CONSCIENCE AND CONFESSION

The Holy Scriptures give practical, biblical advice on how to sharpen the divinely-implanted tool for Christian growth; that tool, your conscience. Through my years as a Minister of The Gospel, I have watched our culture come unraveled in its addiction to so much worldly corruption. More and more people are becoming enslaved to pornography with its ease of access, we have become insensitive to violence in movies and on T.V., and we are terminally self-consumed. The rapid increase in the openness and spreading of sin is paralleled by a decreasing sensitivity to conscience; not only in the world but also in Christ's Church. And we should not be surprised. Our culture over the years has trained our young to ignore their guilt; and yet at the same time it is what is destroying far too many. Our culture has declared war on guilt. The very idea is considered outdated, obsolete, and even unproductive. People who trouble themselves with feelings of personal guilt are often referred to therapists; and it is the therapist's job to boost self-image. After all, no one is supposed to feel guilty. Guilt is not conducive to dignity and self-esteem. Society encourages sin, but it will not tolerate the guilt that sin produces. But God's answer to dealing with our guilt is not to ignore it; that's the most dangerous thing a person can do. Instead, we need to understand that God has graciously implanted a powerful ally within us to aid in our battle against sin. He gave us our conscience, and that gift is the key to bringing us true joy and freedom. If you find your conscience polluted by this sinful world, you are not alone. According to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, people just like you come out of all kinds of sinful backgrounds, some of them seem worse than others. But, through the blood of Christ, God has been gracious to "cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:14). Did you notice "serve" there is the natural order after conscience is cleansed and dead works end? As a Christian, you have the capacity to walk before God with a clear conscience. In fact, that is your daily privilege and joy. Paul said, "I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men" (Acts 24:16). That can be an overwhelming task in this world, but rest assured, you have every resource to keep a healthy, sensitive, and pure conscience. Here are some simple principles to remember involving confession and conscience in our lesson today. Confession; Confess and forsake known sin . Examine your guilt feelings in light of Scripture. Deal with the sin as you see it revealed in God's Word. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." First John chapter 1 speaks of confession of sin as an ongoing characteristic of the Christian life: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (v. 9). Again, in light of God's Word, we should certainly confess to those we have wronged: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (James 5:16). But above all, you should confess to the One most offended. As David wrote, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'; and You forgave the guilt of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). Confession is so often a missing element in our lives today. It will only change when each individual makes the decision to be Godly in this way. Only then will we be of greatest benefit to those close to us. God bless until our next time.