Conscience

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 7
may be natural or acquired. Natural conscience is the knowledge of good and evil, and was received at the fall An acquired conscience is a conscience brought up under a certain rule; such a conscience Paul had (Acts 23:11And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. (Acts 23:1)), which was a good one when persecuting the saints (when in relation to Judaism), but a bad one (when in the light of Christianity). Conscience, therefore, is never a safe guide, for it may vary according to the rule brought to bear upon it. This is often seen in children, who may easily be taught to regard many things that are wrong as right, and vise versa; great tare is, therefore, necessary not to make anything a matter of conscience that God does not. A conscience is spoken of as good (Acts 23:11And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. (Acts 23:1)); weak (1 Cor. 8:77Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. (1 Corinthians 8:7)); pare (2 Tim. 1:33I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; (2 Timothy 1:3)); seared (1 Tim. 4:22Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (1 Timothy 4:2)).