TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
1 Corinthians 8:12

"…when ye… wound their weak
conscience, ye sin against Christ."

A SANCTIFIED CONSCIENCE (10)

Submit to the Control of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word: God’s commands, "Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18) and "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Col 3:16) literally mean that we must keep on letting the Holy Spirit and God’s Word control and direct our whole being: our spirit, our soul, our heart, our conscience, our mind, our desire, our body, our tongue, our worship, our service, our ministry, etc. With a submissive heart and a pure conscience, we must walk after the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Once our conscience is tuned and bound to God’s Word by the Holy Spirit in full submission, it will become very firm as God’s Truth is firm. We shall fear God alone and not men (Matt 10:28). Martin Luther refused to recant his convictions and writings which were based on God’s Word against the wrong teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He said, "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason – for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves – I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen." What about you?

Have Concerns for Others’ Consciences: Not everyone has the same kind of conscience or the same knowledge of God and His Word. Thus, if we have a good conscience, we shall have concerns for others’ consciences; otherwise, they may be stumbled or offended by what we watch, say, eat, drink, or do (like watching worldly movies, attending unbiblical services, keeping ungodly fellowship with unbelievers, drinking, smoking, gambling, or eating food offered to idols, etc). "But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ" (1 Cor 8:12). "Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other…" (1 Cor 10:29).

THOUGHT: I must be concerned about the consciences of others.
PRAYER: Lord, help me not to hurt the weak consciences of others.