Conscience

In my quiet time this morning I asked God to speak to me as I read His Word.  This morning I read 2 Timothy 1:1-7.  Now, I had to go back to verse 3 where Paul writes “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience.” Then I went back to 1 Timothy 1:5 where Paul writes “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from faith.”  Well, I got stuck on the word “conscience” and this is what John MacArthur had to say about these two verses from the John MacArthur Study Bible NKJV:

God created man with a “conscience” as his self-judging faculty.  Because God has written His law on man’s heart (Rom. 2:15), man knows the basic standard of right and wrong.  When he violates that standard, his conscience produces guilt, shame, and doubt as warnings of threats to the soul’s well-being (John 8:9; 1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12; Titus 1:15; Heb. 10:22).  On the other hand, when a believer does God’s will, he enjoys the affirmation, assurance, peace, and joy of a good conscience (Acts 23:1; 24:16; Heb. 13:18; 1 Pet. 1:16, 21).

Think about it.  When we sin, our conscience kicks in and we feel guilt and shame.  That’s why it is so important to ask God to forgive us when we sin so we can have a clear conscience.  Oh, and have you ever done something for someone thinking you were blessing them and in turn you received a blessing and felt really good inside? Well, that comes from a good conscience in doing God’s will and you will enjoy the peace and joy that comes from that good conscience.