Conscience
A Sermon on Romans 14:14-16
Originally preached Jan. 12, 1968
Scripture
14I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him …
Sermon Description
Teaching on the conscience is relatively sparse in Scripture. The topic occurs in only a few passages in Paul’s letters so many Christians are either uninformed about the conscience or perhaps confused. How vital is it to the Christian life and what is Scripture’s teaching on it? In a sermon dedicated entirely to key questions regarding the conscience, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones posits that the apostle Paul’s teaching on the conscience is one of the most important subjects for the family of God. In his sermon on Romans 14:14–16 titled “Conscience,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings related passages on the conscience together in order to evaluate key terms and answer basic questions on the conscience. Drawing from Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, Dr. Lloyd-Jones analyzes the context of strong and weak Christians on matters of opinion. With regards to these indifferent matters, the conscience is ultimate. Christians are not to exercise their liberty in such a way that it comes under the condemnation of another believer’s conscience. Disregarding another’s conscience or one’s own can have devastating results. As such, Dr. Lloyd-Jones looks in-depth at Scriptural teaching on a defiled and seared conscience. Finally, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides listeners with the two main functions of the conscience in the Christian life.
Sermon Breakdown
- The conscience is extremely important to the Christian life. It acts as a safeguard against theoretical opinions and indolence.
- The conscience condemns actions that go against God's law. It acts independently of our will and desires.
- We can act against our conscience, leading to a "bad conscience." We can also defile and sear our conscience through persistent sin and disobedience.
- A good conscience means we are not condemned by our conscience. A conscience void of offense means we are acting according to our conscience.
- Our conscience bears witness to the truth and agrees with righteous actions.
- We must have a pure, cleansed, and sprinkled conscience. We must hold onto faith with a good conscience.
- We can have a weak conscience, meaning we have a poor understanding of Christian freedom and what is sinful. We must be careful not to wound the weak consciences of others.
- The conscience is a safeguard against theoretical Christianity, indolence, and false spirituality. It condemns teachings that seem spiritual but go against God's word.
- We must listen to our conscience and not argue against it. We should not abuse the doctrine of justification by faith to ignore our conscience.
- The conscience is given by God to all people. For Christians, it helps us know God's will and live righteously. We must keep our conscience clear and avoid defiling it.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Conscience in Christianity?
What is the conscience according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, conscience means "knowing together with" or "knowing together with something else." He explains that biblically, it means "knowing together with God or knowing together with the teaching given to us by God." He references Romans 2:14-15 to show that God has put His law into the hearts of all men, and conscience is men "going along with what God has implanted inside him." The conscience acts independently of us but can be influenced by our actions over time.
How important is conscience in the Christian life according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that conscience is vitally important in the Christian life. He says, "Here he puts before us again the most important place that must be given in the christian life to the conscience." He cites numerous biblical references where Paul speaks about conscience, including references to a "good conscience," a "conscience void of offense," a "weak conscience," a "pure conscience," and a "defiled conscience." Lloyd-Jones argues that we should always listen to our conscience and not argue against it, even using theological concepts like justification by faith.
What happens when someone ignores their conscience?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when people persistently ignore their conscience, they can "defile" it, making it less sensitive. He refers to 1 Timothy 4:2 where Paul speaks of those "having their conscience seared with a hot iron." He explains this vivid imagery: "Imagine a sensitive surface with nerves and nerve endings... you bring this hot iron and you place it on it and you seal off all these nerve roots so that the thing becomes hard and calloused." Eventually, such people "rarely feel nothing at all, and become amoral."
What two vital functions does conscience serve in the Christian life?
According to Lloyd-Jones, conscience serves two crucial functions: 1. "It is the greatest safeguard possible against mere theoretical opinions about truth or a mere intellectual interest in truth" - preventing Christians from having just a theoretical faith. 2. "Conscience is the greatest safeguard of all against a false spirituality" - protecting against extreme views like those of the Gnostics who either completely rejected bodily pleasures or indulged in them excessively, both based on the false premise that the body is evil.
How does Romans 14:16 guide Christians regarding matters of conscience?
In discussing Romans 14:16 ("Let not then your good be evil spoken of"), Lloyd-Jones explains that even when something is good and permissible for us, we shouldn't do it if it causes harm to others or leads others to speak evil of that good thing. He states: "That a thing is good, evil in and of itself does not mean, therefore, that it is always right for us to do it." The principle is that Christians should consider how their actions might affect fellow believers with weaker consciences.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.