Wednesday, September 5, 2012 -- A Blameless Conscience (3)

Another area where we might need to examine our conscience is in the “truthfulness” of our culture’s values and messages to us.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Since our minds have been trained over time by the customs of our environment, we need to renew our thinking to ensure that what we rely upon, and base our actions around, is actually in accordance with God’s truth.

The apostle Paul says, "The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.  Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves."  (Romans 14:22 NASB) This suggests to us that the convictions we hold in our heart and which inform our conscience need to be checked with what God says is right and good.

Our culture holds many values and morals that go against what God has said.  What difference do I notice between values of our common culture and God’s word?  God defines sin:  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT)

So, from God’s view point, sex outside of marriage is wrong even though our culture leaves that decision to personal choice.  Pornography (impure thoughts) is wrong, even though courts allow the possession of some forms of pornography and call it ‘literature.’  Anger and rage are wrong, even though we pardon our behaviour, blaming our outbursts of anger and rage on the injustice done to us by others.  Any kind of wild partying is wrong, even though at the time it seemed like fun, and we excused our actions based on the need to “let loose” once in a while.  Many people are consulting psychics and mediums and having fortunes told, tarot cards read, etc.  God says that kind of information will harm us, and we need to avoid it.

Our conscience needs to be reprogrammed by surrendering to God’s way of doing things and by following God’s principles for a healthy life. Then, in a situation where we need discernment, the Holy Spirit can bring the truth of God’s word to our minds, and work through our conscience, to guide us in right choices.