seared consciences – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil. (2 Samuel 11:27)

Sometimes I think the Bible, especially the Old Testament history books (Joshua-Chronicles) would be so much easier to read if we saw more words like the above.

So many times, we see questionable or downright wrong decisions made by the “good” Biblical characters and no comment is made on what God thought.

Even though we might see the negative consequences of their actions, there’s no actual direct rebuke from God.

So we think, “If God disapproved, why didn’t he say something?”

I don’t know about you, but that’s how I feel a lot of times.

But I think the thing to remember is that the writers of these books are assuming we already know what God thought about these people’s actions.

We know because we read the ten commandments and God’s other laws.

We know because we’ve seen before how God felt and responded to similar sins.

And so often times, the Biblical authors don’t go out of their way to specifically say, “By the way, what this person did was wrong.”

In this case, however, the author does go out of his way to say that the Lord considered David’s actions wrong.

Why? I don’t know.

But I do think it’s a warning to us. Like David, we can fool ourselves into thinking that what we’re doing is okay, even when God says it’s clearly wrong.

That especially can happen when we don’t immediately see any negative consequences or “sense” any rebuke from God.

But it doesn’t change the fact that what we’re doing is evil in God’s eyes. He sees. And sooner or later, he will hold us accountable.

It might be on this earth. It might be before his judgment seat in heaven. But he will hold us accountable.

So let us not fool ourselves. Let us instead, maintain soft hearts toward God, not letting our consciences get seared by ignoring God’s word.

Seared consciences

We live in a world where people no longer seem to know what good or evil is. Things that are evil, they call good. Things that are good, they call evil.

Why? What has happened to us?

The problem is not new. It was present even in the time of Paul. And here he pinpoints what the problem is.

He wrote to Timothy,

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. (1 Timothy 4:1-6)

Paul warns Timothy that the days would come when people would abandon the faith and follow the teachings of demons.

And one of the hallmarks of this teaching is an inability to distinguish good from evil. Why do people fall for this kind of teaching?

Because their consciences have been seared. Their consciences have been so badly damaged, they can no longer distinguish good from evil.

The people in Paul’s day were taking things that God called good (marriage, food, etc) and calling them evil.

On the other hand, they were stirring up all these myths and controversies that were dividing the church and taking them away from the true gospel, and calling them good.

The issues are different today, but the problem is the same. Because of people’s seared consciences, they call what is evil, good, and what is good, evil.

And so Paul told Timothy, “You need to tell your people the truth that you have been taught since you were young. Don’t let them be deceived by these false teachers. Don’t let your people’s consciences becomes seared as these false teachers’ consciences have become.”

For pastors and teachers in the church, Paul’s charge remains the same.

Don’t compromise on the truth of God’s word. Though our culture may push us to change what God has said, don’t let them. For in giving into our culture, we give in to the doctrine of demons.

And for you in the church, immerse yourself in the word of God. Let His word be your standard, not our culture, lest your conscience become seared as well.

How about you? Are you finding yourself trying to explain away scripture to fall in line with the world?

Don’t let your conscience be seared by the teachings of demons. Let us hold to the truth of God’s word, forever calling good, good, and evil, evil.