Is our Conscience Infallible?

I’ve been wanting to write about the human conscience for a while now because of the hard lessons I’ve learned about it over my lifetime.  

Growing up Christian, I tended to think that conscience is law.  That to not follow conscience is tantamount to disobeying God.  The truth about conscience; however, is more complex than that. 

The human conscience is a good thing and listening to it is often a wise thing to do. Even in Christianity, however, we must acknowledge that our conscience has been affected by sin entering the world. 

Therefore, conscience alone is not infallible; it must be formed and informed by the Word of God.  In other words, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is not always synonymous with the feelings of our conscience.  

Consider this Scripture: “…for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” 1 John 3:20.  

On this passage, Charles Spurgeon comments: “Sometimes our heart condemns us, but, in doing so, it gives a wrong verdict, and then we have the satisfaction of being able to take the case into a higher court, for ‘God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.’”

Revelation 12:10 also reminds that the devil is called the “Accuser of our brothers and sisters” and he “accuses them before our God day and night”.

Professional Counselor, Ed Welch, runs into faulty consciences often in his practice. He warns, “Don’t forget that your sensors for guilt and shame are fallible. They can be silent when they should say something, and they can also sound false alarms.” (Shame Interrupted, p.11)

You don’t have to be a Christian, though, to suffer from a faulty conscience. While most consciences are healthy and well worth listening to, there are exceptions.  On one extreme we can consider the sociopath, who has little to no conscience nor cares much for how other people feel. 

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, we have people like me, who suffer with Moral OCD (or Scrupulosity). This condition denotes a highly overactive conscience that can lead its victim to great internal pain and outward awkwardness. 

Alan Noble, an associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, writes about his Scrupulosity:  “What nobody told me was that your conscience, or what feels like your conscience, can be entirely mistaken through no fault of your own. Just like it’s possible to feel no guilt when you should, it’s possible to feel guilt or anxiety or shame over things that you shouldn’t feel bad about at all. Nobody told me how your mind can be your own worst enemy. How it can fixate on imaginary sins.”

My hope is that this will reach the person who is battling with an faulty conscience – whether it be a small problem or a clinical condition – with the hope that your conscience is not the be-all and end-all of your life. For the Christian this means that, through the Word of God, the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, input from our brothers and sisters and even professional help, we can find truth and freedom. 

The Gospel tells us that we are all actually all guilty before God but we can be, in Christ, fully redeemed and have “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1)

Abba (not the 70's Swedish pop band)

 

Sorry, this isn’t about the 70’s Swedish pop band, it’s about something even better. 

“Abba” is an Aramaic (an ancient near east language) word meaning something like “father” and it appears 3 times in the New Testament. 

There is some debate about it’s exact meaning with some scholars saying it’s a childlike term such as “daddy” or “papa”. Other scholars insist it is not necessarily a childish term but concede that it is a term of endearment between a father and his child.  In either case, it is a profound way to address God Almighty. 

Paul the Apostle uses it twice in his epistles (see footnote about sons and daughters*): 

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!””  Galatians 4:6

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” Romans 8:15

Creator: kieferpix

In his commentary, Tim Keller asks an excellent question, then answers it: 

“Why would Paul use an Aramaic idiomatic phrase in a letter to Greek-speaking Galatians (or Romans) who didn’t know Aramaic…?  Because Jesus Christ used it in talking to His Father (Mark 14:36).”

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus asked his Father if there was any other way to redeem humanity:

“And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” Mark 14:36

Can you imagine that those of us who believe the gospel and trust Jesus to redeem us, can actually refer to Jesus’ Father in the same manner that he does?  Keller continues:

“It was a daringly familiar term to use to address the LORD Almighty. So when Paul says that we should use it, he is vividly asserting that we have legally inherited the rights of Jesus Himself… all that is his is ours.”

Although sin (through free will) has shattered our world, we can still know that the Father, Creator of the cosmos, loves us as He loves His own divine Son (John 17:23) and we share in his inheritance. 

Sometimes things are too good *not* to be true. 

*Some newer translations render “sons” as “children” but Keller points out: 

“If we are too quick to correct the biblical language, we miss the revolutionary… nature of what Paul is saying. In most ancient cultures, daughters could not inherent property. Therefore, “son” meant “legal heir”... but the gospel tells us we are *all* sons of God in Christ. We are all (both men and women) heirs.”  

This would have flown in the face of the Greco-Roman patriarchal society of the time.  

 

A Bit about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I have lived with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) likely most of my life but was only properly diagnosed at age 25 (just before I got married). Before that, I often blamed my OCD symptoms on only spiritual things. 

When you first mention OCD, people often think of “neat freaks” or people who clean a lot.  The image of constant hand-washing or germaphobes also comes to mind. But OCD can be much more than that and it can tear an other-wise normal person apart if left untreated. 

OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder and, as the name suggests, consists first of obsessions (like over-reacting to germs) and then by compulsions (like washing your hands till they bleed). Some studies have shown that OCD originates in the caudate nucleus near the front of the brain (when it is over-stimulated). 

OCD will often focus itself on what’s most important to you (health, family etc) and then torment you with the idea of that thing being in constant danger.  

In my case, OCD does take on a spiritual flavour. My faith is very important to me and thus OCD attacks it (If I didn’t have faith, then it would just attack something else in my life). Some have called this spiritual type of OCD “scrupulosity” and as I survey history, I can notice it in certain people such as John Bunyan (author of Pilgrim’s Progress) and Martin Luther (the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation). 

In my personal struggle, this often looks like a persistent fear of losing my salvation. Theologically speaking, I do not believe one can lose their salvation once they have trusted in Christ; however, OCD is not rational and, in that sense, I wrestle daily with thoughts and anxieties about it. It is a constant battle and the amount of mental energy it takes to “keep it together” leaves me exhausted. 

At any rate, I’m not writing for pity. I’m writing as a way to help explain what OCD is and how it affects people. If you suffer with OCD, please be encouraged. Through things like medicine, cognitive behaviour therapy and the support of family and friends it can get better. 

For Further reading please see:

The Obsessive-Compulsive Trap by Dr. Mark Crawford

Brain Lock by Dr. Jeffrey M. Schwartz

The Prodigal Son and his Brother

 

You have probably heard of the “prodigal son” from somewhere. He originates in a parable told by Jesus in Luke 15:11-32.   In the story, he abandons his father and demands his full inheritance at once (which was unheard of in that time and culture). He then goes on to waste it all away on “reckless living” in a far away land. 

The prodigal son represented the "tax collectors and sinners" that were listening to Jesus at the time. These folks were the marginalized in society. 

But Jesus starts this parable off by saying, “There was a man who had two sons.”  That’s right, the prodigal son had an older brother and that brother plays just as important a role in the story.

'The Return of the Prodigal Son' by Rembrandt.
Notice the younger brother collapsed in utter humility while
the older brother (on the right) looks on in disdain. 

You see, this parable is about two ways to be lost and one way to be found. The prodigal son shows us the first way to be lost – through reckless living and rebellion toward God (who is played by the father in this lesson). This way is often obvious to other people but there is a second way to miss God entirely and be lost.

Enter the older brother. The younger brother finally returns home and is overwhelmed by his father’s gracious and joyous welcome. But the older brother is miffed. He resents his little brother and the party that his father is throwing for his return. 

Luke tells us that he says to his father, “‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.”

The older brother represents the Pharisees who were listening to Jesus tell this parable. They were the religious leaders of the day but in their hearts, they had wandered far from God. They had an appearance of righteousness but their hearts were full of sin and pride, judgment and resentment. 

They thought they could earn their way into heaven with law keeping and good deeds. They thought that they deserved what could only be freely given. This is the second way to be lost.

So we see two ways to be lost.  What is the way to be found?  The Gospel of Jesus. The gospel tells us that no sin is too great to be forgiven (i.e. the younger brother). It always tells us that no good deed is great enough to earn forgiveness (i.e. the older brother). 

Only Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection can bestow the kind of forgiveness we need. And we can only receive that personally by humility and faith. 

Whatever “brother” we are – let’s comes back to the Father through Jesus. 

*This blog was inspired by Timothy Keller's "The Prodigal God" - a very worthwhile read. 

7 Thoughts on the Reputation of the Church

I love the church for many reasons, not the least of which is that Jesus loves the church – but I often wrestle with her sins.

The reputation of the church can be a touchy subject for all involved. Some would like to undermine the seriousness of her offenses, while others would love to over emphasize them to the exclusion of all else good. 

In this blog, I want to humbly offer some thoughts on this topic. 

Nominal Christianity 

The Bible teaches that when someone truly believes in Jesus, they undergo a spiritual transformation. Their spirit is made alive and they have a new capacity – in theological terms this is call regeneration (Titus 3:4-7).  However, many people in the world would probably identify as Christians without ever experiencing this regeneration. This is nominal Christianity – or being a Christian in name only. 

Each person is responsible for their decision of faith regardless of whether or not they were born into a “Christian” home. As the saying goes – God has no grandchildren. So, it’s important to not just assume that someone naming Christ has any actual interest in following his teachings. 

False Prophets and Deepfakes 

Deepfakes are becoming more common in our age. A deepfake is when someone in a photo or video is digitally altered to look like someone else (usually someone famous) while doing something that is not in line with what the person being portrayed would do or say. 

Jesus spoke of this type of thing long ago, but he used the term in relation to the church. 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits…” Matthew 7:15-16

This is a level beyond “nominal Christianity”, because the false prophet is deliberately trying to pretend to be a Jesus follower while saying and doing things that are completely contrary to Jesus’ teachings. 

Church and State

In my opinion, church and state must be separate. Almost every time they are not separate throughout history, bad things happen. 

Let me clarify – it’s not that Christians cannot participate in politics or that the church cannot influence the state. The problem really arises when the church begins to control the state or when the state begins to control the church. 

Even True Christians Fail

Remember that we talked about the regeneration of a person when they truly believe in Jesus Christ. This affords them a new capacity to follow Jesus, however the old capacity to do evil is still there (only in Heaven will this old nature go away fully). 

So, the fact remains that real Christians commit real sins and there is no excuse for that. We must own it. And, while there is no excuse, there is grace and forgiveness from God. 

The Good in the Church

In his book, The Air We Breathe, Glen Scrivener offers a compelling argument for how the teachings of Christ have formed the modern West (in line with many other scholars who are not Christian). He also writes about how the church has been a facilitator of those teachings. 

He has a chapter on each of the following values and how they are rooted in Jesus’ teachings and the church: Equality, Compassion, Consent, Enlightenment, Science, Freedom and Progress.  

I can already hear the opposing cries to this list, and I won’t try to convince you of it all in this blog, but I highly recommend picking up The Air We Breathe and giving it a shot… you will be surprised. 

The Straight Line

Despite the great good the church has and is doing; we need to admit the sins of the church.  What is interesting though is that when we rightly critique the church, we are doing so using Christ’s own teachings. 

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” C.S. Lewis

Glen Scrivener uses this quote of Lewis’ in his book “The Air We Breathe”. The irony is that even when we criticize the church, we are using the teachings of Christ as the “straight line” to correct the “crooked”. May the church always receive the correction of its Founder and repent accordingly.

Look to Christ

It is certainly true that the church is meant to point us to Jesus. Christians should point us to Christ. The sad reality is that this just doesn’t always happen. 

So, if you have had a really bad experience at church or you oppose the church on a larger level due to her sins (or sometimes perceived sins), I implore you to continue to look at Jesus. Read the four gospels. Consider his teaching, his influence and ultimately and simply – who he is. 

I believe you will fall in love. 

Rembrandt, The Three Crosses