Conscience

By Dr. John E. Russell

It is important for one to understand the inner workings of his value system. Then, biblical principles can be implanted in the conscience and wrong ideas can be purged. As one lives according to these biblical principles, self esteem will rise correspondingly.

Conscience Is Essential

Professional people have maligned conscience within the last few decades. Surprisingly, some theologians have a low view of conscience:

Conscience accomplished very little, say some theologians. Notoriously unreliable, conscience must be fed the correct information from a higher source. It can be seared, mishandled, or misinformed until, like a compass thrown out of kilter by a proximate magnet, it gives an unreliable reading. Consequently, conscience is an interesting but indefinite and fickle function of human personality. [John W. Drakeford, Integrity Therapy (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1967), p. 14. (Note that this is not Drakeford's view)].

Some psychiatrists and psychologists take a similar position:

It achieves too much, say some of the students of the psyche. Some psychologists claim that the conscience with archaic and perfectionistic standards makes the ego a prisoner within the confines of the individuals's own personality, exercising a tyrannical reign, frequently escaped only by a leap into neurosis or psychosis. For these experts, conscience is comparable to the relationship of the appendix to the body and, like it, needs to be neutralized to prevent psychic disruption far more dangerous that a burst appendix and peritonitis. (Drakeford, Integrity Therapy, p. 14).

It is amazing that these two disciplines should unite in such a low view of vital human equipment. However, not all professionals hold this erroneous view of conscience. The Apostle Paul, a well-educated man, speaks highly of conscience:

Keeping fast hold on faith [that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence] and a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith (1 Timothy 1:19, The Amplified Bible).

Paul speaks of the conscience (translated from the Greek word, suneidesis, literally, "a knowing with oneself") about twenty times. New Testament writers mention conscience about thirty times. New Testament writers teach us to obey our conscience and to respect others' consciences:

So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ (1 Corinthians 8:11-12).

Koehler says that "Conscience is a precious gift of God." [E. W. A. Koehler, conscience, (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941), p. 19]. He further says that without conscience, knowledge of right and wrong would fail to influence conduct. As a result, the "moral structure of society would break down and communal life would become an impossibility." (Koehler, conscience, p. 19)

Definition of Conscience

Most people place the conscience in the mind or soul. The conscience works on all levels of consciousness, but the conscience is actually a part of the human spirit. Hagin defines conscience as the voice of the human spirit. [Kenneth E. Hagin, The Human Spirit (Tulsa: Kenneth E. Hagin Evangelistic Association, 1974), p. 27].

A more inclusive definition is: "Conscience is that part of the human spirit that acts as a self-contained moral guidance system."

There are two major aspects of conscience: (1) function and (2) content.

Conscience Function

The function of conscience is its universal or supercultural aspect. Conscience works the same in all human beings. Conscience has at least three functions: (1) to provide moral guidance, (2) to reward and (3) to punish. Concerning conscience guidance: everyone makes decisions. Further, one's conscience tells one which choice is right and then pressures him to make the right choice. If one makes the right decision, the conscience rewards him with a conscious feeling of warmth, increased self-worth and wholeness. If one makes a wrong decision, the conscience corrects him with an intense feeling of guilt.

Psychiatrist Rodriguez of Osawatomie State Hospital said that psychic pain resulting from a violated conscience is the worst pain one can experience. (Dr. Rodriguez, at a clinical training program at Osawatomie State Hospital, Osawatomie, Kansas, about 1964). The pain does not go away until one makes things right.

Also very important: If one does something morally questionable, the conscience acts as if that were wrong for him. (Koehler, Conscience, pp. 27-28). Paul writes:

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:22-23, NIV).

Another important aspect is that values (conscience content) can be suppressed and rationalized away on the conscious level. [Suppression is the voluntary process of pressing material back into the unconscious. Repression is the automatic process of placing material into the unconscious without one being aware of it. John W. Drakeford, Psychology In Search Of A Soul (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1964), p. 91]. Since the conscience also works on the unconscious level, doing wrong produces interpsychic conflict. In this case, one can be ill and not know why.

The three steps to moral self-destruction are (1) the initial violation of one's conscience that results in guilt; (2) persisting in the violation of one's conscience that results in mental and/or physical illness and (3) persisting in the violation of one's conscience over a longer period that results in a seared conscience (sociopathic personality).

Various delusions and other mental illnesses as well as physical illnesses can result from a violated conscience. Psychologist John Drakeford provides an excellent explanation of mental illness in his book, Integrity Therapy. Also, S. I. McMillen, MD, provides documented evidence of psychosomatic illness in his book. [S. I. McMillen, MD, None of These Diseases (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1970)].

There is no question that one's conscience function can be desensitized (modified). The threshold can be lowered to the point where one degenerates into a sociopathic personality. The biblical equivalent to the psychological term, "sociopathic personality" is a "seared conscience" or "reprobate mind":

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2, NIV).

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:28-32, NIV).

These people have sinned against their consciences so long that their consciences do not function properly. They can do evil things without feeling guilt and remorse.

Some theorists erroneously believe that one's conscience can be "oversensitive." Drakeford has given the "bird-with-the-crippled-wing" story to illustrate what is actually happening in the mind of one who appears to have an oversensitive conscience: The hen feigns a broken wing to draw the predator away from her nest. This parallels a human mechanism that people use in giving a "presenting problem" to divert the therapist's attention away from the real problem. The presenting problem may be the confession of some trivial irresponsibility in order keep hidden an irresponsibility that is too painful to acknowledge. What apparently happens in the "over scrupulous" person is that he has previously suppressed or repressed a very bad sin. This produces a "floating guilt" that rises from the unconscious to the conscious level and attaches itself to a relatively minor sin. (For a comprehensive treatment of guilt and theory of conscience, see the works of John Drakeford).

It is both surprising and alarming that some psychiatrists and psychologists would advocate lowering conscience sensitivity to reduce guilt. The result may be the lowering of guilt, but at the expense of driving the patient toward the sociopathic end of the scale. This contributes to the destruction of the individual and to the society in which he lives. Dr. O. H. Mowrer, a research psychologist, said, "Those who treat patients this way deserved to be fined, rather than paid for their services!"

Although Freud added much to the field of psychiatry, much of this improper treatment stems back to his erroneous theory of mental illness:

Freud's Theory of Neurosis

. . . . A "hypertrophied" superego, or conscience, supposedly lays siege to the ego and takes it captive. Then the superego forces the ego to reject the claims of the id for any expression or satisfaction of its "instinctual demands." The result is that a sort of "iron curtain" is constructed between ego and id. . .; and dissociation or "repression" is said to be in force. Neurosis proper ("anxiety") consists of the "unconscious danger" that the force of the id will succeed in breaking through this "wall" and overwhelming the ego; and a constant, devitalizing expenditure of energy by the ego is necessary to keep up its "defenses." [Research Psychologist O. Hobart Mowrer, The New Group Therapy (Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 1964), pp. 184-185. (As quoted by Drakeford, Integrity Therapy, p. 29)].

Mowrer's Theory of Neurosis

A modified interpretation of the state called neurosis: Here it is assumed that the ego is taken captive, not by the superego, but by the id, and that it is now the "voice of conscience" that is rejected and dissociated. "Anxiety" thus arises, not because of a threatened return of repressed energies of the id, but because of the unheeded railings and anger of conscience. Here it is not assumed that there is any difference in the"size" or strength of these three aspects of personality, unless it is that the ego is somewhat weak and undeveloped. [Research Psychologist O. Hobart Mowrer, The New Group Therapy (Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 1964), pp. 184-185. (As quoted by Drakeford, Integrity Therapy, p. 29)].

To explain intrapersonal relationships (internal relationships within one's own mind), Freud made some logical constructs. The primitive, pushing, unregulated urges from the unconscious he called the id (From the Latin word, "it"). These urges include sex drive, aggression and hunger. The ego (From Latin, "I") is the decision-making self. The superego (From Latin, "above" + Greek "I") is the conscience. One can see that, based on Freud's theory, the proper way to treat anxiety is to give vent to primitive urges. Then a problem of guilt arises. Guilt is reduced by weakening the superego. However, this treatment introduces a more serious problem: the individual becomes sociopathic.

Mowrer's theory, however, corresponds more with Judeo-Christian teaching and science. Proper treatment, in this case, would be to strengthen the ego. There are at least three ways that the ego can be strengthened:
1. By the Holy Spirit. One of the fruits of the spirit is self-control—a strong ego:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Italics Mine] Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version).

Could it be that some confuse conscience function with conscience content?

Conscience Content

Whereas conscience function is universal, conscience content is variable. One's conscience is educated (receives content) from various sources such as church, school, parents, peer groups, mass media and reason. These constitute a posteriori (experience) sources. One is probably born with a priori content similar to Jung's archetypes, which inheres in the collective unconscious of the human race.

Two examples of a priori conscience content are:
1. Belief the existence of God. God should be respected, worshipped and obeyed.
2. Respect for people made in God's image.
   2.1 Respect for life. Other people should be respected and not harmed. (This includes oneself.)
   2.2 Respect for liberty. People should not be enslaved.
   2.3 Respect for property. Others' property should not be stolen or abused.

Too often in American society, conscience content is a "hodgepodge" that needs to be revised according to the standard of God's Word. Conscience content is important because without it, the conscience does not function. (Koehler, Conscience, p. 7). On the other hand, conscience will function on the basis of the best material it has, whether or not that material is accurate.

Paul teaches that the Law of God is necessary for conscience content:

What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." (Romans 7:7, NIV).

Conscience content is not mere facts in the human mind. One must accept them as moral principles that are binding on oneself. (Koehler, Conscience, p. 7). Then one internalizes the values and they become part of the conscience content. This point is vital: The conscience will act as though specific material is binding on one if one is not sure whether it is right or wrong. (Koehler, Conscience, pp. 27-28). For instance, if one watched a questionable movie, his conscience would act as though it were definitely wrong to watch that movie. According to Koehler,

The proper treatment of persons with a "doubting conscience" is not to cajole them to override their scruples but to remove the scruples [or to affirm or correct them!] by patient instruction, which must be very clear and well-authenticated from Scriptures. (Koehler, Conscience, p. 27).

The criterion for conscience content is the Bible. This ideal is not fully realized even in conservative groups. However, this does not lessen the need for this Universal Moral Language. Because of this lack of knowledge (and of course, violated values), interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts abound.

Jesus commanded the church to evangelize and teach:

Then Jesus come to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV).

Part of the Great Commission is to instill proper conscience content.

According to Drakeford, the idealized society and reason are two sources of conscience content. (Drakeford, Integrity Therapy, pp. 16-19). Although society forms some values on the anvil of human experience, they tend to be unreliable, especially as a culture begins to degenerate.

Human reason is suspect, with its inherent selfishness, its irrational goals and its many rationalizations. Rationalization is the mental process through which one attempts to justify his behavior through "logical" argument. This process is an operation to justify behavior in line with the conscience ideal as well as to attempt to justify behavior against the conscience ideal. However, the term "rationalization" is used primarily to describe the attempt to justify irresponsible behavior. The common word for rationalization is lying. The process can be so convincing that one deceives himself on the conscious level:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverb 14:12, NIV).

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does (James 1:21-25, NIV).

Many problems arise from one's trust in reason. Bill Gothard, in his 1972 Dallas Seminar, stated that if natural human thinking were turned around 180 degrees, then it would be more in line with God's thinking! Some of the Church's problem in trusting in reason can be traced back to Thomas Aquinas' work in philosophy:

In Thomas Aquinas' view the will of man was fallen, but the intellect was not. From this incomplete view of the Biblical fall flowed all the subsequent difficulties. Man's intellect became autonomous. [Francis A. Schaeffer, Escape From Reason (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 1971), p. 11].

Therefore, we conclude that the basic criterion for conscience content is the Bible.

Modification of Conscience Content

Is it ever permissible to reduce guilt by lowering the ideal? The difference between the conscience ideal and the lived-out experience generates guilt. (Adapted from Professor James McGraw's lecture at Nazarene Theological Seminary, ca. 1966). In other words, when we fail to live up to our beliefs, guilt is the result. Guilt resulting from proper conscience content is good in that it causes one to treat others properly. However, if one educates his conscience by a man-made system of "dos and don'ts," the ideal may be humanly impossible to keep, therefore generating debilitating guilt:

. . .Why do you obey such rules as "Don't handle this," "Don't taste that," "Don't touch the other"? All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only man-made rules and teachings (Colossians 2:20-22, Today's English Version).

In this case, one should patiently instruct the "overscrupulous" person from the scriptures until he accepts God's values. As a result, guilt will be lowered. However, in American society the normal ideal is far below the standard of the Bible.

The amazing thing is that God's ideal is easy to keep, because with the commandment comes the enablement (Dr. Mendell Taylor, lecture in "History and Methods of Great Revivals" class, Nazarene Theological Seminary, ca. 1965). The Holy Spirit gives us power to obey God.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light [Italics Mine]" (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV).

God also places within us a desire to obey him:

for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13,NIV).

Conversely, the way of the rebel is hard:

Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard (Proverb 13:15, NIV).

One must distinguish between the temptation to sin and sin itself. One cannot always keep bad thoughts from entering his conscious mind. Psychiatrist Paul Tournier clarifies:

I do not forget the accurate distinction made by the theologians between temptation and sin. I am the first to expound it to the over-scrupulous patient. Temptation is not sin. The proof of this is that Christ himself was tempted (Luke 4:1-13). Any idea, even the most impious and the most criminal, can surge up in our minds without our being able to do anything about it. The only fault lies in our accepting it, cultivating it and taking pleasure in it. I quote Luther's saying that we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our head, but we can prevent them from building their nests in our hair. [Paul Tournier, MD, Guilt and Grace: A Psychological Study (London: Holder and Stoughton, 1962), p. 15].

The source of our temptation is both our own nature (Id) and Satan. James states,

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers (James 1:13-16, NIV).

Jesus' temptation in Matthew 4 illustrates how Satan tempts using human desires as a basis. The temptation becomes sin only if we choose to commit the sin in our minds, or adopt the attitude, "I would if I could." (Dr. Richard Taylor, lecture in "Doctrine of Holiness" class, Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1965).

Conclusion

Conscience is vitally important for both the individual and society. Conscience can be made less sensitive, but it cannot be made oversensitive. It is not ethical to modify conscience function or content, (1) By violating the conscience. (2) By wrong use of group pressure. (3) By electro-chemical means. The proper way to modify the conscience is, (1) By allowing the Holy Spirit to strengthen the ego. (2) By changing to proper content. (3) By strengthening the ego through continual right choices. (4) By associating with moral people.

As (1) One restores his conscience function to the proper level of function, (2) One corrects his conscience content by the standard of biblical content and (3) One lives up to his ideals, then, self esteem will rise correspondingly.

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