The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience… 1 Timothy 1.5
 

The third facet of sound doctrine – with a sound mind and a pure heart – is a good conscience.

The conscience is that aspect of the soul that nurtures and houses our values and priorities. It is thus the seat of the will. If our values, priorities, and will are good, then it follows that our walk will express that which is pleasing to the Lord, Who is good.

The Law of God, being holy and righteous and good(Rom. 7.12), is thus a valuable resource for the reformation and nurture of our consciences. By an abundance of examples, promises, and warnings, the Law teaches us to value what God values. It instructs us to make obedience to His will the highest priority of our lives. We would not be able to know that God deplores coveting – or even what it is to covet – without the Law of God to instruct us (Rom. 7.7). The same is true with everything else that is necessary to foster sound doctrine in the form of love for God and neighbor.

We will not be likely to bring love to expression – no matter how well we understand it nor how pure our motives and desires may be – if our will is not shaped for goodness as God intends. Exposure to the Law of God, by which we learn the character of God and understand the magnitude of Christ’s mercy and grace, can help to ensure that our values will be the same as God’s, so that, mind, heart, and conscience working together, the fourth facet of the jewel of sound doctrine can be achieved, and we will be firmly established in the true teaching of our Lord.

That fourth facet is a sincere and unhypocritical walk of faith.

T. M. Moore

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethicsfrom our online store.