And Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide…Right?

The children’s cartoon “Pinocchio” has some very memorable moments, from the time that the marionette first was given life to when his nose grew and grew until birds nested in the end of it because of his lies. While there are many memorable moments, one of the lines that has continued to be said for many years is found in the song of Jiminy Cricket, as he is teaching Pinocchio about living life and knowing what to do when you face temptation. Jiminy tells Pinocchio that when things are tough and you can’t tell right from wrong, always let your conscience be your guide.

Many have this same philosophy, but they say it a little different. They might say, “Just go with your gut” or “Follow your heart.” The idea is that when you don’t know exactly what to do, you ought to do what you think is right at the time. On the surface this sounds like a philosophy that might work out just fine! We all try to do what’s right, right? But when we think a little more about what this sort of philosophy entails, we come to a more sinister understanding. If everyone follows their own heart, and everyone goes with their own gut, we will find trouble with God.

There was a society that “followed their heart” and “always let their conscience be their guide.” They were the nation of Israel, and we find their history in the Old Testament in the Bible. In the book of Judges we can read about the idols they served and the evils they did in the sight of the One True God. As you near the end of the book of Judges, you find a telling statement concerning Israel during these dark times:

“In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

-Judges 17:6

When we do what we believe to be right without consulting God’s greater wisdom, we often find ourselves doing wrong without even knowing it!

Some would object, saying, “God gave me my conscience, and so I know I can trust it!” This statement is only partially true. Has God given you a conscience? Yes. But the question still remains, can we always trust our conscience to guide us? The answer to that question is an emphatic and resounding, NO. We cannot always trust our conscience to guide us, because the Scriptures plainly identify that our conscience can be corrupted and changed:

“…some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron…”

-1 Timothy 4:1-2

Our conscience can be trained to believe that something right is actually wrong, but can also be trained to believe something wrong is actually right! Through our practices we must be careful to be true to God’s Word, for through our practices our conscience will be trained. If we depart from God’s Word and train our conscience to believe a falsehood, we will be weaker for it. Let us train our conscience in truth, leave false or inaccurate traditions behind, and do as God says, even if the Scriptures go against what we feel.