To Go Against Conscience is Neither Right nor Safe Part 4
Guest Post written by Daniel Guzman
For Part One, please click here
For Part Two, please click here.
For Part Three, please click here
“To go against conscience is neither right nor safe.”
The quote is the words of Martin Luther from the Diet of Worms trial that was held to judge him as a heretic if he didn’t recant his teachings. His answer, simple yet profound, has been in the historical records ever since.
“Since your most serene majesty and your lordships require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures and by clear reason (for I do not trust in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
We finish this series of reflections about the conscience with a stand not to ever go against a godly conscience, for doing so is one of the most foolish things a man can do. As Paul well put it: “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22-23). There’s a reason that Paul could say that he had a clear conscience, and it is not because he lived a perfect sinless life, which none but Christ have ever done! But because he listened to his godly conscience and wasn’t himself sinning by going against it, nor making others sin because of his clean conscience.
Christian Doctrine and Ethics
Both in Christian doctrine and Christian ethics, there are two areas. In Christian doctrine we have the fundamentals, the core beliefs, in those fundamental articles of faith the question “what does every Christian believe?” is answered; we also have the adiaphora or the secondary (even sometimes tertiary) doctrines, they are differences among orthodox (that is, true) Christians, these articles of the faith answer to the question “what do different Christians believe?”. If someone goes against a fundamental article of faith, they cannot be considered truly Christian; some examples would be the Trinity, the exclusivity of salvation in Christ, justification by faith alone, etc.
If you go against a fundamental article of faith, you’re outside true Christianity and, therefore, a heretic. However, in secondary issues we have the godly conscience that guides us in what we are convinced by Scripture and true reason see as true; in secondary issues we see how much water must be used for baptism, what type of bread should be used in the Supper, what songs we should sing, etc. To disagree on secondary issues doesn’t make one a heretic; it’s only a disagreement between brothers, members of the same body, but with different convictions. In fundamental issues, to go against them is always bad because it is a clear separation from Truth; it is clearly a sin. In secondary issues, to go against your conviction and your conscience is foolish, but it is not sin; it is a sin only if I go against my conscience and conviction, or if I bind another Christian’s conscience based on my own conscience. Amid disagreements over secondary issues, we must maintain our Christian unity in love and respect, not be a stumbling block to others, and at the same time not go against our convictions and consciences.
In Christian ethics, we also have the fundamental morality, the core moral precepts of what we ought and ought not to do, these are summarized in the Ten Commandments and are the moral guide of all Christians. To go against the Moral Law is always a sin; it is not negotiable and it is not just a list of suggestions. On the other hand, we have the “gray areas,” which are mostly about days, food, drink, clothing, and entertainment. There is disagreement within Christians about whether drinking a glass of wine is a sin or not, if watching TV on certain days is a sin or not, or if celebrating some holidays is a sin or not. In these gray areas, our godly conscience is our only guide, and once again it is foolish to go against our conscience for any reason. Sometimes, in order to fit into a social group, or become more involved in church groups and activities, we tend not to listen to our conscience so we can be a part of something, but it is not right to awaken the judge within you just to have some fun or to have more friends or any other reason. It is also foolish to try to bind other Christians’ consciences by convictions of conscience; this happens way too often, and it is a mark of foolishness. If my conscience is clean regarding a gray area issue, it is not my mission nor my calling to be other people’s consciences and convince them that their godly conscience should be the same as mine. This is the whole prerogative of Romans 14 and how the use of my godly conscience and Christian freedom shouldn’t be used as a stumbling stone for other Christians, but to build them up in love.
Thus, we have two clear and strong guides in everything fundamental, both in doctrine and morality, and through those fundamentals, we build a godly conscience that helps us in secondary issues and gray areas. The important thing to remember is that we must never deviate in the fundamentals because our conscience doesn’t judge us or is not awakened due to our still fallen nature and its being restored and renewed day by day.
And when it comes to the godly conscience, it is always important to remember we are not only to have a clear conscience ourselves but also to help all other Christians have one as well. So, when my clear conscience can be a stumbling stone, so another Christian has a guilty conscience, I have to look for my brother’s or sister’s good above my own, and always act in love. Here, Paul's words are important: “Knowledge puffs up, love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). We are not to be anyone’s conscience or judge within them in matters not fundamental; we are not to bind and force others’ consciences so they will be like mine. If we have perfect knowledge of all mysteries and all gifts but have no love, it really doesn’t profit; the same happens with a godly conscience. If I have a godly conscience but no love, it doesn’t profit me at all.
In the middle of our differences, what unites us as Christians is love, the same love with which we have been loved. We should always look to build each other up, not tear each other down. We should always strive to sharpen each other to be more like Christ, not to have everyone agree with our theological or ethical nuances. In our diversity and differences is where our unity in love is truly reflected.
So, as we stand throughout life, we can repeat Luther’s words always in matters of conscience: It is neither right nor safe to go against our godly consciences.
May the Spirit work through our consciences to grow in Christlikeness, to live as living sacrifices to Him. That our lives are pleasing to Him! And in doing so share in the Victory of Christ over sin, as our conscience helps us defeat and kill the sin in our lives day by day.