| Perhaps we can compare this statement to the old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg. Though in a sense it goes both ways, I believe, generally speaking we are attracted to ideologies that complement or affirm our lifestyle. This explains why, if we have retained known sin in our lives (I didn't say if we are sinners), we will be attracted to error as a bee is to nectar. I am talking about the sin we know we are practicing and refuse to give up. It is the sin we excuse by saying, My father did it, or The people at the office do it, or We read somewhere that it was okay, when the truth is we know it is wrong. On the dashboards of our cars are various gauges and lights. These indicators communicate the temperature of the engine, the oil pressure, the engines revolutions per minute, the car's speed, and a host of other things, such as low tires, seatbelts unfastened, or the engine needs servicing. Considering these readings a nuisance and ignoring them can have serious consequences for both the well-being of the automobile and for that of the passengers, too. God has given us a conscience as a gauge. It comes with default calibrations. People know when they are lying, stealing, or fooling around with someone else's spouse. A finely tuned conscience is essential to a victorious Christian life. The apostle Paul said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). And in 1 Timothy 4:2 he cautioned us against searing our conscience. We can keep our conscience finely tuned only by maintaining an ongoing state of repentance. Sooner or later, unconfessed sin will blunt our ability to discern right from wrong and make us vulnerable to being deceived, either by ourselves or by others. |
