Do Not Let Your Conscience Become Numb!

<Ro 2:15; Ep 4:17-20; 1 Ti 1:5, 18-19; 4:1-2; Mt 5:29; Heb 3:13-15; 9:14; 10:22-25; Ps 119:9–11>

1. What is “conscience”?

1）Good conscience which is functioning properly.

· “Conscience” is the “moral consciousness” given by God to discern right and wrong, good and evil. Read <Ro 2:15>.

· When a person sins, his conscience will warn him; God gave mankind conscience to protect them.

· A conscience which is functioning properly will be sensitive to sin and strive to shun evil.

2）Conscience after the fall of mankind.

· Read <Ep 4:17-20; 1 Ti 4:1-2>.

· When believers get used to God’s grace, their hearts may begin to show signs of “hardening”.

· “Conscience has been seared”: Conscience is burnt, numbed, desensitized, and not functioning properly.

· Does not take the battle with sin seriously; conscience is no longer rebuked every time one sins; no hatred, sorrow, and shame toward sins.

· The fallen human conscience is fluid, easily affected by culture and moral standards of the world.

· Humans have the tendency to adjust own conscience to suit one’s lifestyle preferences rather than obey the principles of living commanded by God.

· The hardening and numbing of the conscience is a gradual rather than sudden process.

2. What factors contributed to the numbing of our conscience?

1）The hardening characteristic of sin.

· The more we are exposed to sin, the more we will not think sin is detestable, dangerous, and shameful.

· When one sins and yet does not face any consequences, he will be emboldened, always quenching the Spirit, and continues to sin without fear.

· Example of Samson <Judges 16>.

2）What we love most is ourselves, not God. 

· Our own happiness is more important than God’s holiness.

3）Neglect intimacy with God.

· Thus, conscience is not protected, but is shaken by the world and human culture.

· Reflect: Are our prayers getting shorter and less regular? Is the time set apart for bible-reading often taken over by other things?

4）Not teachable, and do not welcome proper rebukes.

3. Must learn how to revive numbing conscience.

· The opposite of “seared and numb conscience” is “good conscience”. Read <1 Ti 1:5, 18-19>.

1）“Fight the battle well”, instead of indulging in sin.

o Read <Mt 5:29>.

o Take radical measures to eradicate sin; sin certainly has consequences.

o Spurgeon ever urged: Confess specific sins, instead of merely giving a general confession that “I am a sinner”.

o Before a sinful “act” is manifested, start resisting as soon as temptations, the “shadows” of sin, and sinful “thoughts” are detected.

2）Cleanse our conscience with the precious blood of Jesus.

o Read <Heb 9:14>.

o Do not think that my conscience is too numb for God to revive. Do not think that God is unwilling to cleanse us. Do not think that we must first attain certain “good” state before we can approach God.

3）Our numb conscience must be awakened by God’s word.

o Read <Ps 119:9–11>.

o <1 Ti 4:1-2>: … some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons… whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

o <1 Ti 1:19>…some have rejected (a good conscience) and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

o Martin Luther ever said, “My conscience is held captive by the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe”.

o Use God’s word to constantly calibrate our conscience.

4）Encourage one another. Read <Heb 3:13-15; 10:22-25>.