There is an old French proverb which says, “There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.” Believe it or not, there are people whose conscience will not allow them to sleep. A sensitive conscience is God’s design for man—it is one of the things that distinguishes us from animals. When say that someone is acting like a beast, it is often in reference to the fact that his conscience has become so callous as to be ineffective. Examples of such are evident every night in the evening news. Man’s inhumanity to man is not evidence that he has evolved from a lower form of life; it is evidence that he has, by means of a seared conscience, descended to a beastly, passion-oriented existence.
The apostle Paul spoke of some who had “by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared…their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Tim. 4:2). He also spoke of those who had defiled both their mind and their conscience (Tit. 1:15). The conscience is “the faculty of recognizing the distinction between right and wrong in regard to [their] own conduct” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). The conscience is intended to be sensitive to its violation. However, when repeatedly offended, the conscience becomes insensitive and useless in guiding moral conduct.
“Let your conscience be your guide” must, therefore, be taken within the scope of whether or not the conscience has been proper educated by the word of God. Otherwise, morality becomes a purely subjective matter. Before his conversion to Christ, Paul sincerely believed that he was correct in persecuting those who were Jews. He said, “Brethren I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1). People may, in good conscience, be involved in all sorts of wicked activities. But, conscience alone is not a safe guide. It must be educated by what is revealed in the word of God. Otherwise, society degenerates into moral ambiguity, each man being a guide unto himself.
The Scripture encourages us to “keep faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:19). A conscience defiled can be cleansed by the blood of Christ so as to serve the living God (Heb. 9:14). By means of the conversion process, as described in Scripture, we become new creatures. Old things pass away and all things are made new (Rom. 6:4; 2 Cor. 5:17). There is saving power in Bible baptism. It is “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” (1 Pet. 3:21). The soft pillow of a clear conscience is the result of obedience to the gospel and faithful Christian living. Therefore, we should by all means stand in the grace of God, having taken those steps that lead to a clear conscience through the blood of Christ (Rom. 5:2).