Our Conscience. is it innate?

Via dolarossa

Via dolarossa

Supporter


14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!​


are we all born with a conscience? is it innate? or are some people not born with one? surely consciences must be innate, in order to be cleansed or seared,( 1 Tim 4;2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,)but I am also wondering if Paul was only addressing christians in this passage.

it saddens me how some people can indeed commit some acts and think nothing of it. and so I dare say some crimes must be committed without a conscience in order for them to happen. think of ted buddy.

I think we must somehow be born with a conscience and it gets seared, and dies, at some point in a person's life.


is this view biblical?
 
Interesting thought.
Being spiritual being we are subject to spiritual influences. Initially man was created as a Spirit man and later put into a body to mind the natural environment (the two 'apparent' creation accounts). After the fall we became separated from our Father but still maintain our initial makeup, with the component, ability to choose. So the drawing card is which direction will we gravitate to?
The question of conscience, i think of it as a being created in the image of God who is initially designed to gravitate toward his Maker however the influences of prince of this world will corrupt those godly tendencies and conform the human spirit into its own image. Do we have an innate consciences? Yes, but it has been corrupted through the fall to an imperfect state and is therefore subject to - or requiring - 'completion' in one direction or the other.
IMO
As said earlier, the initial manifest of man as spiritual being would have been a complete 'sealed' package, not subject to 'spiritual peer' influences but then God's attributes of Savior need to be manifested so the permissive will with the fall of man had to happen.
 
I think Romans 1 and 2 gives us some insight…

Romans 1:19,21,28,32 KJV
[19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
[32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


Romans 2:1,5 ESV
[1] Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
[5] But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
 
Via dolarossa said:
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! are we all born with a conscience? is it innate? or are some people not born with one? surely consciences must be innate, in order to be cleansed or seared,( 1 Tim 4;2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,)but I am also wondering if Paul was only addressing christians in this passage. it saddens me how some people can indeed commit some acts and think nothing of it. and so I dare say some crimes must be committed without a conscience in order for them to happen. think of ted buddy. I think we must somehow be born with a conscience and it gets seared, and dies, at some point in a person's life.
is this view biblical?
Click to expand...

Hello Via;

I agree with everyone's good posts to your questions. Yes, our consciences are innate and we are all born with this.

Also, as we grow in life our conscience innate also grows. For example;

When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior we were conscience innate of our decision and from that moment our conscience grows as we mature spiritually.

When I am tempted in my sin I have become more and more conscience to choose, either to give in to my temptation, or rely on God's strength.

When I sin, God puts a conviction or chastisement within me. I am conscience of my disobedience. When I am obedient, God gives me a conscience of humbleness in my heart while quietly serving Him.

God bless you, sister, and Merry Christmas.
 
Via dolarossa said:

​

14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!​


are we all born with a conscience? is it innate? or are some people not born with one? surely consciences must be innate, in order to be cleansed or seared,( 1 Tim 4;2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,)but I am also wondering if Paul was only addressing christians in this passage.

it saddens me how some people can indeed commit some acts and think nothing of it. and so I dare say some crimes must be committed without a conscience in order for them to happen. think of ted buddy.

I think we must somehow be born with a conscience and it gets seared, and dies, at some point in a person's life.


is this view biblical?
Click to expand...
My view is we are born with it but as you say it can become sullied, marred or seared...

It isn't very big when you are a child. A child grows to learn what is right from what is wrong. When we are born again it gets put right, but we still need to act and nurture it.

Many people don't really think about the consequences of their actions, or how it affects others. Even now, grown leaders do not necessarily think how their policies affect all the people they govern. Eg. people get greedy and buy or eat whatever they want. They produce a lot of waste and pollution that goes to landfill and it becomes someone else's problem, but they think nothing of it. Or their bodies start to show signs of ill health that eventually requires hospital care and surgery.

Some people are just not aware. Like you can do a faux pas and not even know that what you said was rude or offensive to someone else because you've never learned empathy. When you are at the bottom you don't really know what it's like at the top or vice versa.
 
Via dolarossa said:

​

14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!​


are we all born with a conscience? is it innate? or are some people not born with one? surely consciences must be innate, in order to be cleansed or seared,( 1 Tim 4;2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,)but I am also wondering if Paul was only addressing christians in this passage.

it saddens me how some people can indeed commit some acts and think nothing of it. and so I dare say some crimes must be committed without a conscience in order for them to happen. think of ted buddy.

I think we must somehow be born with a conscience and it gets seared, and dies, at some point in a person's life.


is this view biblical?
Click to expand...
This blog has a discussion on consciousness that night be of interest to you.

ruentangled.blogspot.com
 
Lanolin said:
My view is we are born with it but as you say it can become sullied, marred or seared...

It isn't very big when you are a child. A child grows to learn what is right from what is wrong. When we are born again it gets put right, but we still need to act and nurture it.

Many people don't really think about the consequences of their actions, or how it affects others. Even now, grown leaders do not necessarily think how their policies affect all the people they govern. Eg. people get greedy and buy or eat whatever they want. They produce a lot of waste and pollution that goes to landfill and it becomes someone else's problem, but they think nothing of it. Or their bodies start to show signs of ill health that eventually requires hospital care and surgery.

Some people are just not aware. Like you can do a faux pas and not even know that what you said was rude or offensive to someone else because you've never learned empathy. When you are at the bottom you don't really know what it's like at the top or vice versa.
Click to expand...
Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.…
 
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