THE WONDER OF CLEANSING

How Your Conscience Accuses You

I have seen how upright Christians generally do know that God has forgiven their sins. They also believe that the accusation of the evil one must be silent in their lives, and yet they still walk around feeling guilty. How is this possible? Do you understand that it is not only the evil one who is accusing you? Your own conscience also accuses you from the inside out, causing you to feel guilty.

But what is your conscience exactly? The Greek word suneidesis means ‘knowing together with someone else’. It is your God-given discernment, which warns you not to do what is wrong. However, your conscience becomes dulled and less sensitive because of sin, so it is more difficult to distinguish between good and evil³⁸.

The Greek word for ‘conscience’ is derived from the verb suneido, which could be translated as ‘seeing in your mind’s eye’. King David said in one of his psalms: ‘For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin’³⁹. He didn’t want to, but he kept seeing in his mind’s eye how he committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband to his death. This was not an accusation from the evil one; it was David’s sullied conscience that accused him. David cried out to God: ‘Close your eyes to my sins and wipe out all my evil. Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me’⁴⁰.

Thankfully, the Bible says that ‘…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’⁴¹. When your conscience is cleansed and made holy through the blood of the Lord Jesus, it will no longer accuse you and you will hear the Lord’s voice better, enabling you to serve Him with more joy!