A Crisis of Conscience |
It is easy to get some words confused. Conscious is the state of being awake, alert or aware. Conscience is more ephemeral in its meaning. In both Latin and Greek it is a combination of two words placed together which mean “come together.” We usually use the term in a moral capacity, for our moral capacity is how we negotiate and navigate life, and make moral decisions using moral reasoning. Our conscience is our moral compass. Sometimes we wonder if some people even have a conscience!
I am sure many Christians are confused and confounded when they observe people in the media and many governmental offices engaged in what is obviously and clearly bold face lies. This is more than distortion through deceit. This is total corruption and perversion of truth.
Some of you might simply consider that this is simply a matter of demon possession of a non-Christian or demon oppression upon a Christian. In either case the result is willful lying and deceiving. I am sure you are making a mental list right now of some people you would put in these categories. If you are like me, you probably wonder why certain people do not spontaneously combust because of such wickedness.
However, if not demonic delusion, then perhaps what we are witnessing is people who have what the Bible calls a “Seared Conscience.” The conscience, which is meant to direct our moral thinking, can be branded or seared as with a hot rod and rendered scarred and insensitive to feelings. It simply fails to operate as it was intended.
Paul reminds us that some people have a faulty moral compass - a defiled conscience.
To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. (Titus 1:15)
As a result, they have seared their conscience and simply lie and distort truth.
“By means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.”
(I Timothy 4:2)
Some people are no longer sensitive to truth and so they lie with immunity and impunity of conscience.
We are living in the land of the liar. We are seeing this exemplified through "The Cancel Culture." Some, unfortunately have canceled their conscience.
Serving Him with you
Until He comes for us,
Fred Chay
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