Referee of the Soul (5)

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit… Romans 9.1

The work of the Spirit
We have mentioned the Spirit of God in conjunction with the conscience. Let’s elaborate on that a bit more.

The Spirit, we said, renews the writing of the works of the Law of God on our heart by teaching and enabling us to obey the commandments of the Lord. What years of neglect and sinful works had obscured, the Spirit, Who comes to us at the moment of salvation, now begins to renew, taking up the work of God again and writing the Law on our souls so that we might live honorably and in love to God and man (Ezek. 36.26, 27). As He sets the Law in its proper place in our heart, as the rule book for loving God and neighbors, He provides the means whereby the conscience can arbitrate between thoughts and feelings.

Apparently, if we understand Paul aright, it is the work of God’s Spirit to confirm to the conscience that it is functioning in line with the good and clean purposes of God. When we are loving God and our neighbors, and when we are acting in such a way as to glorify God in all things, we should expect to know some confirming word from the Holy Spirit, assuring us that we have chosen correctly and acted according to the requirements of a good and clean conscience.

The work of the Spirit is, first, a work of conviction – that is, of establishing the best priorities and values – and, second, a work of transformation, of putting those values and priorities into action via a good and clean will (Jn. 16.8-11; 2 Cor. 3.12-18; Phil. 2.13).

A work of confirmation
As our conscience operates in line with the convicting and transforming work of the Spirit, we may expect the Spirit to confirm – or as Paul has it, bear witness – that our consciences have employed the right values and priorities, in refereeing between our hearts and minds, leading us to conduct ourselves in a manner expressive of God’s love.

For example, whenever we feel convicted of sin so that we confess, repent, and turn our feet back to the paths of God’s Word, we can know that the Spirit has been moving to pique, stir, and move our conscience in line with God’s will (Jn. 16.8-11; Ps. 119.59-61).

It behooves us, therefore, to make time in our lives to listen for this work of the Spirit as He moves to shape and mold our consciences toward goodness (Ps. 139.23, 24).

Further, we should expect some sort of spiritual “attaboy” from the Holy Spirit whenever in our relationships with others, our natural, self-centered bent gives way for the fruit of the Spirit to come to expression (Gal.5.22, 23). Bringing forth such fruit in us is a work of the Spirit of God, which we seek, and which we perform in conjunction with His working in our lives (Phil. 2.12, 13). We will only show good spiritual fruit in our lives as we value and nurture such fruit, and as the desire to live this way provides the bit and bridle for our thinking and affections. And when that happens, we can know that the Spirit has made His indwelling presence known, and we can expect Him to confirm our choice.

Gifts, witness, worship
The same is true with the exercise of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12.7-11). As we make ourselves available to serve in the church, using the gifts God’s Spirit brings with Him, we show that our values and priorities are what they should be, that the Spirit of God is working in us in specific ways, and that our consciences are good and clean before the Lord and men. The Lord wants us to receive, develop, and use His gifts to serve others in love. The Spirit will bear witness with our conscience as we put those gifts to work, assuring us that our consciences are clean and we are functioning according to the Lord’s agenda.

When we bear witness to Christ, this too, is a priority and work of the Spirit (Acts 1.8) We will only choose such a work when the Spirit has made it a priority in our lives. When it is, our consciences will be good and clean before God and men, and we will act accordingly.

Finally, when we are filled with the Spirit, so that we overflow with thanksgiving and worship, and make ourselves the servants of others for their good, then we can know that God’s Spirit is shaping our souls – mind, heart, and conscience – to reflect and practice the true spiritual values of the Lord.

The nurture of our conscience depends on our ability to follow the lead of the Spirit as He convicts and teaches us the things of Christ, transforming us increasingly into His image, beginning in our soul.

Let us therefore seek the Spirit diligently in all our ways.

For reflection or discussion
1.  Meditate on Ezekiel 36.26, 27 and John 1.:8-11. Why do we need the Law of God in our souls for the Spirit to do His best work in us?

2.  What do we mean by saying that the Spirit affirms or confirms or bears witness in our conscience? Why does this matter?

3.  Meditate on Psalm139.23, 24. Suggest some ways you might practice the teaching of this passage throughout the day.

Next steps – Transformation: Review each of the ways the Spirit of God works with your conscience. In each area, indicate one way you’d like to see more growth in your walk with and work for the Lord. What can you do to help that become a reality?

T. M. Moore

This is part 1 of an 8-part series on Purifying the Conscience. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.