A question of conscience

I care very little if I am judged by you or any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

“My conscience is clear!”

So declares the person standing on the steps of a court of law after being found “not guilty”. We instinctively wish them well. It must be horrible to be accused of something you didn’t do: we hear stories of people being found innocent after perhaps years in prison, and we feel nothing but sympathy – the stress! the loss of precious time! the bitter sense of injustice suffered! Perhaps we breathe a quiet prayer for them.

But of course we don’t absolutely know. We too have probably said to others, and to ourselves, that our conscience is clear on a particular matter. But that doesn’t settle the question once for all. The fact is that conscience can be an unreliable guide, and while it’s important to take it seriously and to listen to it, it is far from infallible. As Paul puts it: “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent”.

Paul’s two letters to the church in Corinth make it clear that his relationship with that church wasn’t always easy. There were people there who really didn’t think much of him at all and were very ready to find fault with him. He felt this deeply, for, after all, he had founded the church in the first place: these people were his spiritual children, and he had invested much energy and time in them (see the story in Acts 18).

So we find in the Corinth letters a strand of what today might be called “edge”, and it’s very much there in chapter 4:3-4. We could paraphrase his words like this: “I don’t really care what you think about me – or what anybody else does, come to that. I don’t even waste too much time worrying about myself. True, my conscience is clear – but so what? It could be misleading me, couldn’t it? All that matters is what God thinks…”

Conscience is a very important part of the human make-up. And just as we are responsible for keeping our bodies fit and healthy, so too we are responsible for ensuring that our consciences are in good working order.

How do we do this? The answer is simple: by feeding it regularly on the Bible, through reading and prayerful reflection, and through taking seriously what we hear in teaching and preaching.

But we can still get it wrong. It’s a life-time job to bring our hearts and minds – and therefore also our consciences – into line with the heart and mind of God: old prejudices and wrong ideas can linger for a long, long time. But as we humble ourselves and soak our minds in his word, that alignment can gradually take place.

So, a question: what is the state of your conscience, and mine, today?

I knew a woman once who got home from shopping and found that a shop had slightly undercharged her, to the tune of a pound or two. She got quite worked up about this and, thinking it was her Christian duty, she walked back a mile or so to the town centre (she didn’t have a car) and insisted on paying the difference.

She asked me what I thought. Well, on the one hand I could only admire her scrupulous honesty. But given that there had been no intention to defraud, given indeed that the fault was the shop’s, not hers, I felt that she had over-reacted and that her conscience-pangs were unnecessary.

But then I have also known people who act in ways that go flat against the clear teaching of the Bible. Point this out to them and they may very well respond, “Well sorry, but my conscience is clear!” – as if that settles the matter.

In a nutshell: there are times when our consciences are clear – but shouldn’t be; and times when they are troubled – but needn’t be.

The word “conscience” doesn’t occur in Romans 14, but in that chapter Paul in effect writes about it in relation to matters of diet and sabbath observance. In essence he distinguishes between those whose consciences are over-tender – like that woman and her shopping – and those whose consciences are over-robust – like those who are happy to justify sin by appealing to their conscience. Certainly, he urges the Christians in Rome to be obedient to their consciences, but always on the assumption that they are walking close to God.

There is a wide spectrum between the two types – and all of us are on it somewhere or other. Result: either we muddy our witness (and spoil our happiness) by lapsing into sin; or we lose our peace and joy in God by being too hard on ourselves.

Put it yet another way: your conscience may be a harsh task-master, or it may be an over-indulgent grand-dad. Neither of which is how our loving Father wants it to be…

Lord, help us to get it right!

Father, help me to nourish my conscience through feeding on your word and through being filled daily with your Holy Spirit. And so enable me to live a Christ-like life, neither condemning myself when there is no need, nor excusing myself when there is. Amen.