Conscience vs. Repentance

Before salvation each man’s conscience bears them witness (Rom. 2: 15). Our conscience tells us the sin we love is wrong and if we get caught we will be in trouble. Our conscience implores us to live within the parameters of the law so as to not cause great harm to ourselves. The Spirit is not the conscience. The Spirit draws out repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). Repentance hates that sin which the conscience only wants to suppress.

​The conscience sees the law and hides the sin (Rev. 3: 1). The Spirit sees the law and hates the sin (Rom 7: 24-25). What the conscience can do in admitting guilt is only a shadow of what the Spirit does in repentance through a change of heart (John 14: 26). To the conscience the law is a burden to be kept point by point and deed by deed. But to the Spirit the law reveals we not only lied but we are liers. We not only disobeyed our parents we are disobedient lovers of self and rebels to authority. We not only used Gods name in vein we dishonor God with our words and our life.

A conscience longs to avail itself from its guilt by confessing and hiding sin. Yet it is not the sin which holds it captive it is the sinner. Guilt from the conscience is different than guilt from the Spirit. The job of the conscience is to call the sinner to work in drawing away from the sin they love towards the law they dread. These acts never flow from the heart and never succeed until ultimately the conscience is dulled. The acts of the Spirit flow from the heart whereby the law is a friend and sin is not desirable (Heb. 9: 14). True confession must come from the spirit in repentance. The conscience can never do what the Spirit does. True salvific repentance is a work of God (John 6: 63).

-Vanessa

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“in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭


“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:63‬


““To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3: 1


“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:10‬


“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9:14‬ ‭


“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭