OUR DEMANDING CONSCIENCE AND HOW TO HANDLE IT

Martin Luther King Jr. had stated:

·       “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” (A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches)

Why listen to the conscience? What is it that places conscience above our pleasures and fears? Even though we might not like to admit it, we sense that the conscience speaks with an authoritative voice, as the Bible testifies:

·       They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. (Romans 2:15 NLT)

What happens when we violate our conscience? We feel the we have violated ourselves. The late psychologist Carl Gustav Jung recognized this fact:

·       “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune. ”

How do we get our conscience back into tune? Not by positive affirmations! It would be like telling our wife after she had found out that we were having an affair, “It’s okay, because I have forgiven myself.”

Instead, we require our wife’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of the One who had given us our conscience:

·       If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:8-9)