Commentary: Conscience and the Holy Spirit

By RALPH FUDGE

Sunday, November 23, 2025

God has programmed into every individual His moral code. It takes the form of conscience. And it is very wise to listen to it. But many people do not. Some people ignore their conscience until it becomes seared (callous) and can no longer be felt. In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, the Apostle Paul tells us, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”

In Christians, the conscience is reconditioned and often leads to a change in lifestyle. The Holy Spirit uses the conscience to warn us of moral and physical danger ahead. He sees far into the future and tries to warn us by means of conscience.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the conscience functions as an accurate discerner of what is and what is not of God. We are wise to pay close attention and “let our conscience be our guide.” The problem for most people, especially men, is trying to handle everything themselves.

We desperately need to remember that Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Paul considered the conscience of Christians trustworthy, especially in warnings about sin.

C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity) agreed that God has put His moral code into every person on earth. He said, “Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it." He called what we think of today as conscience the Law of Nature or the Law of Human Nature. And he sometimes called it Moral Law. Those who ignore and break this Moral Law are the ones Paul referred to as those having seared consciences.

Every Christian should desire the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit because Jesus was totally correct in saying that without Him we can do nothing. Of course, the Holy Spirit is resident in the heart of every true Christian, but many Christians either do not listen to Him or else simply refuse to follow His leadership. This is a big mistake because the Holy Spirit is our leader, our teacher, our comforter, our guide, our counselor, our friend, and our all-in-all.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul said, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The late Dr. Charles Stanley said, “The Spirit-filled life is in tune with the Holy Spirit. The conscience is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary tools through which He communicates with believers. Our conscience is to be taken seriously. Do not ignore its warnings and promptings.”

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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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Quote: The Holy Spirit uses the conscience to warn us of moral and physical danger ahead.