Your Conscience​—Use Bible Principles to Train It

1-2. (a) What gift were Adam and Eve given? (b) How should they have shown their appreciation for that gift?

ANIMALS act according to instinct. Many machines can be programmed to operate a certain way. But humans are different. We are created with a special gift, one that true Christians treasure. That gift is free will​—that is, the ability to make our own decisions and choices in life. The Bible tells us that the first man, Adam, was made in God’s image, or likeness. (Gen. 1:26, 27) As intelligent creatures, both Adam and his wife, Eve, were given the opportunity to make their own decisions.

² Jehovah did not give Adam and Eve a long list of laws. He simply told them to care for the earth, to populate it with their children, and to respect his right to set reasonable limits on what they were allowed to do. (Gen. 1:28; 2:16, 17) How should Adam and Eve have shown appreciation to the One who gave them the gift of free will? In light of all that Jehovah had given them, they should have been moved to obey these basic commands because of their love for him and their desire to make him happy.​—Prov. 23:15.

3. How did Adam and Eve use their gift of free will?

³ As the Bible record reveals, Adam and Eve did not use their free will wisely. Instead, they decided to disobey Jehovah. Their decision was not guided by love and appreciation for Jehovah but, rather, by selfishness. (Gen. 3:1-7) The outcome of that decision still plagues us today.​—Rom. 5:12.

4. (a) According to Galatians 6:5, what must we all do? (b) What other gift will we discuss in this article?

⁴ Today our lives are extremely complicated. Each day, we need to make numerous decisions. (Read Galatians 6:5.) Some are relatively simple, but others are more complex. How can we make decisions that will please Jehovah? We must first acknowledge that we need Jehovah’s help. (Prov. 16:3; Jer. 10:23) Even the perfect man Jesus saw the need for God’s help. (Heb. 5:7) As imperfect humans, we are in much greater need of guidance than Jesus was. Let us now discuss another God-given gift that will help us to make right decisions​—our conscience.

WHAT IS THE CONSCIENCE?

5. (a) What is the conscience? (b) How does the conscience come to our aid? (Romans 2:14, 15)

⁵ Our conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong. Even a person who knows nothing about God’s laws has a conscience. (2 Cor. 4:2) Our conscience is like a judge inside of us who can either accuse us or excuse us for our thoughts and actions. (Read Romans 2:14, 15.) Our conscience can warn us against doing what we know is wrong. (1 Sam. 26:8-11) Or it can push us to do what we know is right. Having the gift of free will alone does not ensure that every decision we make is acceptable to Jehovah. Our conscience should help us discern the difference between a good decision and a bad one.

6. What problem do we have with our conscience?

⁶ But there is a problem with our conscience. Just as we are imperfect, our conscience is also imperfect. It can be negatively affected by our upbringing, our culture, and our sinful desires. The Bible says that a conscience can become “weak,” “defiled,” “seared as with a branding iron,” or even “wicked.” (1 Cor. 8:12; Titus 1:15; 1 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 10:22) Such a conscience no longer acts as a good guide. It is like an inaccurate scale that needs to be recalibrated. Our conscience, then, must be properly maintained in order to keep it in good condition. (1 Pet. 3:16) How can we do that?

HOW TO TRAIN OUR CONSCIENCE

7-8. (a) What will help us to train our conscience? (b) How do Bible principles help to guide us? Illustrate. (See also picture.)

⁷ How can we train our conscience? We must regularly read the Bible and learn what is right and what is wrong from Jehovah’s viewpoint. Studying God’s laws will help us to understand his thinking. But, as mentioned in the preceding article, specific laws may be limited in application. That is why we must also look for principles, since they give us a much broader understanding of Jehovah’s thinking and feelings.​—Isa. 55:9.

⁸ Our journey in life could be likened to a walk through a wilderness. Imagine a wilderness without clearly defined roads, paths, or road signs. The position of the sun and the stars may indicate the general direction we should take in order to reach our destination. But a map that highlights certain landmarks along the way would be even more helpful. Such a map would reassure us that we are walking in the right direction and would help us recognize when we make any deviation from that direction. Our destination in life is to please Jehovah. The Bible is like a map that gives us specific direction. Bible principles are like the landmarks along the way. Walking in harmony with those principles will ensure that we reach our destination.

9. What other help is identified at Romans 9:1 that will assist us in training our conscience?

⁹ To train our conscience correctly, we need the help of God’s holy spirit. (Read Romans 9:1.) Holy spirit will help us to understand God’s thinking on matters. It can also motivate and energize us to do things in accord with Jehovah’s will. (Phil. 2:13) But how can we get the help of Jehovah’s holy spirit?

10. How can we get the help of the holy spirit? (Luke 11:10, 13)

¹⁰ Pray for holy spirit. (Read Luke 11:10, 13.) We can be confident that Jehovah is openhanded when it comes to giving us his holy spirit. (John 3:34) He gives it generously to those who act in harmony with its leadings. (Prov. 1:23; Jas. 1:5) But what else will help us to train our conscience?

11. (a) What should be our main goal in life? (b) Why do we need to make sure that our conscience is trained and working properly?

¹¹ Always seek Jehovah’s approval. (Prov. 8:34, 35) That should be our main goal in life. If we keep that goal in our mind in every situation we face in life, this may help to train our conscience. A well-trained conscience is the combination of a mind that is attuned to how Jehovah thinks and a heart that cares about how he feels. When we consider how complicated life is today, we realize how important a well-trained conscience is. We often face situations that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. These situations may involve our entertainment, our work, our education, or our relationships with others. So how can we be sure that Jehovah approves of the decisions we make on these matters?​—2 Cor. 1:12.

12. What will help us to know if our conscience is leading us in the right direction? (Ephesians 5:10)

¹² Meditate on what you read in God’s Word. (Ps. 49:3) When you read the Bible, look for principles that will help you to understand Jehovah’s thinking. (Read Ephesians 5:10.) As we navigate through the difficult problems we face in life, we need to look for principles in the Bible that will aid us in knowing whether our conscience is helping us to make the right decisions. (Prov. 2:4-9, 11-13) These principles can help us to readjust and correct our conscience as needed to ensure that we stay on course.​—Heb. 5:14.

13. What should we avoid doing? Give an example.

¹³ Do not make a decision and then search for principles to support it. We do not want to imitate the Israelites who remained in the land of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. They told Jeremiah: “May Jehovah your God tell us the way we should walk and what we should do.” (Jer. 42:3-6) But they had already decided what course of action they were going to take. When Jehovah’s direction did not please them, they stuck to their original decision. This led to disaster. (Jer. 42:19-22; 43:1, 2, 4) So before we make a decision, we need to search for Bible principles that reveal Jehovah’s thinking and then act in harmony with it.

14. Why do we need to apply Bible principles when making decisions?

¹⁴ Make decisions based on Bible principles. (Matt. 7:24-29; Jas. 1:23-25) When we make decisions based on Bible principles, we work in harmony with the holy spirit. As a result, Jehovah continues to grant us his spirit. (Acts 5:32) However, if we ignore the leadings of Jehovah’s spirit, we could find ourselves “grieving,” or working against, the holy spirit. (Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10; Acts 7:51) Jehovah could even withhold his spirit from us. (Ps. 51:11; 1 Thess. 5:19) That would be disastrous because we need the power and strength that comes from the holy spirit.​—Eph. 3:16.

HOW TO FIND APPLICABLE BIBLE PRINCIPLES

15-16. (a) How can we find applicable Bible principles? (b) What Bible principles can help a Bible student to gain the strength to quit smoking?

¹⁵ Make use of study tools. Before we can apply Bible principles, we need to be able to identify them in the Scriptures. For example, what if your Bible student is reluctant to stop smoking? He may reason: ‘Smoking is not mentioned in the Bible. So how do we know that it is wrong?’ How can you help him find the applicable Bible principles and reason on them? One valuable tool is the Research Guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses. You could direct your student to the heading “Tobacco and Smoking.” Under that heading, he would see the reference to the article “What Is God’s View of Smoking?” (See The Watchtower of December 15, 2012.) As he reads that article, what scriptures and principles would he find?

¹⁶ Consider five of the principles mentioned in that article. (1) We should not become a slave to something that leads to death. (Rom. 6:16) (2) We should avoid anything that would harm our body. (2 Cor. 7:1) (3) Jehovah wants us to serve him whole-souled. (Matt. 22:37) (4) We should not harm others by our actions. (Matt. 22:39; 1 Cor. 10:24) (5) Jehovah can give us the strength to do what is right. (Phil. 4:13) So even though smoking is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, the principles found therein can help your student discern Jehovah’s thinking.

17. How could a Witness couple planning a wedding find relevant Bible principles to help them?

¹⁷ How could a Witness couple planning a wedding find relevant Bible principles that would help them make good decisions? Again, the Research Guide can help. Under the heading “Weddings and Receptions,” there is a list of articles that include basic Bible principles. Consider six principles that a couple could consider. (1) All the arrangements should honor Jehovah. (1 Cor. 10:31, 32) (2) Our clothing should be appropriate, modest, and not extreme. (1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4) (3) We should avoid showy displays that imitate Satan’s world. (John 17:14; Jas. 1:27; 1 John 2:15, 16) (4) The arrangements should be orderly. (1 Cor. 14:40) (5) Receptions should not be wild parties marked by drunkenness. (Gal. 5:21) (6) Someone should have the responsibility to oversee the event.​—John 2:8, 9.

18-19. (a) What other tool can help us? (b) What principles can you find using this tool that will help you with decisions concerning celebrations? (See the box “Can You Discern the Principles?”)

¹⁸ Another tool that many have found beneficial is Scriptures for Christian Living. This publication lists scriptures under a variety of practical topics. Once you have selected the topic, you will see a list of questions along with scriptures that can help you to discern Bible principles. For example, a Christian may wonder whether he should attend a certain celebration. If he turns to the heading “Celebrations,” he will find the subheading “Celebrations that Christians avoid.”

¹⁹ Consider some of the material highlighted under that section: “Why is it wrong to share in celebrations that are contaminated by false religion? (1Co 10:21; 2Co 6:14-18; Eph 5:10, 11).” Examples are then given of such celebrations. Under the subheading “Nationalistic celebrations,” Scriptural principles are listed that apply when considering whether a Christian should celebrate events of a nation’s political history, commemorate wars of a nation, or participate in ceremonies that give worshipful honor to prominent men. How thankful we are that Jehovah’s organization gives us such tools to help us train our conscience!

PROVE THAT YOU HAVE A WELL-TRAINED CONSCIENCE

20. How can we show that we have trained our conscience properly?

²⁰ We treasure the gift of free will. But we also realize that we must train our conscience so that we can use our free will responsibly. A well-trained conscience will help us to make decisions that bring honor to Jehovah and are in harmony with his will. To do this, we need the help of Jehovah’s holy spirit. So we must continue to ask for holy spirit and then work in harmony with its leadings. Bible principles will also help to guide our conscience. May we use these gifts properly and then see the power of God’s Word in our life.​—2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12.