Is it My Conscience or the Holy Spirit?
How does the believer know if it is the conscience or Holy Spirit directing a certain course of action? We are instructed in 1 John 4 to “not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether they are from God.” The true Spirit of God “confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” Thus, the direction of the Holy Spirit always leads to Jesus Christ. If the supposed action leads to the glorification of self or the flesh, it is not of God. The conscience can deceive in this manner as its only compass for reaction and action is the present and past environment with a conditioning of mind and flesh. But let’s go further and determine how do we know if the influence is “from God?” Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 clearly identified the fruits, or characteristics, of the Holy Spirit.
Each of these “fruits” is a clear indicator when we “test the spirits.” He wrote, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law.” Some skeptics may reply and question that the human conscience can produce these results with its action. However, the fruits of the spirit point to Jesus instead of the works by the hands of man. The conscience, on the other hand, emphasizes the abilities of man.
The Holy Spirit Calls Attention to Sins of Our Fleshly Conscience.
The desire of the believer is “to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” as Luke spoke about this “pain” in Acts 24:16. This “pain” is not always in agreement with “man.” The conscience of the believer leads to a clear conscience by notifying man as to his sinful condition as a result of the Holy Spirit. Our conscience toward man can be deceived by tradition and worldly practices. Paul warned about these conditioning effects allowed by the fleshly conscience. In Colossians 2:8, we are to “see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Adrian Rodgers in his book, Kingdom Authority wrote about his visit to a local restaurant. His waitress was noticeably having a bad day. She delivered his check before her shift was to end and mistakenly overbilled him for an item, which he did not order. Since she had already left, he could not rectify the error in any other way.
Notifying the manager could have adversely affected the employment of the waitress. The issue was magnified by the fact he only brought enough money for the meals actually ordered. Instead of protesting the extra charge, he instructed his wife to stay at the table while he ran home to get additional money to satisfy the bill and an appropriate gratuity. Conscience could have deemed correcting the bill with the manager as acceptable. The Holy Spirit, however, enabled him to realize all possible unfair results from his actions. Even though he was unfairly monetarily penalized for someone else’s mistake, no further harm resulted because of the provision of the Holy Spirit. The human conscience is rooted upon fairness, not divine grace and mercy. Pastor Rodgers would have been consciously justified by rectifying the error, but the Holy Spirit led in another direction.
Conscience Desires Comfort, The Holy Spirit Inspires.
In his book Of the Mortification of Sin in Believer, John Owen wrote that “in every moral action it is always either inclining to evil, or hindering from that which is good, or disframing the spirit from communion with God.” The human conscience is invariably drawn to fleshly desires and comforts. In James 1:14, we are told that “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” Thus, the conscience is closely related to the works of man which are directly opposed to the goodness of God.
The human conscience accepts its secondary influence when in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul in Romans 9:1, proclaimed that, “I am speaking the truth in Christ, - I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit.” Thus, the conscience of the believer acknowledges the power and superiority of the Holy Spirit its arrival following salvation. The conscience is not immune to disease. Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 that “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”
If the Holy Spirit is superior to the human conscience, how can the conscience of the believer be seared? In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, we are told to always be in a spirit of prayer and rejoicing. No matter the circumstances, the believer gives thanks for “the will of the God in Christ Jesus for you.” Further, we are told, “do not quench the Spirit.” To quench the Holy Spirit is to deny its influence.
The human conscience is judged subjectively and can be easily manipulated by “feelings” or found acceptable by the laws of a community or nation. The Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct entity in the life of the believer. The movement of the Holy Spirit is not determined by societal norms, customs, or familial acceptance. He does not change by circumstance or societal winds of change. Often the human conscience is comforted by the fact an action or decision is supported by the laws of the land. The Holy Spirit can influence the conscious, but not vice versa, because of His independent superiority.
(What Is the Difference Between the Holy Spirit and My Conscience?” By Chad Napier, excerpted from Crosswalk.com)
