Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
"My conscience bears witness with me in holy spirit." (Romans 9:1)
The Bible shows that the conscience is an inner capacity to look at and evaluate your actions. It is as if a voice within you comments on whether a course is right or not. For example, this voice may speak beforehand as you consider to do something that has moral implications. Your conscience may help you to assess a future act and suggest how you would feel if you performed it. More commonly, your conscience comes into play after you do something. When he was a fugitive from King Saul, David was in a position to do something disrespectful toward God's anointed king, and he did. Afterward, "David's heart kept striking him." (1 Samuel 24:1-5; Psalms 32:3, 5) The word "conscience" is not used in that account; yet that is what David felt -the reaction of his conscience. All of us have similarly felt pangs of conscience. When one acts in accord with the conscience, a sense of satisfaction and peace can result.
(Watchtower issue: 10/15/07, 1:9, 10)