Conscience
From Elder Mike Harris
Were you born with it or do you develop it?
Definition: Co-Perception, moral consciousness, to see completely, understand, become aware.
Co-Perception: To be (Affiliated, Identified, or become one) with.
This suggests that your conscience is linked with something else to determine your perception and it can be developed by what you believe.
John 8:7-11 - When they wanted to stone the adulteress, Jesus said, "Whoever is without sin, cast the first stone." Their conscience was identified with sin, so they left. Christ's conscience was identified with purity and mercy, so He told her to go and sin no more, which changed her perception.
Acts 23:1 and 24:16 - Paul said that he had lived in all good conscience and exercised himself to always have a conscience void of offence toward God and man. He had to Know what God said in order to have a GOOD conscience.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - When discussing things offered to idols, Paul says that our conscience can be one with the truth that an idol is nothing because there is only one God. Or it can be affiliated with the lie that there are many gods.
2 Corinthians 1:12 - Paul says that our conscience is not one with fleshly wisdom but with Holy Ghost inspired wisdom, which reflects in our lifestyle.
1 Timothy 1 - Paul links a GOOD conscience to a pure heart and unwavering faith. He said some had put away that GOOD conscience making it shipwrecked, and he delivered them to Satan to learn not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats[...]."
So we see that the conscience can be changed based on what we believe or allow.
Romans 14:22 "Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."
Hebrews 9:9-14 - Paul says that their gifts and sacrifices could not make them perfect according to their conscience. This is because they made sacrifices every year, reminding them of their sin. They had a SIN conscience. After Christ's sacrifice, He said that our evil conscience was purged from dead works to serve the living God. In conclusion, we can have a GOOD conscience or an evil conscience. We can identify as Holy Righteous and sinless or we can identify as a sinner bound by our own lust. We can believe the truth that God says or the lies of the world. How do you identify yourself?