To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. -Martin Luther
The recognition and respect for individual conscience has been an integral feature of Christianity throughout history. The Protestant Reformation, for example, brought with it renewed clarity regarding the doctrine of conscience. More recently, Baptists in particular have recognized the importance of upholding the legitimacy of conscience over and against the “doctrines and commandments of men.”
Despite their emphasis on the importance of conscience, however, our forebears were also careful to maintain the distinction between liberty of conscience and autonomy of conscience. They would have pushed against the libertarian notion of “freedom” as simply license to do whatever one wants and instead insisted that a truly free conscience is one that is subject to “the Lord of conscience.” As all human authority and laws are subject to God and his Word, so too must the human conscience.
In Canada, with the recent intrusion of State-imposed mandates and restrictions, the subject of conscience has once again returned to the fore. In the past two years, we have witnessed many new laws that, at times, have conflicted with the clear demands of Scripture. The result has been one of the most divisive and oppressive seasons our society has ever seen.
How should we as Christians walk the line between the legitimacy of God-ordained authority and the legitimacy of individual conscience? To answer this question, we need to recover the biblical doctrine of conscience.
What is the conscience?
Conscience could be defined as a self-awareness that determines whether or not an action is in harmony with one’s own moral standards. More succinctly, and as Andy Naselli puts it, the conscience is “our consciousness of what we believe to be right or wrong.” It is akin to an internal moral compass that warns us when we do what we know to be wrong, and reassures us when we do what we know to be right.
The NT references the conscience over thirty times and indicates that its proper functioning is foundational for a faithful life. With this in mind, let’s get our bearings by considering some biblical principles of conscience and how we might apply them to our present circumstances.
1. Our conscience should be obeyed
Some today might think Luther’s convictions regarding conscience (to go against it is neither right nor safe) as unnecessary or even overly dramatic. But Luther was simply following Paul’s lead on the subject. Paul taught that our actions should be the result of us being “fully convinced in our own minds” (Rom 14:5). That is, being fully convinced in our conscience that what we are doing is right.
The motivation for our actions, and the litmus test of whether or not they are right, is whether or not they are done for the “honor of the Lord” and with “thanks to God” (Rom 14:6). Inasmuch as we are sincerely seeking to honor the Lord and give thanks to him, we ought to listen to the witness of our conscience as we attempt to determine the appropriateness of an action.
Conversely, Paul teaches that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Rom 14:23). In this context, acting by faith means doing what one believes to be right. When one willfully does what they know to be wrong, they are not acting in faith, and doing anything apart from faith is sin.
Perhaps part of the reason many don’t take conscience seriously today is that they don’t take sin seriously. If sin isn’t serious, then it must not be a big deal to act in unbelief rather than faith. But sin is a big deal. In fact Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death, which means that sin is the biggest deal we could possibly imagine.
If we have been redeemed, we have died to the power of sin and been made alive to God in Christ and we now live to put remaining sin to death by the power of the Spirit (cf. Rom 6-8).
In sum — to suppress the warnings of a redeemed conscience is sin.
And sin is a deadly serious matter.
2. Our conscience can be wrong
The fact that we ought to obey our conscience doesn’t mean that our conscience is always right, however. It’s important to note that Paul’s most extended teaching on conscience in Romans 14 includes correcting people whose conscience was wrong.
In this passage, some genuine believers sincerely believed that they ought to eat only vegetables (Rom 14: 2, 21), that some days were better than others (v. 5), and that they ought to abstain from wine (v. 17, 21). In other words, the conscience of these believers told them it was wrong to engage in activities that God had actually allowed. Their conscience was not informing them according to truth.
These kinds of people he refers to elsewhere as the “weaker” brother (cf. 2 Cor 8).
3. Our conscience must be calibrated to Scripture
The fact that our conscience can be wrong highlights the reality that our conscience is not to be taken as an infallible guide. As Andy Naselli puts it, our conscience needs to be “calibrated” to God’s Word; practically, this means that we must be always be open to further instruction and correction. We should never simply “do what feels right” without serious and prayerful consideration of God’s word.
If we are not open to having our conscience calibrated, we will experience increasing feelings of guilt (cf. Rom 2:15). The right response to guilt is confession, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ, who cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). The unbelieving response to sin, however, is hiding, avoiding and blaming (cf. Gen 3). This may seem like an easy way out, but it will only lead to more feelings of guilt in the long run.
Indeed, one of the telling signs of someone with a guilty conscience is that they cannot tolerate biblical instruction and actively avoid any hint of challenge or scrutiny. They intentionally, and eventually even unconsciously, isolate themselves from God’s means of restoring their conscience. This is a dangerous road, which leads to the further searing of conscience (1 Tim 4:2).
The fact that our conscience can be wrong and requires constant calibration also forces us to reject the modern errors of relativism and individualism. A Christian view of conscience doesn’t mean that everyone’s sense or right or wrong is inherently right (i.e., relativism). Nor does it mean that the individual is the ultimate arbiter of right or wrong (i.e. individualism).
A Christian view of conscience recognizes the fact that our consciences can be wrong, and must ultimately be subject to God’s word.
4. We must respect and uphold the consciences of others
We ought to care deeply about the souls of our brothers and sisters and long for them to walk by faith in everything they do. From this, it naturally follows that we should also care that they are obeying their conscience, and that their conscience is being constantly reformed to reflect the values and priorities of God’s Word.
When we forbid Christians from doing what God requires, or require them to do what God forbids, we have become morally culpable for leading people into sin. This is a heinous act according to Jesus. Listen to his rebuke in Matthew 18: 6-7:
. . . But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
Paul is also very clear that we ought to recognize the conscience of others in our actions, and that to “wound” another’s conscience is to sin against Christ:
Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:12–13
Once again, to disregard the conscience of others is to sin against Christ. And there is no more serious charge than to sin against our Savior.
This is why those who have forbidden Christians from assembling together in accordance with the commands of Scripture (cf. Heb 10:25), and the unanimous witness of the church across time, have committed a grievous sin against their brothers and sisters. They have subjected other’s conscience to the “rules and commands of man,” which plainly contradict Scripture.
In doing so, they have lead others to sin either by denying what their own conscience rightly believes Scripture teaches (that Christians have a duty to God to assemble together), or by seeking to calibrate the conscience of others to a standard that contradicts Scripture (namely, that it is not necessary to assemble together).
This is why, when our church was informed that we would not be permitted to assemble at our location unless we required all worshipers to wear masks, we chose rather to abandon our building. We were not being dramatic or contrarian. Rather, we were and remain convinced that to require anything as a prerequisite to worship which God himself doesn’t require — to forbid participation from those who could not wear a mask for conscience’s sake — would be a grievous sin both against Christ and against his body.
How could we expect God to bless such hypocrisy?
We have made every effort to ensure our church remains a model of biblical tolerance in this regard. If one feels compelled to wear a mask, they are received into Christian fellowship the same as those who cannot. By God’s grace, we have not experienced significant division over these matters, and for that we are grateful.
In all this, our congregation has sought to respect and uphold the liberty of conscience for others where Scripture allows.
5. We must influence other’s conscience through patient, prayerful persuasion
One’s view of conscience will impact the way they seek to influence others. If one truly respects the conscience of others, they will appeal to it through patient, prayerful persuasion with God’s word. If one does not, they will resort to coercive methods. Paul highlights these two impulses when he compares false and true teachers:
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2
If we see that the conscience of our brother or sister is wrong, we will seek to patiently and prayerfully persuade their conscience through the word. It is not our prerogative to use threats or force in order “convince” them
In a time of unprecedented coercion — both inside and outside the church — Christians have a wonderful opportunity to model true toleration and freedom of conscience.
Let’s pray that God would continue to empower our witness in this regard.