Nothing is quite so liberating in life as gaining and maintaining a good conscience. St Augustine once said, “A good conscience is the palace of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the paradise of delight, the standing Sabbath of the saints.” By this he meant that a good conscience brings continual joy and rest to the soul.

For those interested in living in this “paradise of delight,” there are several truths that must be kept in mind:

First, it is important that the conscience be shaped by the Word of God. This leads to a properly educated conscience. It is possible to have a conscience that is overly sensitive. Paul wrote of those who have scruples about matters which are due to an uneducated conscience (Rom. 14; I Cor 8:7).

But it is also possible to have a conscience that is not sensitive enough. This may happen when a believer does not heed the internal voice, and the voice begins to recede into the background. The Chinese have a proverb that says, “Sin a sin more than once, and to you it will no longer be a sin.” It is possible for the mind to rationalize behavior that the conscience and the spirit will not accept. While the mind is satisfied and the voice of conscience grows dim, guilt registers on the spirit and the burden of the transgression is borne within.

The balance comes when the believer saturates himself or herself in the Word of God. God’s Word has the power to enlighten the conscience and shape it into what the Apostle Paul calls a “good conscience”—condemning the wrong and commending the right.

Second, a good conscience must be maintained. Again the Apostle said, “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16). This exercise will be lifelong. Because we are living in a fallen world and in an imperfect body, mistakes will be made and confessions and apologies will be in order both to God and to others. It is crucial that we have a reverse gear and that we use it as often as necessary. To do so will keep our conscience clear and preserved in a state of health.

To ignore the voice of conscience in these matters can be devastating to our spiritual life. When driving an automobile on the highway and the oil light suddenly appears, the driver has two options. He may ignore the light and even place some masking tape over the light because it irritates him. Or he may temporarily inconvenience himself, stop the vehicle and add a quart of oil. To choose the first option is to insure that a major breakdown is coming.

Within us all is a red flashing light that is illuminated on the dashboard of our heart and mind when our behavior is less than Christlike. To ignore this warning and fail to address the problem is to insure a spiritual breakdown.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he admonished the young man to wage a good warfare and fight with the weapons of faith and a good conscience. He reminded him that Hymenaeus and Alexander put these away and made shipwreck of their faith (I Timothy 1:18-20). In the Christian life, these are indispensable. What two good legs are to a walking man, faith and a good conscience are to the Christian. Eliminate either one and walking ceases. What two wings are to an airplane, faith and a good conscience are to the believer. Eliminate one and the plane spirals to earth. With both we can soar to the heavens.

It is possible to cast away our faith, and no amount of effort towards righteous living will soothe our doubts and calm our fears. On the other hand, trying to exercise faith in God while living contrary to the dictates of our conscience will cause us to live in the land of self-deception.

When we place our faith in a faithful God and gain and maintain a good conscience, our spiritual progress will be evident to all. We then will enjoy the “paradise of delight, and the standing Sabbath of the saints.”

—Dan Glick is chair of the Division of Intercultural Studies and World Missions, God’s Bible School and College.