"Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow. We push it in front of us in the direction we want to go."
"I don't need to read the Bible to know how to live. My conscience lets me know when I'm right or wrong."
How many people have you heard say something like this? The fact that people have a conscience—a "little voice inside" that helps govern behavior—leads many people to believe that they have within themselves the standard of ultimate truth by which to live.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that it leaves out any need for God and allows individuals to choose for themselves what is right and wrong. The truth is, however, that sinful people are not able to make this kind of determination. Instead, we must rely upon God's Word to be our guide.
The conscience can only be trusted when it is programmed by the Word of God. Fed by Scripture and supported by the framework of the Ten Commandments, the conscience is used by the Holy Spirit to act as a type of moral compass. When we begin to veer off of the course of morality, the conscience sounds an alarm to get our attention and lead us back on track.
As part of our fallen nature, the conscience is subject to change as determined by our desires. Place your confidence in the unchanging Word of God; under its direction, the conscience can become a useful tool of the Holy Spirit.
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