THEIR CONSCIENCE – THEIR THOUGHTS!

THEIR CONSCIENCE – THEIR THOUGHTS!

Rom 2:11-16

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

          The Jew thought of himself as deserving special treatment and special consideration from God. After all, the Jews were the “chosen” people. The Jews possessed the law written by the finger of God on tablets of stone! They could easily read God’s requirements.

          The Gentile had a natural moral law which God had written on their hearts (Romans 2:15). Their guide was their conscience and thoughts. They do, by nature, those things written in the Jewish law! So they, without the law, will be judged by the law. Their thoughts will either excuse them or condemn them. Their conscience is their guide.

          The problem with a conscience guide is that it can be “seared with the hot iron of stubborn rebellion” (1 Timothy 4:2). One sin might cause the conscience to scream in response. A second sin will cause it to shout but succeeding sins will cause the conscience to utter only a whimper of resistance. After the sinning becomes a habit and the habit becomes a lifestyle, the conscience is silenced. A new belief system is then developed which first allows the sin and finally declares the sin to be no sin at all.  

          But we all must appear before God in judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The question then will be: “Is your personally developed belief system sufficient for the scrutiny of God?”

Acts 17:31

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus] whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Dear Lord, urge me to always challenge and confirm my conscience and thoughts by your written Word. Let me bring my thoughts into agreement with yours. Give me a tender conscience that I might have pure thoughts. AMEN