Acts 22:22 – 23:5

Teaching The Difference Between Right and Wrong Young children have no knowledge of good and evil – Deuteronomy 1:39 Not very concerned with matters of right and wrong Mom and Dad handle those issues and let them know Somewhere along the line it does become an issue. Not enough to know this is right or wrong, need to know why

Teaching The Difference Between Right and Wrong Gives Adults Trouble as Well People are growing up without basic moral training Is it any wonder most people think lying is fine if you have an excuse? That people don’t understand sex before marriage is wrong? Half the country thinks nothing wrong with homosexuality?

“Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” The Conscience Can Be Wrong Acts 23:1 “I have lived in all good conscience” Acts 24:16 “always strive to have as conscience without offense toward God and men” 1 Timothy 1:12,13 “ignorantly in unbelief” 1 Timothy 4:2 “conscience seared with a hot iron” Titus 1:15 “mind and conscience are defiled” Hebrews 10:22 “evil conscience”

We Need A Good Conscience 1 Timothy 1:5 “a good conscience” Hebrews 13:18 “confident that we have a good conscience” 1 Peter 3:15,16 “having a good conscience” Our Conscience Reflects Our Own Thoughts Proverbs 3:7 “wise in your own eyes” Jeremiah 10:23 “not in man who walks to direct his own steps”

We Need A Good Conscience Ephesians 4:5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism One may decide to avoid meat & another to eat meat – Romans 14:2 Confidence makes them right – Romans 14:3,4 For either to teach their way must be followed would be wrong – Romans 14:10 Only judgement is God’s – Romans 14:11,12

We Need A Good Conscience This is an important point often missed: It doesn’t matter if you FEEL you are right It doesn’t matter if you THINK you are right It doesn’t matter if you are CONFIDENT you are right The only thing that matters is WHAT GOD HAS DECIDED

The Conscience Does Serve A Purpose The Conscience should not be ignored Hopefully our conscience does not permit more than what is allowed – Romans 14:20-23 A weak conscience can be defiled – 1 Corinthians 8:7-13; 10:25-33 The Conscience may be a guide, but it cannot be a standard When well trained, it serves as an early warning system – Psalm 119:11

The Conscience Does Serve A Purpose The existence of the conscience shows that man understands moral decisions – Romans 2:14-16 No one can ever go before God and say they didn’t know there was a RIGHT and WRONG! Each person carries judgement of himself within him, however imperfectly trained it may be But there is no excuse to leave the conscience untrained or poorly trained God has given His will- Ephesians 3:1-8