when God hasn’t prospered that person’s so-called “moral” efforts, because He can’t, then the devils whisper, “Oh well, I guess strict obedience to righteousness isn’t the best path after all. But no one can blame you for not trying.”
In great sorrow Christ sees multitudes turn away from Him because they choose not to examine their motives and correct them, but give up the struggle to find the beautiful life with God. They are like the seed that fell upon rocky soil in Christ’s parable, who hear the Word, and rejoice to receive it; yet they grow no root in themselves, but endure for a little while. Then when perplexities make the path of life a difficult one, instead of realizing his need of patience, “that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise...to the saving of the soul,” instead, “by and by he is offended,” and draws away from Christ and casts away any confidence he had in Him. (Matt. 13:20,21;Heb. 10:36-39).
Thus it is vital that the conscience be educated. We need to know what God expects. We need to recognize Satan’s devices long before they are upon us. Many have thought to worship God yet be content to remain in ignorance of His character, and turn out to worship His arch enemy instead. (Ex. 32:5,6). Such a slap in God’s face brings Satan his sweetest revenge. He couldn’t personally blaspheme God nearly so well as do God’s own children whom God looks upon with distraught longing for their response to His loving care. God is holy, thus we must worship Him in the spirit of holiness and truth. The spirit of the world, the practices of the world must be drawn from our grip. We must accept the God of holiness. Then our conscience will be tuned to the correct frequency, and learning of Him will become possible.
When the conscience is properly educated and unhampered by all fear except for the fear born of divine love, it becomes an indomitable power for good. Righteousness is not “Bible ethics.” Righteousness is love. But love is not only a feeling, it is primarily a principle, the principle of righteousness. When God’s love rules the conscience, then love and conscientiousness will characterize the life.
The journey with God will begin as a mustard seed and flourish into a tree big enough for birds to sit and sing to the wind. The Lord will drench His children’s roots with His mercy and cleanse their conscience with “the washing of water by the Word,” “that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” (Eph. 5:26;Is. 61:3).
We do what we do because we love to do it. We do the things we do because they make us happy. They may even be self-destructive, but if they make us happy, we invariably do them. They may be foolish and illogical, but if they bring peace to the soul, if they bring pleasure, no amount of logic or wisdom or training will change our thoughts or drives or behavior.
The seat of the mind is the soul; the seat of the soul is the conscience. Some have taught that the seat of the soul is the “6th sense,” a mystical power to channel the spirits and bodiless personalities of “the ethers.” That is simply a trap by the devil and his angels to get first dibs on our conscience. The conscience is the very helm of the whole human being, the deepest of all that controls us; thus Satan’s determination to subdue and control it. The scriptures says, “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” Jas. 3:4. Here James is likening our tongue to the steerage of a ship, but isn’t it true what Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matt. 12:34). So our words are not only the expression of our tongues, but of the conscience, and if the conscience is first guarded, then the tongue will be guarded automatically. “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matt. 23:26).
The conscience is that faculty through which the Holy Spirit speaks to us if we can hear Him. As Jesus often affirmed, “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” “Let these sayings sink down into your ears.” (Rev. 2:7;Lk. 9:44). As we are in God’s image, we have the unique natural ability to recognize Christ’s voice to the soul. But that perfect communication Adam was created with has been well-nigh obliterated because of rebellion. By loyalty to another, Adam’s ability to hear God and commune with Him became hampered. By the tempter’s enslavement and control, and by Adam’s new propensity to serve self, and that same propensity in his children, the voice of conscience died away from the human race, blocked by the deafening chatter of self-interest and the rage cause by all of his powers in chaos under the masterful abilities of demon puppeteers. Satan knew man better than man knew himself, and the devils would create such havoc in the beliefs and thoughts, the desires and the appetites and passions, that it would be impossible for the human alone to withstand the power of the adversary and to respond to the non-stop work of God in reclaiming him.
But God has His ways. His methods may require time, but He lays His foundation very wisely. His methods may or may not take generations to execute, but against all the power Hell can muster, Christ will raise up a people who stand faithfully for His Father’s government and steadfastly refuse the ownership of Satan.
Satan claims to be God. To the infinite Creator, he says, My claim to Earth is proven by my going to and from it, and by walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7). To creation he is, “the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof: that opened not the house of his prisoners,” and dared God to do anything to stop him. (Is. 14:17). From his earthly headquarters he has shaken his fist at all heaven and “opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” (Rev. 13:6).
If Satan can inhibit the activity of the conscience, he will. Thus idolatry, his favorite tool. By the self-pleasing practices of idolatry, he can so clutter the soul with greed, ambition, revenge, appetite, fashion, and pretense, he can so bombard the senses with stimuli, that the influence of the Holy Spirit on the conscience becomes buried by the noise of the conflicting voices.
Another enemy of the conscience is ignorance to God’s will. If we haven’t united with Christ’s yoke and learned of Him, we are easy targets to the devil’s suggestions. He loves to befriend the unsuspecting agnostic or Christian, taking him under his wing, and lead him off the path of righteousness. Usually in the name of righteousness! (His brand, of course). Then when God hasn’t prospered that person’s so-called “moral” efforts, because He can’t, then the devils whisper, “Oh well, I guess strict obedience to righteousness isn’t the best path after all. But no one can blame you for not trying.”
In great sorrow Christ sees multitudes turn away from Him because they choose not to examine their motives and correct them, but give up the struggle to find the beautiful life with God. They are like the seed that fell upon rocky soil in Christ’s parable, who hear the Word, and rejoice to receive it; yet they grow no root in themselves, but endure for a little while. Then when perplexities make the path of life a difficult one, instead of realizing his need of patience, “that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise...to the saving of the soul,” instead, “by and by he is offended,” and draws away from Christ and casts away any confidence he had in Him. (Matt. 13:20,21;Heb. 10:36-39).
Thus it is vital that the conscience be educated. We need to know what God expects. We need to recognize Satan’s devices long before they are upon us. Many have thought to worship God yet be content to remain in ignorance of His character, and turn out to worship His arch enemy instead. (Ex. 32:5,6). Such a slap in God’s face brings Satan his sweetest revenge. He couldn’t personally blaspheme God nearly so well as do God’s own children whom God looks upon with distraught longing for their response to His loving care. God is holy, thus we must worship Him in the spirit of holiness and truth. The spirit of the world, the practices of the world must be drawn from our grip. We must accept the God of holiness. Then our conscience will be tuned to the correct frequency, and learning of Him will become possible.
When the conscience is properly educated and unhampered by all fear except for the fear born of divine love, it becomes an indomitable power for good. Righteousness is not “Bible ethics.” Righteousness is love. But love is not only a feeling, it is primarily a principle, the principle of righteousness. When God’s love rules the conscience, then love and conscientiousness will characterize the life.
The journey with God will begin as a mustard seed and flourish into a tree big enough for birds to sit and sing to the wind. The Lord will drench His children’s roots with His mercy and cleanse their conscience with “the washing of water by the Word,” “that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” (Eph. 5:26;Is. 61:3).
posted by David | 5:06 AM
4 Comments:
A lovely post :) Thank you, and the peace of God go with you, brother.
Interesting story - there was a "second marriage" for a lovely couple that seemed to be the perfect match. Lovely christian people. Then, came the car accident. The beautiful bride would wear a mark on her forehead (reasoning) that would never be erased. She became a completely different person. It caused her husband so much grief because she was no longer the same person. She hated her husband she hated everything, it seemed, and she would have nothing more to do with him.
People don't realize how important it is to have good reasoning abilities. This woman couldn't help that her reasoning was taken from her in a horrible car accident. But many of us choose to reduce our reasoning abilities by what we eat and drink, what we watch and read and so forth.
I'll never forget the complete change in that woman, and I pray that God will help me to grow in Him and choose daily to protect the center of reasoning He has given to me.
Thank you Irving. Come back again soon.
Sharon, that experience is a very good object lesson, isn't it. There is a reason God created us with our center of reasoning and conscience in the forehead. And it also explains the Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God being in the forehead. The Mark isn't a barcode or a chip under the skin. Its a character molded after one of the two great powers contending for the supremacy of our soul, Christ or Satan.
Thank you for your excellent comment.
Such a beautyiful post, i really learned alot n enjoyed reading it.
Thnx alot for sharing:)
Takecare
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