01.05D. The Unbeliever's Conscience

The Unbeliever’s Conscience

Adam’s fall into sin did not deprive him of a conscience that is a part of man’s divine likeness. Rather, “To those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15). “Defiled” is derived from a verb, “to stain,” “to color,” or “to tinge.” Every one has a conscience, even the rudest savages or headhunters, but the unbeliever’s conscience is covered with a stain and has become calloused and blind (Matthew 13:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Even God’s heavenly light has a difficult time reaching it, until He “who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness’ . . . [shines] in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Conscience judges according to the law known to her. Since the unbeliever’s conscience has been separated from God, her original authority, the natural man can judge things only according to his interest, habit, parental teaching, school education, social environment, or by the law that he feels in his own inherent moral consciousness. This explains why Paul’s wrongly instructed conscience was so stubborn and fanatical: “I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9. This also explains why some primitive tribes can regard their headhunters as great heroes. The unbelievers’ defiled conscience is not only the result of their sinful nature but also by failing to pay attention to conscience’s voice, “They, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness” (Ephesians 4:19). Unbelievers, at their worst, not only ignore the voice of conscience, but positively hate and oppose every means which would recover sensitivity to sin, acting as did some of the kings of Israel to God’s prophets, the Jews to Christ, and the Communists to churches today. They are like those of whom Baxter writes, “They seem to go to hell as some condemned malefactors go to the gallows, who make themselves drunk before they go, to prevent themselves from knowing whither they are going till they get there.” What a sad picture!

Deadening the voice of conscience is a dangerous thing. God warns us to be “[constantly] keeping [exon- present participle] faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regards to their faith” (1 Timothy 1:19). Since conscience is knowledge we share with another, that means we know right and wrong in relation to some standard or law. Whenever conscience gets a chance, she will immediately stand up for truth, even though her voice may have lost much of its strength and clarity. Once some boys were brought to the court in Ripley, Tennessee, accused of stealing three watermelons from a farmer’s patch. Judge J. R. Lewis rapped his gavel, saying, “Anybody here who never stole a single watermelon when he was a boy, let him raise his hand.” The sheriff, the county attorney, three highway patrolmen, court employees, and spectators all lowered their eyes. The case was dismissed. Jesus dismissed a similar case when he was on earth (See John 8:1-11). Likewise, no matter how ignorant and brutal the heathen are, their conscience can be awakened. If ever they have the opportunity to hear God’s Word and let the grace of awakening come upon them, their conscience will be awakened by God’s grace, cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and recovered just the same as any genuine Christian’s; but “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14). 63 The natural man has lost the true knowledge of God’s will by sin’s defilement and the continual resistance of his own will, and his conscience is now confined in the strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Unbelievers are incapable of perceiving spiritual things. As Scripture says, the “natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The truth is, even though the words “God is love” were written in large letters in the sky, it would make little difference “to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind (nous) and their conscience is defiled” (1 Timothy 1:15). The unsaved can be very intellectual mentally, yet totally ignorant spiritually. Others may have a great deal of culture, yet they cannot understand God’s simple plan of salvation; while others with little or no education may have profound spiritual knowledge. Mankind’s spiritual understanding is an innate faculty entirely different from his intellectual capacity. No one can see a sunset with his ears, or hear a cricket chirp with his eyes. Likewise, man with his mental faculty alone cannot perceive God. It is necessary for God, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, to grant conscience the grace of awakening that she may be restored with the price paid by Christ on the cross. This divine grace always brings souls a period of distress as in, “when they heard this [that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-this Jesus whom you crucified], they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’” (Acts 2:36-37).

Whereas the conscience condemns sinners according to their sinful state, the Holy Spirit presents to them the way of salvation accomplished by Christ on Calvary, even the cleansing power of Christ’s blood which cleanses the conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:14). The unregenerate conscience says to the sinner, “All your righteousness is as filthy rags.” The Holy Spirit says, “Christ will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”

Conscience says, “Man himself should be responsible for his sins.” The Holy Spirit says, “God’s Lamb takes and bears away the sins of the world.” Conscience says, “You are not worthy to be saved.” The Holy Spirit says, “Jesus Christ promises that he who comes to Him will never be rejected.” God’s grace enables conscience’s voice to pronounce all the verdicts that she had previously suspended, makes the sinner’s will submit to truth, his intellect surrender to justice, and his sensibility to grief. The initial reaction of those to whom Peter preached at Pentecost must have been like that of Lazarus who was awakened from the dead by the power of God’s voice, but yet found himself bound with grave clothes and surrounded with the stench of decaying flesh. This is the state to which the Holy Spirit brings a sinner’s conscience, because “He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:18). Awakened to their sin by the Spirit of God, they feel much like Isaiah when he said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Yet it is necessary for sinners to further seek God’s grace, as did the jailor in Philippi who asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The only remedy for man’s sinful condition is for Jesus to restore the function of this spiritual understanding. As the Bible says, “We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding in order that we might know Him who is true” (1 John 5:20). 64

Thus the first step in restoring the broken relationship between God and man is to restore the function of man’s spiritual understanding. Without such a restoration, man has no way to know God. This is why the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles, as well as Christ Himself, laid such great stress upon repentance.