Theme: THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE
Text: ”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.” – 1 Timothy 4:1, 2.
Comment: Some people develop a bad and insensitive conscience, that is dead to guilty feelings. Among such people are die-hard criminals and others who pride themselves in violence, immorality, lie telling, stealing, and other forms of evil. Included among them are false prophets who persist in making bogus claims and in telling lies in the name of God to deceive the people. These are the ones “whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron” as the text is rendered in Today’s English Version.
A wicked man knows that he is wicked, but he will not listen to the voice of his conscience. Such constant violation of the conscience brings about a situation in which the conscience becomes defiled or unresponsive as not to see things in their true light. “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15) Such ones preoccupy themselves with satisfying their ungodly fleshly desires without regard for the laws of God or the feelings of people whom they injure by their perverse conduct. In the words of St. Paul such people “being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness”. (Ephesians 4:19) These are those whom St. Paul said “serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple”. – Romans 16:18