Clearing the Conscience

- today we're going to move to a new topic in our study of
Basic Truths For Every Believer
- we're going to study what God's Word says about clearing
your conscience

Introduction:

1. What is your conscience?

- word conscience is used 32 times in the NT, 21 times
by the apostle Paul

a. Greeks - "pain you feel when you do wrong"

b. sunxidisis - "to know with"

c. Jay Adams - "that God-given ability to evaluate
one's actions and respond emotionally to that
evaluation."

d. that judge, jury, executioner within you that
accuses you when you do wrong and excuses you when
you do right.

2. Everyone has a conscience

- you can - argue with it
- change its standard
- defile
- harden it, sear it, anesthetize it
- drown it in activity

- but no one can escape it

- we need to talk about how to clear it

- one other question we need to address in an introductory
way is:

3. Why do we need to clear it?

- the answer is - guilt.
- We'll use that word many times this morning.
- it's important to note that guilt, the way we are
using the word, is not a feeling.
(it has emotionally consequences, but...)
- fundamentally guilt is a "state", "culpability",
"liability to punishment."

- all of us find ourselves in the state of guilt
because we all sin.
- as a result, our conscience needs to be
cleared.
- let's talk about how:

(see Follow-Up - Lesson 7 notes)