Troublesome Topic: Satan Uses Our Conscience against Us

The Conscience Is Never in Error

A conscience is innate, everyone has one. It is not a product of environment, training, habit, or education, though it is influenced by all of these.

The conscience is never in error. The conscience judges rightly based on what it is given to judge by- its foundation. So the problem is never an erring conscience, but the problem can be a twisted conscience or a seared conscience – a conscience with a faulty foundation.

Here Are Some Examples

Some manufacturing systems use a camera verification system to verify that the last step in the process coincides with previous steps in the process. There are many applications for this technology. However, the camera has no intelligence. It only knows what it sees. That is why a computer is used to verify if what the camera is seeing is correct. However, the computer has not real intelligence either, it only does what it has been programed to do. Therefore the operator must tell the computer running the camera what to verify against. There are a number of reasons why a camera verify system can give a “this is right” signal when things are not actually right, or it can give a signal of “that’s wrong” when things are actually right. How is this possible? If the camera is focused on the wrong place, if the camera is told to look for one thing (say a 16 digit number) and that thing does not exist (because it is a 12 digit number), if the computer is drawing from the wrong database, or if the database is corrupted or otherwise wrong, then the camera verify system will come to the wrong conclusion.

The camera is never in error. It sees what it sees. However, the information the camera is given can be in error. Therefore, while the camera is doing its job correctly, the system can give a false report because the rest of the system was in error.

In the same way our conscience says, “Yep, that picture looks right.”.

Imagine a day gone by when a surgeon could tell the family of a patient that the surgery was a success and then the family and the patient find out later that the surgeon operated on the wrong shoulder, the wrong eye, the wrong lung, etc. Yes, the surgery went smoothly without any complications, but it was still wrong. To avoid such problems today someone puts a mark on the patient’s skin with a marker if there is any possibility for confusion. Then every Doctor, nurse or janitor that enters the room confirms in every possible way that the correct part of the body will be operated on.

In this example our conscience would say, “Yep, the surgery went smoothly.”

Or think about typing or playing the piano. When you type, your fingers can do everything exactly as you have trained them to do, the right strokes in the right order, but if your fingers are resting on the wrong keys, the result will be gibberish. The fingers think they have done things correctly; it is the eyes that notice the difference. That is why keyboards have raised dots on the letters F and J, but we sometimes fail to check for that detail before we start typing away.

The same can be said of the piano; your fingers can perform all the right motions in the right sequence, but if your fingers started out in the wrong place, it will sound terrible. Once again, your fingers will think they have played the correct keys; it will be your ears that know there was a problem.

Back to the Conscience

That is why I say that the conscience is never in error; it always fulfills its function properly, but the standard it is given can be in error.

God pre-set “default settings” into the human conscience but they can become blurred or muddled. There are cases in which certain strong influences (usually those of the parents) can cause a young child’s development to lack a moral framework through which he can interpret his world. Extreme situations, like continual physical or sexual abuse, can cause a child to go into a survival mode where the only important criterion is self-preservation. All else takes a back seat, including those inconvenient pricks of the conscience saying that something is wrong.

However, in less severe situations the conscience is not overridden as often and it remains closer to what our creator designed.

It is possible to have an overly narrow, fanatical or bigoted conscience, or an overly sensitive conscience, or a calloused or dead conscience, but you cannot have an “erring conscience;” that is a misnomer. The conscience will always follow its foundation.

The conscience does not need to analyze right and wrong—it just knows, based on its foundation. Usually, the natural understanding of right and wrong that is deep within each person is quite close to the standards of right and wrong found in God’s Word.

The problem is seldom in the conscience; it is usually in the will. We set priorities that govern our choices, and we over-ride our conscience to do what we want to do.

The bad example of parents does not eliminate the conscience. Repeated bad choices by parents may, however, create some confusion and thus allow the will of the child to argue that doing such things is OK in certain situations.

Religious fanaticism can motivate people to do something that would normally be considered wrong. It is seen as right or even great if done for religious reasons. The “honor killings” in Islam are an example. Once again this does not change the conscience, but it gives the will a way to justify it—and who can argue with religious motivation?

The Role of the Conscience

1.  It urges us to do what is right.

2.  It warns us against doing what is wrong.

3.  It waves a red flag if we did something wrong.

4.  It affirms that something we did was the right thing to do.

The role of the conscience has nothing to do with analyzing something or arguing with the will. It does not consider the reasons behind things, the options available, or the consequences of an act. It does not do the role of the will; it does not decide what to do.

Your conscience responds immediately; the will must then decide what to do about it. When an argument is going on in your head, it is not your conscience arguing with itself.

Regarding temptation, the conscience is a warning system. The simplest way I can explain the conscience is to say it is a flagman whose job is to wave a flag.

If your conscience sends up a red flag and you hear a voice arguing with that initial statement, it is usually the enemy.

The conscience does not argue against the will, it renders its judgment on the rightness of an act, states it clearly, and then its job is done. If a person’s will wants to do that thing anyway and finds ways to justify doing it, the conscience will not do anything other than repeat its initial assessment of right or wrong. The conscience does not explain to the will how it comes to a conclusion, it just does.

A Few Basic Rules

1.  If it questions the Bible, or if it challenges God’s authority, it is not God’s voice. Satan asked Eve: “Did God really say …? (Gen 3:1)

2.  If it causes paralysis, it is not God’s voice.

I Jn 4:18 says “There is no fear in love, but fully developed love casts out fear.”

Satan wants us to think of ourselves as good, moral people, but does not want us to DO anything. Satan wants us to believe we can’t do anything so “Why try?”

God wants us to be committed and loyal to Him, and ACT as his followers should.

God often calls us to step out in faith.

3. If it makes you feel worthless and inadequate, it is not God’s voice. God will never, never tell you that you are worthless or inadequate. He has already shown you how valuable you are to him, for He loved you with the cross.

4.  In every situation God is inviting us to come to Him. Listen for it. If you listen for God’s invitation, you will always hear it. While it is soft, it is always there, and if we listen for it, God will allow us to hear it. And if we ask for His help, He will give us the strength to act—to follow that invitation to “come.”

The next lesson is The Conscience Does Not Argue