Spiritual Warfare - Do Not Fall into the Conscience Trap (2)
VBC Albuquerque · May 26, 2024
This sermon explores the nature of conscience and how it functions in the spiritual life of Christians. The conscience is the voice of the Holy Spirit but can be defiled if not cleansed by the blood of Christ. The pastor emphasizes that believers must keep their conscience clear and not allow it to become a trap that produces sin, jealousy, and confusion in the church.
The opening section establishes that although everyone has a conscience, not everyone hears and understands it in the same way. Conscience varies according to individual circumstances, life situation, time, and cultural customs. Based on Romans 2:14-16, the pastor explains that those outside the Gospel are also given laws written in their hearts, and their conscience testifies to righteousness. This demonstrates that conscience is a gift from God inscribed in the soul of every person.
The second section develops this thesis through the story of Saul in 1 Samuel. The pastor uses Saul as an example of someone chosen by God but whose conscience was later corrupted or clouded by ambition, jealousy, and fear. Saul began well, with humility (1 Samuel 9:21), but when criticized and challenged by others, he allowed negative emotions to overtake his conscience. His killing of innocent priests (1 Samuel 22:18-19) shows that his conscience was completely defiled by deceiving spirits and evil. The biblical narrative illustrates how a conscience can be progressively hardened and corrupted when it refuses to obey God's voice.
The third section applies this message to the practical life of believers. The pastor warns that jealousy, rivalry, and ambition will cause confusion in the church (James 3:16) and rot the bones (Proverbs 14:30). Those with a "hardened conscience" will fall into the trap of deceiving spirits (1 Timothy 4:2) and cannot distinguish what is clean from what is unclean (Titus 1:15). Therefore, believers must keep their conscience clean by trusting the Gospel about Christ's blood, which is the only thing able to cleanse the conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:13-14, 10:22).
The fourth section emphasizes that there is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The pastor encourages believers to place their hope in God and always strive to keep a blameless conscience (Acts 24:14-16). Martin Luther is quoted: "My conscience is captive to the Word of God," showing that when the conscience is guided by Scripture, it becomes a powerful instrument for spiritual life. The final message is that believers should not allow their conscience to become a trap or unrighteous accuser; instead, they should permit the Holy Spirit to cleanse and guide their conscience according to God's Word.