Sermon June 24, 2018 The Conscience

Overview

Fighting the Good Fight with Faith and a Good Conscience

Writing to his "loyal child in the faith," Paul charges Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18-19 to "fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience." This good fight, recalling Timothy's ordination into pastoral ministry 1 Timothy 4:13-14, belongs to every Christian. Scripture pictures it on three fronts: against the devil, the father of lies (1 Peter 5; Ephesians 6), against the world that pulls us toward conformity (1 John 2; Romans 12:2), and against the sinful self that still clings to us Romans 7. We are simultaneously saint and sinner, and the only offensive weapon given us is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

What the Conscience Is—and Isn't

The conscience is not the natural knowledge of God's existence revealed through creation Romans 1:20, nor is it the natural law that God writes on every human heart Romans 2:14-15. Rather, the conscience is a faculty God has given us that accuses when we do, say, or leave undone what is wrong, and affirms when we do what is right. Crucially, the conscience reacts according to whatever input has shaped it. That means the conscience is not always right—it is fallible. Before his conversion, Paul was "convinced" he ought to act against the name of Jesus and persecute the church Acts 26:9-10. Jesus warned that some would even kill His followers thinking they were serving God John 16:2. A misinformed conscience can call evil good.

The Conscience as Battlefield

Because the conscience reacts to what forms it, Satan works to desensitize us. Sin that once stung becomes normalized through repetition; an action we knew we should take gets ignored until inaction feels acceptable. People begin to say, "I know what the Bible says, but this is what I think"—and at that moment something other than Scripture is forming the conscience. The only reliable input is God's Word. When the prophet Nathan confronted David with God's law, David's conscience was rightly shaped, and he confessed, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me" Psalm 51:3-4. A good conscience, then, is one informed by Scripture and rejoicing when our thoughts, words, and deeds are in conformity with it.

Where the Wounded Conscience Finds Rest

But what about when the Word-shaped conscience accuses us, and we hurt all over? Luther said the conscience is a small room with space for only One—not Satan, not Moses, but Jesus. The law shapes the conscience, but the room belongs to Christ, who bore our sin in thought, word, and deed on the cross, absorbing the Father's wrath and reconciling us to God. When you ask, "Why did I say it? Why did I do it? Why did I sit on my hands?"—let the gospel reverberate in that small room. There is no space for condemnation where Christ dwells. In His name, you are forgiven, washed, and made clean.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible, please, with me, to the first chapter of First Timothy, the first chapter for our study this morning? 0s

Brian Wolf Moller writes of a conversation that he had with one of his sons. 9s

He turned to his son one day and he said, 17s

son, don't want you to do that anymore, because it hurts your brother. 19s

It hurts your brother. 30s

There was a little pause and he records how the young boy was thinking about it. 34s

And then all of a sudden burst out with this expression of audible pain. 42s

It surprised him and he turned to his son and he said, 50s

what's the matter? 56s

And the boy said, I hurt. 57s

Father thought that something had happened in his body. 60s

He said, where does it hurt? 64s

The boy had such an interesting response. 67s

The boy said, it hurts all over. 70s

It hurts all over. 75s

The wise father understood the teaching moment that had been gifted him. 79s

And turned to his son and said, son, 87s

that's the conscience. 92s

That's the conscience. 94s

What is the conscience? 102s

And is the conscience always right? 107s

What is the conscience? 114s

And is the conscience always right? 117s

First Timothy is one of my favorite books in Holy Scripture. 124s

It is just packed with this deep and rich instruction force. 128s

And we pick up in verse 18 of 1 Timothy, the first chapter. 134s

Paul is writing to Timothy. 140s

He says this, I am giving you these instructions Timothy my child 143s

in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you. 149s

So that by following them, you may fight the good fight. 154s

Notice how Timothy or how Paul refers to Timothy. 161s

He refers to him as my child. 165s

Jump up into chapter one, please. 168s

Verse two. 171s

Scripture says, to Timothy, my loyal child in the faith. 174s

There is a special and deep affection and bond between Paul and Timothy. 182s

Timothy is the spiritual child, so to speak, of the apostle Paul. 192s

It is a deep, deep affection that Paul has for Timothy. 199s

I am giving you these instructions Timothy my child in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you. 208s

Well, what's that talking about? 219s

Turn over to chapter four of 1 Timothy. 221s

Would you please? 224s

Chapter four verse 14. 225s

There the Scripture says, do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy, 231s

with the laying out of hands by the counsel of elders. 238s

Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them so that all may see your progress. 243s

Play, pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, continue in these things. 250s

For in doing this, you will save both yourself and your hearing. 257s

What's being referred to here in 1 Timothy 4 is the ordination of Timothy into Holy Ministry. 262s

So this is where there is the laying on a pan by the elders. 271s

This is the setting apart of Timothy for the work of a pastor. 274s

What's the gift that was given? 280s

But that's the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for Timothy to carry out the task of being a pastor. 283s

And what's the task? 290s

Jump up into verse 13. 291s

Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of Scripture to exhorting to teaching. 294s

Timothy was set apart to be a pastor. 301s

So you have a apostle Paul here, this great relationship with Timothy. 304s

He is writing now to Timothy, giving him instructions, referring back to the commissioning, 309s

the ordination that he had had into Holy Ministry. 320s

Okay back now to chapter 1 verse 18 again, giving you the instructions, Timothy, my child, 325s

in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you. 333s

That's the prophecies that's the speaking of the Word of God, the exhortations that were given to Timothy there at his ordination. 337s

In accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you. 345s

So that by following them you may fight the good fight. 349s

What's the good fight for pastor, Timothy? 361s

What's the good fight for all of our Christians? 366s

Scripture defines the good fight in the three different areas. 373s

First, first Peter 5, it's the fight against the devil. 377s

The devil wants to pull us away from the Word of God, the devil wants to pull us away from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 383s

The devil wants to fill us with whole host of lies. 390s

And remember Scripture says he is the father of lies. 394s

And so as we walk this side of heaven, we will be constantly in battle with Satan. 397s

Remember in Ephesians, the six chapters, has put on the whole armor of God. 403s

Why? 409s

So that we might enter into the battle. 410s

And remember the only offensive weapon in the armory that we are to dawn is the sword, which is the word of God. 413s

Everything else is defensive, but we go to fight. 422s

Scripture says here's an area in which the good fight occurs. 427s

It's the fight against Satan. 432s

Scripture tells us first John 2 chapter that our good fight is also against the world. 434s

And the Paul writes, do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. 442s

The mind is renewed through the Word of God. 451s

We enter as a people of light into a sea of darkness. 457s

The world itself with all of its own priorities, all of the own things that the world thinks is important. 463s

All of those things and the Christian then, by the very fact that they are a Christian in a sinful world, 471s

enters into battle with the ways of the world that are diametrically opposed to the ways of Christ. 479s

The good fight then happens against the devil. 491s

The good fight then is against the world. 494s

And then third Romans to seventh chapter says, the good fight is really also with ourselves. 497s

It's that old Adam and old Eve in us that continues to rare its ugly sinful head. 506s

It's all of the impulses towards sin that has in us. 515s

Remember what we confess. 520s

We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. 522s

And so the fight then is against the devil. 527s

The fight then is against the world. 531s

The fight is against the sinful self. 533s

Because while we have been made a saint in Jesus Christ, 538s

we are at the same time a sinner. 543s

If you said it's this simultaneous reality, 548s

we are simultaneously saint and sinner. 551s

And a sinner part doesn't drop off until the day when heaven becomes reality. 555s

Paul expressing his deep love for this young pastoral Timothy. 565s

This is Timothy. 571s

I write these instructions to you. 572s

I recall here your ordination into the ministry. 575s

You've been set apart for this work. 580s

And now remember you're going to be in a fight against the devil, the world, and the sinful self. 585s

And that good fight expresses itself in two dimensions. 595s

Let's back to 18 again. 601s

And giving you these instructions Timothy my child, in accordance with the prophecies later earlier about you. 603s

So that by following them you may fight the good fight. 610s

Now here's how the good fight manifests itself. 615s

Two dimensions. 619s

Having faith. 622s

Having faith. 624s

Faith in what? 627s

It's a faith in who? 630s

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 633s

Faith in the very one that had redeemed Timothy. 636s

Faith in the very one that now had called him into this work. 639s

Faith in the very one that indeed would empower him for this work. 644s

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 649s

For when the going gets tough, it's indeed the bedrock of the word of God. 651s

It's the bedrock of our Savior that gives us confidence and hope each and every day. 657s

The good fight then is manifest in faith. 667s

And it's the second dimension. 673s

First 19. 676s

Having faith. 679s

And they. 682s

Good. 683s

Conscience. 685s

A good. 687s

Conscience. 690s

What is the conscience? 696s

Let's start with what it's not. 699s

The conscience is not the natural knowledge that there is a God. 703s

Romans the first chapter says this. 712s

Ever since the creation of the world has eternal power and divine nature. 720s

Invisible, though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he's made. 728s

Romans 1 then tells us that as we look at creation, it is evident that there is a create horror of this creation. 736s

It is evident. 746s

Romans 1 chapter then reveals the existence of God to us simply by the existence of creation. 749s

Scripture then tells us who God is, right? 758s

But creation is a testimony to the existence of God. 762s

Conscience is not natural knowledge of the existence of God. 767s

That one can simply glean by looking at creation. 773s

Conscience is not that. 777s

Conscience is not the natural law. 781s

Romans 2 chapter says this. 788s

When Gentiles who do not possess the law do instinctively what the law requires, these though not having the law are a law to themselves. 793s

They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts to which their own conscience also bears witness. 809s

Notice the distinction right in the verse, right? 821s

Between revealing the natural law written on our hearts and the conscience. 824s

There is a natural separation even in the verse. 829s

God writes then upon the hearts of humankind. 834s

He writes the law. 840s

There is an incredible uniformity. 842s

When you study cultures all over the world and the history of cultures, you see this incredible uniformity that people say murdering someone is wrong. 844s

Returning someone is wrong. 856s

Stealing from another is wrong. 858s

Why is that? 862s

Why do cultures throughout the centuries have regardless of their religious beliefs? 863s

This understanding that there are some things that are just wrong. 872s

That's the natural law. 877s

It's written on the heart. 879s

So conscience then. 882s

Conscience is not the natural knowledge of God. 886s

Conscience is not the natural law written on our hearts. 893s

So what is the conscience? 902s

What is the conscience? 905s

The conscience is a faculty that God gives us. 908s

It's a faculty that accuses us when we do, when we say something that is wrong, when we leave undone, what we should have done. 915s

It accuses us when we've done or said something or left something undone. 930s

Something wrong or accusing. 936s

It affirms us when we do that which is right. 938s

When we say what is right, when we do what is right, when we take the action where we should take the action and it is the right action. 946s

So the conscience is a faculty. 956s

What informs the conscience then? 963s

It can be the natural law written on our hearts. 968s

It can also be the standards of the world. 974s

You see, whatever a person believes is right or wrong. 981s

That's what the faculty of the conscience will react. 989s

It reacts then to the input that it has received. 998s

That's why sometimes you can hear from someone who has done something absolutely horrific. 1006s

And they are in their right mind and they say, I don't see anything wrong with it. 1013s

I don't see anything wrong with it. 1024s

There's a conscience then because it's simply a faculty that has received the input that is incorrect. 1028s

And the conscience then reacts to it. 1039s

It is amazing faculty that God gives us and it is a faculty that can be incredibly, 1047s

fellow. 1058s

We say that the Bible is the an parent in the family world of God. 1062s

That the Bible is without error and in the family meaning it is incapable of error. 1068s

Why? 1076s

Because Scripture tells us that it is inspired by God. 1076s

Remember the Greek word there. It is exhale by God. 1080s

So how can something exhale by God contain error? 1083s

Because God does not have error in himself. 1089s

So the Bible is in parent and infallible. 1094s

The conscience is incredibly fellow. 1097s

So if someone says, the conscience is always right. 1105s

What's the answer? Wrong. Wrong. 1115s

Because it's dependent upon the input into the faculty. 1122s

Let me show it to you. 1126s

In Acts 26 chapter, Paul is reflecting on day's prior to his conversion. 1130s

And he says this. 1141s

Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 1143s

And that is what I did in Jerusalem. 1154s

With authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, 1158s

but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. 1166s

So you can't just say there at the beginning, 1174s

I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1177s

Prior to his conversion, Paul, when he was doing all those horrific things against the church, 1190s

was Paul burdened down with a heavy conscience? 1198s

No. He thought what he was doing was right. 1202s

Wasn't a sense where his conscience said, you know, Paul, you should do that. 1209s

Why? 1215s

Because the conscience is a faculty. 1217s

And whatever the input is into the faculty is what the conscience will then react to. 1220s

And the conscience then will say, yep, that's right, and yep, that's wrong. 1228s

And when the input is, Christians need to be eradicated. 1234s

When that forms the conscience, Paul says, I'm convinced what I'm doing. 1240s

Is right. 1244s

Or we hear this, John the 16th chapter. 1249s

Indeed, Jesus says, in our is coming, when those who kill you will think that by doing so, they are offering worship to God. 1253s

So that's a conscience that's acting on the wrong input, where the person then says, 1268s

as we kill these Christians, it is worshiped unto you, O Lord. 1279s

That's a conscience that's simply reacts to whatever it is that the person thinks is right or wrong. 1290s

The conscience and sin is a battlefield, isn't it? 1306s

It's a battlefield. 1309s

As we fight the good fight of faith, a battlefield continually is the battlefield of the conscience. 1311s

And what is it that Satan is at work trying to do? 1324s

But Satan is at work trying to desensitize us to that which God says is right to do. 1330s

And wrong. 1340s

It can start so subtly, you say something. 1345s

You say, I shouldn't say it. 1351s

I'm going to say it again. 1356s

I'm going to say it again. 1358s

And you say it again. 1361s

And before long, that which initially you said, I shouldn't say that, is normalized to where you don't see anything wrong with it. 1364s

I shouldn't do that. 1383s

Oh, I feel guilty. Why did I do that? Then you do it again and again and again and before long, you put the conscience gets, it's okay. 1384s

I have heard people say I know what it says in the Bible, but this is what I think. 1404s

And I'll tell you what happened to their conscience in the process. 1416s

It was no longer the Scripture forming the conscience. 1422s

It was their actions and their thought that was forming the conscience. 1424s

I shouldn't leave that alone. 1434s

I need to act with regard to that inaction. 1438s

I really need to act with regard to that inaction. 1443s

I need to act on that inaction. 1446s

And before long, the inaction is normalized. 1449s

We become desensitized to it all. 1453s

And we then think that what we are doing is right. Why? 1458s

Because the conscience is not the natural knowledge of God, the conscience is not the natural law of God. 1469s

The conscience is a faculty that just receives input. 1478s

How then does the conscience receive the correct input? 1492s

How does the conscience receive the correct input? 1503s

I think of David. 1510s

King David commits adultery with that sheba. 1514s

She becomes pregnant. David arranges for the murder of Bathsheba's husband in this cover-up. 1518s

Nathan, the prophet, comes to David and confronts him with the law of God. 1530s

And the law of God forms then the conscience of David. 1537s

And David writes in Psalm 51, 1544s

I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. 1547s

Against you, you alone have I sinned and done with his evil in your sight so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. 1553s

There is someone who has had their conscience formed by the law of God. 1566s

The only correct input for the conscience is God's word is God's word. 1577s

Look again, please, at our text, verse 80. 1591s

I'm giving you these instructions Timothy my child. 1596s

In accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight here the two dimensions. 1601s

Having faith and a good conscience, a good conscience is manifest. 1611s

When we have the joy and the affirmation of speaking and doing that which is consistent with the word of God. 1629s

Sometimes you'll hear folks say, I have a clear conscience about that that gets at what's being talked about here in First Timothy, the First Chapter. 1641s

But it's even more. It's this understanding that indeed the actions, the thoughts, the direction, the words, it's a good conscience and with a good conscience comes to joy of saying, 1651s

the conscience is informed by the word of God and the joy comes when the words and the actions etc are in conformity with the word. 1666s

So the word forms them, the conscience and the good conscience reacts enjoy. 1677s

What about when the conscience informed by the word? 1685s

Does what the conscience is supposed to do reflect the correct input of the word and you stand and you say, I'm guilty. 1692s

I'm guilty. 1706s

What about those times? 1709s

What about those times when you say? 1712s

Lord, I heard all over. 1717s

I heard all over. 1721s

Luther said, the conscience is a small little room and there's only room for one he said in the conscience. 1730s

It's not Satan. 1751s

It's not Moses. Luther said it's Jesus. 1755s

It's a little room and there's only room for Jesus. 1764s

The law shapes the conscience. 1771s

The law of God shapes it but the room belongs to Jesus. 1776s

The Lord Jesus who has borne all of our sin in thought and word and deed. 1786s

What we've done and left undone on the cross. 1792s

The Lord Jesus that has borne the wrath of God for our sin upon him. 1796s

The Lord Jesus that has reconciled us unto the Father. 1802s

Jesus owns the world. 1810s

And so when we say, I hurt and I hurt all over. 1817s

Let the gospel of Jesus Christ reverberate. 1824s

For that's exactly what it does. 1829s

It reverberates in the conscience. 1832s

It resounds in the conscience. 1835s

It is a continual refrain that we sing over and over again as God sings the song of the gospel to us. 1837s

That says, not guilty. 1848s

For given, washed, made clean through my blood. 1852s

Where do you hurt today? 1871s

Where do you say, why did I say it? 1874s

Why did I do it? 1883s

Why did I just sit on my hands and watch? 1887s

Where is it today? 1896s

That the faculty informed by the word is functioning in the God intended way. 1898s

Where is it today that you say, I hurt? 1910s

There's only room for one. 1921s

And Jesus owns the room. 1924s

There's not room for condemnation. 1932s

There's only room for Christ. 1937s

And in His name, you are. 1944s

For given. 1951s