Throughout generations, all saints who have been seeking life agree that the conscience is the window of our spirit just as the eye is the window of our body. The window itself has no light; all light is transmitted from another source. So also is the conscience. Although we dare not say that the conscience itself has no feeling at all, we can say that the greater portion of its feelings comes from its neighboring parts. There are a total of seven of these neighboring parts: the mind, the emotion, the will, the intuition, the fellowship, the life of God, and the Spirit of God. All these seven neighboring parts have feelings. When their feelings penetrate into the conscience, they become the feeling of the conscience. This is the origin of the feeling of the conscience.
The feelings of the conscience of the saints are of many aspects. One who has a keen conscience will have the feelings of conscience in all matters. These feelings of the conscience can be divided into three categories: First is the feeling toward sin. In the chapter concerning dealing with sin we have said that the basis of dealing with sin is the inner consciousness. This inner consciousness is the feeling of the conscience. If we sin before God or before man, the conscience will immediately have the feeling of condemnation. This is the first category of the feelings of the conscience.
The second category is the feeling toward the world. In the chapter concerning dealing with the world we have said that the basis for dealing with the world is also the inner consciousness. This inner consciousness is still the feeling of the conscience. If we love other matters or are occupied with anything outside of God, the conscience will also give us a feeling of condemnation. This is the second category of the feelings of the conscience.
Beside these two categories of the feelings of the conscience, there is a third category: these are the uneasy feelings concerning anything apart from sin and the world. There are certain matters that are neither sinful nor of the world, yet they cause our conscience to lose the feeling of peace. If we do not deal with these matters, we simply cannot get through. For example, looseness and inaccuracy in our daily living are not sin nor of the world, yet our conscience is disturbed by them. If someone scatters clothing and other articles around, leaving the room in a state of disorder, his conscience will rebuke him. If our character has certain shortcomings or peculiarities, if our behavior toward others is unbecoming as a Christian, or if before God we have certain undesirable or unsuitable attitudes, though they are neither sinful nor worldly, our conscience is bothered. All these uneasy feelings belong to the third category of the feelings of the conscience.
Among the three categories of the feelings of the conscience, the first two concerning sin and the world are superficial, whereas the third is deeper. In the early stage of dealing with the conscience, our inner feelings are more or less sensitive toward sin and the world. When we have dealt with all of these feelings, the third category of feeling will be made manifest. The more severely and thoroughly we deal with our conscience, the more this third category of feeling is increased. Our emphasis in dealing with the conscience is upon the issue of our coming to deal with this third category of feeling.
Since the conscience of a Christian includes these three categories of feelings, his conscience is richer and keener than that of the unbeliever. An unbeliever has no feeling concerning the world and none of the uneasiness of the third category. He only has a feeling concerning sin, a feeling of right and wrong, good and evil; and even this feeling is quite dull. The feeling in the unbeliever’s conscience is about one-third of that in the Christian’s conscience. The feeling in the Christian’s conscience is so rich because the heart of the Christian is a new heart, a heart which has been softened and renewed by God; his spirit is a new spirit, a spirit which has been revived and renewed by God; his mind, emotion, and will have also been considerably renewed; and he has as well the life of God and the Spirit of God. These are all rich in feeling and can influence the conscience of the Christian. For this reason the feelings of a Christian’s conscience are indeed rich!
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