The conscience is a fascinating part of
our soul/spirit complex. Simply stated, it is the faculty of our inner man by which we
judge what is right and wrong, or make value judgments. It operates on information that we
accept as authoritative, coming from an authority that we acknowledge has the right to
tell us what is right and what is wrong. The development and operation of our conscience
begins early. As a child we learn from parental authority what is right and wrong. A
system of norms and standards takes shape in our mentality and we evaluate what is right
and wrong on the basis of it. During adolescence as the maturing process of our conscience
advances on and preparations are begun for independent living, we begin to desire to
exercise our conscience in an independent and responsible manner. With adulthood comes the
fully mature, independent, and responsible operation of the conscience. As an adult,
therefore, we occupy the position of accepting full responsibility for our actions and for
the testimony of our conscience.
Now this is not the beginning of a treatise on the
intricacies of the function of the conscience. Far from it. However, for us in this
dispensation of grace, it is essential to understand and appreciate the basics of what our
conscience is and the fundamental way it functions. This is because the function of our
conscience is a very big issue in this dispensation, as we will note. But in particular,
for the purpose of this article, we need to appreciate the function of the conscience if
we are to understand the spiritual disaster and danger Paul describes when he refers to
ones who have their "conscience seared with a hot iron."
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils:
Speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their
conscience seared with a hot iron:
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which
believe and know the truth." (I Timothy 4:1-3)
As Paul declares here, as well as throughout the Pastoral
epistles, this dispensation of grace is going to be dominated by the effective operations
of the Satanic policy of evil. Instead of sound Bible doctrine prevailing and the
knowledge of the truth of what God is doing in this dispensation holding sway among
Christians, the opposite will be the case. Unsound doctrine is actually going to dominate.
Bible mishandling and misapplication is going to be the norm. The confusing of God’s
program for Israel with His program for us in this dispensation of grace is going to
prevail, as people not only fail to "rightly divide the word of truth," but
actually outright refuse to do so. And this they will do because of the effective
operations of the Satanic policy of evil, as it victimizes Christians and successfully
convinces them to believe "doctrines of devils" rather than the truth for and
about this dispensation.
There are a number of facets to the reason for the success
Satan’s policy of evil will have. Yet one issue is particularly cited in this passage
for its integral role in Satan’s success. It is the issue of the conscience. But not
a properly functioning conscience, you will note. Rather, one that malfunctions because it
has suffered injury and destructive damage. One that is in a state of spiritual disaster
due to a spiritual "hot iron" being effectively applied to it.
In order to understand this issue, and the value Satan sees
in producing a ‘seared conscience,’ we must first appreciate God’s design
for our conscience, especially in this dispensation of grace.
The Conscience in this Dispensation
As a quick glance at a concordance shows, the conscience is
spoken about more by the Apostle Paul than by any one else in the Bible. In fact, it is
almost exclusively a subject confined to Paul’s epistles. And this really should come
as no surprise. In view of how God is dealing with us today in this dispensation, it is
natural for Him to make a very big issue out of our conscience and its operations.
In Galatians 4, for example, Paul teaches us that in this
dispensation of grace we have received "the adoption of sons." Hence, God is
dealing with us today as adult "sons" and not as "children." We are
not being dealt with by God as He had dealt with Israel in time past, when He dealt with
them as "children" using the "tutors and governors" operation of the
Law and also keeping them in bondage to "the elements of the world." Instead, in
this dispensation as "sons" we possess operations of God that are consistent
with adulthood. We, therefore, are "under grace" and possess the "Spirit of
adoption," by whom we are to be "led" as He operates in a very special way
in our inner man.
Now since God has given us the "adoption of sons"
and is dealing with us as adults, He is consequently dealing with us as ones with whom the
mature operation of the mind and conscience is to be the norm. The mature operation of the
mind and conscience are a natural part of adulthood. This being the case, in this
dispensation the Spirit of God and the written word of God function in a way that is in
accordance with adulthood.
The written word of God to us is to be recognized by us as
our final and sole authority. In connection with this, the Spirit of God who indwells us
takes the word of God and through edification makes it the life of our mentality, which is
what God has designed for it to be with us as "sons." Our minds, therefore, are
to be "renewed" by the effectual working of the written word of God, just as
Paul says, for example, in Romans 12:2.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)
With the renewing of our mind the Holy Spirit takes the
authoritative written word of God to us and educates us particularly in the knowledge of
what God values and esteems. Our thinking, along with the norms and standards of our
conscience, are adjusted by the authority of the written word of God to us and brought
into conformity with it. We are then able to think about things as God does, know how to
do things God’s way, and labor with God in what He is doing. The word of God through
the Spirit of God becomes the life of our inner man, particularly the vitality of our
conscience. As such, therefore, we possess and are to operate solely upon the
authoritative knowledge of what God says is right; what He says is truth; what He says He
is doing, and the like.
In connection with this, as Paul declared to the saints in
Corinth, we too are to realize that we are,...
"...the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but
in fleshy tables of the heart." (II Corinthians 3:3)
As "the epistle of Christ," the Lord’s very
own words to us are written upon the "tables of (our) heart" by the Holy Spirit
through the process of edification. They are made living components of our heart, of our
inner man and all its workings. As that epistle is written, the words of the Lord’s
mind and thinking become the material of our minds and thinking. Hence, as
"sons" our hearts and minds can actually function in the very way God originally
designed for the heart and mind of man to function - one-minded with His own heart and
mind through the possession and effectual working of His very words within us.
Now it is in a mind that acknowledges the power and
authority of the written word of God, and a conscience that operates on it, that all of
this can be accomplished.
Competing Authorities
The Adversary is well aware that God is dealing with us as
adult "sons" in this dispensation and he knows what that means. He understands
far better than most Christians do, the role the written word of God is to have in the
believer’s life. In connection with this, one of the major strategic maneuvers of the
Satanic policy of evil today is the establishment of competing authorities. That is, the
establishment of other entities as authoritative, which are designed to directly compete
with the authoritative declarations of the written word of God to us today in this
dispensation. Through the operation of these competing authorities the design of the
policy of evil is to supplant the written word of God as the final and sole authority. It
seeks to undermine the authority of the written word of God in the believer’s
conscience and replace it with another authority. One that is considered by the believer
to be at least equal to, if not greater than, the written word of God. This being done,
Satan’s ultimate goal can easily be achieved, which is to produce doctrinal
corruption in the mind of the believer by having Satan’s "winds of
doctrine" and "doctrines of devils" accepted for the truth. The effectual
establishment of a competing authority is what Paul describes in I Timothy 4 when he
refers to ones "having their conscience seared with a hot iron."
In teaching us about the Satanic policy of evil, the
Apostle Paul describes a number of these competing authorities. Among them are the issues
of: respected personages (II Cor. 11:1ff); forceful leaders (I Cor. 4:18-20); traditions
(Col. 2:8); philosophy (Col. 2:8); science falsely so called (I Tim. 6:20-21); popularity
(II Cor. 11:1ff); customs (I Cor. 11:16); dictates of society (I Cor. 4:8ff); strong ones
in the faith (I Cor. 8:10-11); etc. Though each of these can be highly successful as a
competing authority, there is one kind that excels at supplanting the authority of the
written word of God in believers’ lives. This is the authority of subjective
experience.
Subjective Experience
Subjective experience can involve any experience in which a
person’s senses, feelings, or emotions play a part. However, we are concerned
primarily with the subjective experience of spiritual phenomena. That is experiences
either participated in, witnessed, or confronted with, which convince a person that God,
or a spiritual being, has been at work. Such experiences would include witnessing or being
involved in: a miracle; the giving of a sign; the operation of a spiritual gift; receiving
a revelation from God; receiving the ministry of an angel; having a vision or dream from
God; being transported by the Spirit of God; and the like.
Subjective experience is highly influential, especially
when the experience is attributed to God’s working. The power of such experiences to
convince someone that God is at work, is something with which Satan is well familiar.
Because of this, Satan has always been involved in counterfeiting the power of God with
his own spiritual phenomena in order to establish the competing authority of subjective
experience in the conscience of God’s people. But especially is this profitable for
him to do in this dispensation, and it is the very thing Paul refers to in I Timothy 4
when he speaks about the activity of "seducing spirits" in connection with the
searing of the conscience.
When something seduces it usually persuades by appealing to
the senses. It entices by making an impression upon one’s eyes, feelings, and
desires. When Satan seduces, he does the same thing. However, as the following verse from
Israel’s program shows, what one sees and experiences in his seductions are
counterfeit spiritual phenomena designed to make one think that God is at work.
"For false Christs and false prophets shall
rise, AND SHALL SHEW SIGNS AND WONDERS, TO SEDUCE, if it were possible, even the
elect." (Mark 13:22)
Now it is important to note that in God’s program and
dealings with Israel, as He dealt with them as "children," the use of spiritual
phenomena was commonplace. In fact, God had made a covenant with Israel by which He
declared that He would deal with them by such things. He entered into that covenant in
Moses’ day and it became the basis upon which the people of Israel could talk about
"our signs" and even "require a sign."
"And he said, Behold, I make a covenant:
before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor
in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for
it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee." (Exodus 34:10)
For God to "do marvels" and produce spiritual
phenomena in His program and dealings with Israel is to be expected, in view of this
covenant. For Israel to have subjective experiences by which they "see the work of
the LORD" is to be expected, in view of this covenant. Hence, the record of
God’s program and dealings with Israel is replete with experiences of spiritual
phenomena. Especially is this so as recorded in the Gospel accounts and the opening
chapters of the book of Acts, when the climactic stage in Israel’s program had
arrived. Signs, wonders, miracles, and other spiritual phenomena abounded during that
time. God’s ‘covenant of marvels’ with Israel was employed with great
vigor.
However, when with the raising up of the Apostle Paul God
declared the suspension of His program with Israel and brought in this present
dispensation of Gentile grace, things changed. In this dispensation God has made no
covenant with us declaring to us that He will "do marvels" among us, or that we
will "see the work of the LORD" in our midst. In fact, not only has He made no
such covenant with us, He teaches us that the opposite will be the case with us in this
dispensation.
With the exception of the temporary need for the use of
spiritual phenomena for a short time at the beginning of this dispensation, (as described
in I Corinthians 12-14), the power of God operates in a different sphere today. It
operates almost exclusively in the inner man. Instead of outward and visible, it is inward
and invisible. Hence, we find Paul saying, for example,...
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKETH IN
US,..." (Ephesians 3:20)
"...but as it is in truth, the word of God,
which effectually worketh also IN YOU that believe." (I Thessalonians 2:13)
Therefore, the issue with us in this dispensation is one of
understanding and appreciating the excellency of the power of God’s word operating
within our inner man, instead of in the circumstances of our lives. And this is something
that is almost the opposite of how things were in Israel’s program. Hence, Paul says
to us,...
"...we walk by faith, not by sight."
(II Corinthians 5:7)
"Not by sight," Paul says. Obviously, God has
made no covenant with us declaring that we will "see the work of the LORD" in
our midst. Instead, we are to "walk by faith" with a "spirit of faith"
that is exclusively fastened on to what the written word of God says to us in this
dispensation. We aren't to look for God to perform any spiritual phenomena. We aren't to
operate on the basis of any subjective experience. The only one in the business of
producing spiritual phenomena now is the Adversary as he works to sear consciences. Hence,
unlike in God’s program with Israel, the written word of God to us is to be the sole
authority upon which our consciences operates. It is to be the sole authority for
determining what is truth, what God is really doing, and the like.
The Seared Conscience
When flesh is "seared with a hot iron" it is
cauterized. Its surface is burned, charred, and hardened. A deadened crust of tissue is
formed in which there is no longer the sense of feeling. Searing renders it incapable of
feeling. It renders it unresponsive, numb to the stimuli it should respond to.
The "hot iron" in I Timothy 4 that so effectively
sears the conscience is the competing authority of subjective experience. What a physical
"hot iron" does to flesh, the "hot iron" of subjective experience does
to the conscience. Yet, accepting any other authority as equal to, or greater than, the
authority of the written word of God, effectively sears the conscience and numbs it to the
final authority that the word of God should hold in it.
In particular, it is the numbing power of subjective
experience that results in the ‘seared conscience’ Paul speaks about in I
Timothy 4. By coupling together the childish operating principle that says seeing/feeling
is believing, with disobedience to the command to "rightly divide the word of
truth," the Adversary through his "seducing spirits" is able to
successfully convince a Christian that the spiritual phenomenon he has experienced truly
is of God. When so convinced, this personal experience of God supposedly working in his
life now becomes the accepted authority for determining what God is doing. The conscience
now becomes seared and so insensitive to the authority of what the written word of God
says God is doing today. It is seared by the authority given to the subjective experience
and it becomes numb to what the written word of God to us today has to say. The experience
is the final authority now, and that’s that. The seared conscience now functions as a
wall of resistance. A wall of resistance to the power of the written word of God. And this
constitutes a spiritual disaster for the believer. However, it is a great victory for the
Adversary, as I Timothy 4 makes clear.
Biblists
In view not only of the competing authority of subjective
experience, but all the other competing authorities as well, there is a little-used term
that appropriately describes the kind of person a Christian should be. It is the term Biblist.
(From Bible+ist, denoting a person who believes in and adheres to the
Bible. Also, sometimes spelled Biblicist.) It was formerly used as a contemptuous
term by Roman Catholicism for ones who rejected the authority of the Papacy and took the
Bible as the sole rule of faith. Though originally coined by ones who have always rejected
the written word of God as the ultimate, final authority, it nonetheless does properly
describe what one is if he does recognize that authority and his conscience is sensitive
to it. Such a one is a Biblist, and this is certainly what we should be. Indeed,
in view of the Satanic policy of evil against us we cannot afford to be anything less.
However, because the Bible sets forth not only what God is
doing in this dispensation of grace, but also His program with Israel, we must
"rightly divide the word of truth." Therefore, the absolute and sole authority
for us in this dispensation is the "rightly divided" written word of God. This
is the precise kind of Biblists we need to be. - K. R. Blades |
