“I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Acts 24:16
Have you ever seen the picture of a person torn between two decisions? Sitting on one shoulder is the devil. On the other is an angel. Both are whispering things into the person’s ears. The devil wants the person to follow his ways and sin, while the angel is pleading for the person to follow the godly way and not to sin. That is a good depiction of the conscience. It is the small voice inside us that tells us when we are doing or thinking something that would displease the Lord. The conscience tells us that we are crossing the line between good and evil; between God’s ways and the devil’s. It is something that God has planted within every human being. We all have a conscience. Romans 2:15 says, “The requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness.”
The Bible gives several examples of God’s people bothered by their conscience. Adam and Eve were ashamed after they sinned, so they hid from God. David was grief-stricken after his sin with Bathsheba.
Perhaps there have been times when your conscience bothered you, and you felt the need to confess your sin.
Hebrews 13:18 tells us, “We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.” As Christians, we try to keep our consciences clear, and we thank God for putting this little voice within us. It is as if God is telling us what to do. Isaiah 30:21 says it so well, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
From Precious Words of the Bible by Reynold R. Kremer