Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
The Strongest Voice Within
Pastor Scott
Friday, May 07, 2004
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"For some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled."
(1 Corinthians 8:7)
Our conscience is established and formed based upon external input--social, spiritual, and cultural--that makes us who we are and sets our mores. The Scripture says that we, as Christians, can have both strong and weak consciences. The conscience can be defiled. There can be a good conscience; there can be an evil conscience. The conscience can be seared. So many things can happen to our conscience.
The conscience is not synonymous with the spirit man. The conscience is a part of the soul realm, of which the spirit feeds. In many ways the physical and social can contribute to our conscience. For example, we can be pricked over the way we look, which determines whether or not we should eat another gallon of ice cream.
The word "conscience" means "a knowing within." It's the ability to perceive and make choices of what is right or wrong. The conscience is a voice that will speak to you, but it's not the strongest voice. You might think the strongest voice other than God is sin or Satan, but it's not. The strongest voice within each of us is the voice of will. The most powerful force in you, other than the Spirit of God, is the force of will. Your will assists conscience as much as conscience determines will.
As Paul speaks pertaining to conscience, much of what he relates to is "meats." Meats have to do with food, but primarily food offered to idols, which was a real issue in the Corinthian church. Two things are important for us to understand. Paul almost sarcastically says, "And we all have knowledge." The Corinthians prided themselves in revelation, in illumination, in their spiritual communion. And Paul is telling them, "You're not as spiritual as you think you are." Spirituality is perceived in two different ways: how you love your brother and whether or not you're obeying the Word of God. You can eat food offered to idols and get to heaven, but you can't have a judgmental heart and critical spirit and get to heaven. You can't be bound by self-righteousness and think that abstaining from all of these different things will make you some kind of a super-Christian better than everybody else. That attitude will kill you.