In the movie Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket is given to Pinocchio to be his partner and to act as his
conscience. Jiminy Cricket is to teach Pinocchio how to distinguish between good and evil so
he can one day become a real boy. At one point, Jiminy Cricket says, “What is a conscience!" "l'll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today.” The Blue Fairy, who gave Jiminy Cricket to Pinocchio, tells Pinocchio to “…always let your conscience be your guide.”
There are many today who live by this same principle – letting their conscience guide them.
While it is true that each person has a conscience, knowing how it works will enable us to have
a better understanding of the role of the conscience.
The conscience serves as a judicial function when we make decisions, therefore, the
conscience must be properly trained to discern between what is right or wrong. Although we
are born with the ability to use our conscience (weigh information and make a judgment), we do
not come “preprogrammed” with moral understanding of right versus wrong. The information we take into our minds is then used by the conscience to make decisions.
Consider a judge who has been appointed to serve in the judicial system. The judge is not
appointed without previous training in the law – he does not instinctively know the law. When a
case comes before the judge, the judge is then required to put aside everything he knows from
his mind. The judge must take all of the facts and compare them to the law before giving his
final verdict. The faithful judge, who knows the law and properly applies it, is a guide to those
who do not know the law.
It is vital that we are putting the correct “law” or “standard” into our minds – God’s Word. In
John 12:48, Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” Jesus tells
us what truth is in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” We know
from Scripture that we must use God’s standard, or else we will fail. Solomon, in Proverbs 3:5-7
wrote, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear
the LORD, and depart from evil.” Also, in Proverbs 14:12, Solomon said, “There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
For the conscience to continue to be a proper judge, we need to continue to grow and increase
in our knowledge of God’s word. Think back to the example of the judge – if he does not stay
current with the laws and what changes have been made, there is a possibility he will make an
incorrect verdict. The mind is always at risk of forgetting or altering what it knows which is why
we must go back and refresh, or renew, our minds. James 1:23-25, “For if any be a hearer of
the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he
beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
When we hold our lives up in comparison to the Bible, we will be able to see where we need to
continue studying in order to better supply our conscience with knowledge. In 2 Corinthians
13:5, Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know
ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
When we are honest with ourselves concerning the Scriptures, we will know whether or not we
are supplying our conscience with the correct information. Not a day goes by when we do not
use our conscience as a judge, helping us make the right choices as we strive to serve God.
However, we need to always remember that our conscience is not an infallible guide and we
MUST be constantly studying God’s Word.
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