The New You: The Conscience as a Broken Moral Compass

Understanding Secret Sin

cc: liquidnight - https://www.flickr.com/photos/47263829@N00

People feel shame and embarrassment *but* may not want to change. In these

cases, they sometimes move toward "Secret Sin"


And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light,

because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the

Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3:19-20)


Secret Sin Causes us to Compartmentalize Evil

in Our Livescc: liquidnight - https://www.flickr.com/photos/47263829@N00

Compartmentalization• We sometimes pretend to be upright in all

areas of life

• We sometimes partition our hearts from God/others

• Secret sin makes personal integrity impossible


Sin Predictably Fails to Bring Lasting Satisfaction


Effects of Our Sin1. We fall deeper into the hole of despair

2. We feel more lonely and spiritually estranged from God

3. We lose self-respect (inwardly, we know our integrity has been compromised)

4. We feel cheated (because we sold our soul for something worthless)


What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.cc: liquidnight - https://www.flickr.com/photos/47263829@N00

The Importance of the Conscience

cc: DeeAshley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43559902@N07

Our Conscience Is

• Our Automatic Warning System

• Central to Good Decision-Making

• Corruptible- It Can Be Ruined, Resulting in Catastrophic Effects on Our Lives


How We Corrupt Our Conscience

Our Conscience Can Tell Us the Truth or Keep Secrets from Us

We Ignore It and Keep Secrets From It

Everybody Has Secrets

Governments.Companies.

People.

Examples of Secrets

Governments.Nuclear Proliferation Programs

Spying, Black Ops Sites, Area 51

Companies.The 11 Secret Herbs and Spices of KFC

The Formula for Coca-ColaGrand Central Station “Track 61”

People.Actions. Motivations. Indiscretions.

Our Consciences Keep Secrets

The Weight of the Inner Psychological and Emotional Discomfort Placed on Our Soul

Because of Personal Secrets Creates the Need for a Clear Conscience

In 2005, an art project called “Post Secret” was created by Frank Warren. The concept of the project was that completely anonymous people decorate a postcard and portray a secret that they had never previously revealed. No restrictions are made on the content of the secret; only that it must be completely truthful and must never have been spoken before. Source: (Wikipedia, PostSecret)

Freddy Cardoza

Keep Secrets To YourselfBut Never From Yourself

Prov. 11:13; John 8:32 ESV

When We Allow the Heartto Keep Secrets From OurselvesWe Corrupt Our Conscience and Lose Discernment of God’s Will

“They are darkened in their understanding… because of the ignorance that is in them

due to the hardening of their hearts”Ephesians 4:18

Decisions Trigger the Conscience


What #Triggers the Conscience

• Primarily Ethical-Moral Thoughts, Motives, and Decisions & Situations

• Erroneously, some Non-Ethical-Moral Issues

• (We Should Disregard Non-Ethical Triggers)


The conscience of each person is triggered by moral-ethical decisions-situations, then it

attacks or affirms uscc: DeeAshley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43559902@N07

Attacking Conscience

• Judgment• Condemnation• Guilt• Shame


Affirming Conscience• Happiness• Self-Respect• Dignity• Honor


The Holy Spirit is triggered by moral-ethical issues in believers' lives and either

convicts or confirms uscc: DeeAshley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43559902@N07

Convicting Spirit• Conviction, Not Condemnation

• Includes Grieving of Spirit

• Includes Quenching of Spirit

• Provides a Caution from God

• Communicates our Offense toward God


Confirming Spirit

• Joy of Obedience

• Spiritual Peace

• The Pleasure of God


Whereas the Conscience gives feedback on our highest personal

moral code, the Holy Spirit provides feedback based on objective truth


Our goal is to train the Conscience to reflect the same judgments as the Holy

Spirit, which will lead to clear and unmistakable signals on exactly what is

right or wrongcc: DeeAshley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43559902@N07

The Reliability of Our Conscience

cc: Verino77 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/59372616@N00

Our and peoples' consciences can give differing or contradictory evaluations of the same issue

(Rom 14:2)cc: Verino77 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/59372616@N00

Not all believers are equally mature, nor is everyone's

conscience equally reliable.cc: Verino77 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/59372616@N00

Mature believers' judgments are sometimes looser and sometimes tighter than unbelievers and less mature believers' judgments

(1 Cor 2:15)cc: Verino77 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/59372616@N00

Three Conditions of Conscience

cc: Yoko (Paulina) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11549885@N03❥

How we treat the conscience affects its condition-- meaning

its accuracy and reliabilitycc: Yoko (Paulina) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11549885@N03❥

3 Conditions of Conscience

1. Strong Conscience

2. Weak Conscience

3. Seared Conscience


Strong Conscience

• Gives a strong judgment of right and wrong

• Avoids legalism (self-righteous personal restrictions) and license (living in excess) by living a balanced life (1 Cor 8:6; Gal 5:1)


• It responds accurately to sin/temptation/decisions

• It doesn't accuse you when it shouldn't

• It allows you freedom without conviction, even in controversial areas, when you are judging properly (1 Cor 8:4ff)

• People with strong consciences must be careful not to trample those with weak consciences who are confused


Weak/Wounded Conscience

• Is easily wounded and over-reactive

• It accuses and objects to thinks that are entirely permissible (Rom 14:1-2)

• It can make people judgmental toward others, even when they are wrong (Gal 2:11, Acts 10)


• It reacts and convicts you when you've done something wrong AND sometimes when you haven't

• It may react and convict you when others judge you, even if you are in the right

• It can keep you in bondage (Gal 5:1)


Seared Conscience• This conscience is under-reactive

• It fails to inform of sin and unrighteousness, because it has lost sensitivity through abuse and overexposure


• After repeated violations of conscience, the heart becomes hardened

• Too much exposure from bad decisions take people past the point of no return

• At some point, God can 'turn us over' to our own devices, and our conscience becomes unreliable


• When our conscience is seared, it no longer reacts negatively to evil, temptation, or ethical dilemmas

• A seared conscience places us in great danger because it is no longer informed by a moral standard

• Rom 1:24;26;28; Eph 4:19 Ps 81:12


The person with a seared conscience develops a reprobate mind incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and one morally

capable of doing literally anything!cc: Yoko (Paulina) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11549885@N03❥

Two States of Conscience

cc: theilr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/90863480@N00

Depending on How We Live, Our Conscience is in One of Two

"States" That Reveals If We Try to Live With Integrity or Not


GOOD CONSCIENCE-When we make decisions consistent with our internal standard/conscience, and it affirms that we are living consistently to

that standard- Heb 13:18cc: theilr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/90863480@N00

GUILTY CONSCIENCE-When we fail to make decisions consistent with our internal standard, resulting in our hearts condemning us, because we haven't lived up to our own standards- (Heb 10:22)


Discussion Questions• What is different between the conscience's

condemnation and the spirit's conviction?

• Believers' judgments are sometimes misunderstood by others. Why does the Bible say they are not subject to others' opinions? (1 Cor 2:15)

• Discuss something you learned about the 3 conditions of conscience