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Romans 2:15 |
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Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Audio commentary on this verse
Note 9 at Ro 2:15: The conscience is the part of us that bears witness as to what is right and wrong. This happens through our thoughts either accusing or excusing us. The conscience is a part of the soul (see note 2 at Mt 22:37). This can be deduced from the fact that even a Christian's conscience can be defiled (1Co 8:7), evil (Heb 10:22), and weak (1Co 8:7 and 10), but the born-again spirit cannot be (see note 3 at Mt 26:41).
A good conscience is essential to faith. Without a good conscience, our faith is made shipwrecked (1Ti 1:19). A good conscience produces confidence (1Jo 3:21 and Heb 10:35). An evil conscience condemns us (1Jo 3:20).
It is possible that God created man without a conscience and that the conscience was acquired through the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The name of that tree is descriptive of the function of the conscience.
The conscience is referred to by name thirty-one times in twenty-nine verses in the New Testament (Joh 8:9; Ac 23:1, 24:16; Ro 2:15, 9:1, 13:5; 1Co 8:7, 10, 12, 10:25, 27-29; 2Co 1:12, 4:2; 1Ti 1:5, 19, 3:9, 4:2; 2Ti 1:3; Tit 1:15; Heb 9:9, 14, 10:2, 22, 13:18; 1Pe 2:19, 3:16, and 21).
