Everyone has a conscience. It’s why people sometimes say “Something told me.” We were born with it, and we grow with it. Conscience is that part of our being that is morally aware. It condones or excuses our actions. It can make us judgemental, leading to commendation or condemnation of ourselves and others (Romans 2:14-15).
We are spirit beings. We have a soul, and we live in a body. Conscience is an intangible aspect of a person, including the soul, mind, and emotions. It is an evaluative instinct. In Proverbs 20:27 says “The spirit man is the Lord’s lamp, searching all his innermost parts.”
But our conscience should not be mistaken for the Holy Spirit who lives in those who are saved by Jesus (Luke 3:16). The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is outlined in John 14:16-17.
“I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another counselor, that he may live with you forever. The spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive, for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.”
The Holy Spirit also convicts the world (the unbeliever) concerning sin (John 16:8-11).
There are many scriptures in the Bible that mention the conscience, confirming that even as a believer who has the Holy Spirit, our conscience is still very active. Our conscience does not leave us because we have been saved (born again). It continually informs our decisions daily as we either listen or ignore them. Our conscience is that inner voice that tells us what to do or not to do.
In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul reminds us that a good conscience plus faith produces genuine love. Our conscience can testify to our conduct.
Distinguishing between genuine or fake believers. Titus 1:15-16 reveals that our conscience can be corrupted. Because of our flesh, our conscience is prone to deception (1 Timothy 4:2).
However, it is not only true believers who strive to have a clean conscience. Unbelievers seek a clean conscience also. This is why those who don’t have faith in God still live morally upright lives and choose to do good instead of evil. This is the reason I believe that people who live “good” lives think they are going to heaven. It causes people to regret or defend their actions. It is an early warning system for every person, including children. Those who usually defend their heinous crimes are often thought of as having no conscience, but in reality, it was the choice they made to ignore their conscience.
Ignoring your conscience as a true believer shipwrecks your faith (1 Timothy 1:19). The Bible talks about a seared conscience in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, God draws attention to deceiving spirits that crave attention and seek to “settle the score,” and teaches hypocritical lies.
Our conscience serves our fleshly desires despite its important role. Our conscience is part of the flesh that wages war with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:17). Although it helps us be good people, our conscience does not save us, otherwise, Jesus would not have had to die for us (John 3:16).
Genuine believers who are saved or born again have a helper in the Holy Spirit, and best yet, the blood of Jesus cleans and purges our conscience (Hebrews 9:14). As a born-again believer your body has two spirits our spirit body (our conscience) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our conscience. The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth (John 16:13).
Paul in Romans 9:2 is convinced that the Holy Spirit would confirm the truth guided by our conscience. But our struggle is largely caused by the factors that influence our conscience, including our senses, emotions, thoughts, circumstances, personal experiences, and the environment we are in. This can cause us to mistake the voice of our conscience for th voice of the Holy Spirit.
I have a friend who is a Christian psychologist. He told me something that explains how this works very well. He had a client that came into his office saying the God told him to kill himself. My friend told him, he didn’t think it was God’s voice he was hearing. Because God is love and God doesn’t want anyone to hurt themselves or others. He spoke to the client and convinced him that it was not God, but his broken conscience that he was hearing. Of course I paraphrased this, and I’m sure it was more professional than that but, you get the point.
A personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is a sure way to know His voice and distinguish it from others. The Holy Spirit’s voice always aligns with God’s will and Word, our conscience only aims to please the flesh.
Wrongly attributing our conscience to the Holy Spirit can present the Spirit of truth as the author of confusion. Two people can claim that “the Holy Spirit told me” that contradicts each other on the same subject.
It’s easy to mistake our conscience with the Holy Spirit. So, make sure you know the Holy Spirit’s voice, and if you are confused check to see if it aligns with the Word of God.
From Pity to Praise 