As a young adult I joined a bunch of singles at a skating rink. “You must be a good dancer,” I said to my partner.

“I’ve never danced,” he said. “My church prohibited dancing.” Skates allowed him to enjoy the rhythm of music without feeling condemned.

Paul wrote that all people have some sense of right and wrong and awareness of God (Rom. 1:18-32;  2:14-15). However, our consciences are imperfect barometers. They can be ignored, seared, suppressed, and overly sensitized. Overridden enough times, they harden like feet calloused from going barefoot, and no longer twinge when we step wrong. 

On the other hand, some people have hypersensitive consciences. While weak faith limits our freedom, Paul cautioned the strong to respect those weak in faith. 

It would have been wrong for me to encourage the skater to violate his conscience. He needed to live within the limits of his faith. As faith grows, our consciences change. 

If the skater came to believe dancing wasn’t sin for him, he would be able to dance in faith. He might feel uncomfortable the first time on the dance floor, but the goal is to live by faith, not feelings (Rom. 14:22-23).

Recognize a Condemning Conscience

A healthy conscience protects us from regret and alerts us when we’re crossing one of God’s protective guardrails (Pro. 8:36). A stricken conscience tells us we’ve failed to live up to what we know to be right. Yet feelings can lie to us.

Feelings of condemnation are not from God (Rom. 8:1). The Holy Spirit corrects us when we sin. And unlike condemnation, correction benefits us.

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 7:10 NIV)

Protect a Clean Conscience

A clean conscience is a precious gift. A friend once remarked he wanted to get even with someone who’d wronged him. “Don’t do it,” I warned. “God won’t let you get away with it. Then you’ll have to apologize.”

No matter how badly we’ve been wronged, we must keep a good conscience before God.

“Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Pet. 3:16 NLT).

Practicing love keeps our consciences clean. Love fulfills God’s law (Rom. 13:8). The one who loves gives their conscience nothing to use against them. The Bible also addresses those who live with super sensitive consciences. 

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.… Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything” (1 Jn. 3:18-20 NLT)

We all mess up. Yet, those who know Jesus don’t have to wallow in regret (Heb. 9:9, 14, 10:22, 13:18). God has provided a way to cleanse our hearts. When we confess our sins, He promises to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:8-10). Allow Him to cleanse your conscience today. Then protect it with love.

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