Sermon for March 1st

As the blue fairy said in Pinocchio, you should all be good boys and girls and always let your conscience be your guide. Your conscience, you know, that part of you that tells you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do. The part that knows right from wrong. Your conscience is that instinct in you that makes you feel bad if you are going to do something wrong, but gives you the go ahead sign if you’re about to do something right.

The Greek word that is translated as conscience in English is suneidasis and it shows up thirty times in the Bible, mostly in the letters of Paul, but several times in other books of the Bible as well. But the term “conscience” is most well-known, at least in Lutheran circles, not because of its use in the Bible but because it was famously used by none other than Martin Luther himself at the Diet of Worms where he was being tried as a heretic early in his career as a reformer.

On April 15th, 1521, Luther was put on trial and told to recant for what he had written against the Roman Catholic church, its theology and practices. Luther argued that while there were some things he had written which might be in error he could not recant all of his works. John Eck, in charge of the prosecution made his case against Luther, “Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of Scripture? Would you put your judgment above that of so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all? You have no right to call into question the most holy orthodox faith, instituted by Christ the perfect lawgiver, proclaimed throughout the world by the apostles, sealed by the red blood of the martyrs, confirmed by the sacred councils, defined by the Church in which all our fathers believed until death and gave to us as an inheritance, and which now we are forbidden by the pope and the emperor to discuss lest there be no end of debate. I ask you Martin . . .do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?” (Bainton, 144)

Luther responded with this famous statement, “I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” (Bainton, 144)

Is the blue fairy from Pinocchio talking about conscience in the same way that the Bible talks about it? The same way Martin Luther spoke of it? What do you understand conscience to mean?

I believe that when we hear the word “conscience” used in the Bible or by Martin Luther, we think of the blue fairy, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket. We think of that little voice inside of us that is trying to tell us right from wrong. The little angel or the little devil on our shoulder fighting for control over our actions.

After 9/11, when terrorists attacked the twin towers, America eventually went to war first with Afghanistan and then with Iraq. Some people made the argument back then, that to not retaliate, after having Americans killed in cold blood, would be unconscionable. It would go against their belief in freedom and justice. It would not be patriotic to just sit back and do nothing. On the other hand, some people argued that it went against their conscience to have their country be at war. No matter how many people died in the towers, they argued that we didn’t have the right to kill other people. Here we have two different responses, both of them based on conscience.

That’s the problem with making choices based on your conscience. It is very subjective. What is right for one person might not be right for another. Some people do not eat meat because they feel bad for eating a poor defenseless cow. Others see no problem with it and like to chow down on Bessie. Who is to say what is right and wrong? We all have different experiences and therefore different feelings on different issues. When we “let our conscience be our guide” as Pinocchio was told to do, we all come up with different opinions about what should be done.

Martin Luther had a different view of what conscience meant in the context of his confession at the Diet of Worms. He wasn’t just trying to be a good boy. He was confessing his faith in Jesus Christ. His preferences, his feelings, his knowledge and his experiences were captive to “the Word of God” as he put it. It was not good for him to go against his conscience because his conscience was informed by Scripture and to go against Scripture was neither good nor safe.

In the second reading today, Peter talks about conscience in relationship to baptism. He refers to baptism as “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” What is baptism? It is water, but not water only. Water with a promise from God to wash you clean of every spot or blemish in God’s sight. In baptism, you receive salvation and the forgiveness of your sins. A good conscience, in this passage, isn’t talking about “feeling good” about what you are doing. A good conscience might be another way to say that you are in a “good relationship” with God. Instead of being located outside of God’s favor, you are in harmony with God and his Word. To have a good or a pure conscience in the Bible, doesn’t just mean that you “feel good” about what you are doing. It means that God feels good about what you are doing.

A good conscience is bound to nothing less than God’s Word. Sometimes having a good conscience, according to God’s Word, might not feel so great, we might not like what we are being called to do. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul says this, “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” Just because your conscience tells you that you are right, doesn’t mean you necessarily are. God gets the final say. That’s why we look to the Bible, and not to ourselves, to determine what is right and wrong. That’s why we cannot just trust what feels right or looks right in our eyes.

Later in Corinthians, Paul talks about those with “weak consciences”. A person with a weak conscience might assume something is wrong when it is neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible. They might think they have sinned when, in fact, they are free to make a personal choice. Paul refers to people who believe that they are not free to eat meat sacrificed to idols. He says that a Christian is free to eat this meat or not. But, he explains, if someone hasn’t been taught about this freedom, he understands that they might feel guilty. Eventually, once they know the freedom of Christ, they might not worry about it, but since this might take some time, in order to protect their consciences, he encourages Christians around these people to also refrain from eating this kind of meat. Since eating meat sacrificed to idols is neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible, they were free to do whatever needed to be done for the sake of their neighbor.

But there is an important difference between having a “weak” conscience and a bad or guilty conscience. Someone with a weak conscience might assume something is wrong when it is simply a matter of preference, something neither forbidden nor commanded in the Bible. On the other hand, a bad or guilty conscience is out of line with God’s Word. When God forbids us or commands us to do something, to claim that it goes against our conscience is simply another way of saying that we don’t feel like following the rules. Just because a murderer no longer feels bad or feels remorse for killing doesn’t mean he is acting with a pure conscience in God’s eyes. Conscience is based on God’s Word and NOT on personal preferences. It is finally God who will judge.

God wants you to have a good conscience. He wants you to be a good relationship with him and to live in harmony with his Word. That’s why we take the time to learn, read and discuss God’s laws and expectations for us.

God gives you his promise of eternal salvation, but he doesn’t just stop there. He gives you his words in scripture to study, preaching to hear and the sacraments to receive, so that you will learn to live in harmony with God and His words. So that you and others will learn right from wrong, not in your own eyes, but in God’s eyes. This is what it means to have a good conscience despite what Jiminy Cricket and the blue fairy say. When struggling with temptation, don’t just hope that you’ll know instinctively what is right and wrong; instead look to God for help and guidance. Read your Bible, see what it says on the topic, and pray for wisdom from God when you are making difficult decisions.

Finally, however, your salvation is not based on the strength of your conscience or your ability to follow it and be a good boy or girl. You are GIVEN a good conscience through faith in Jesus Christ. You are put in a right relationship with God every time you hear your sins forgiven not through your efforts but through God’s proclamation. And God will continue working in your life to strengthen you and help you work in harmony with his Word. Jesus died on the cross for you, so that you might be free. Free enough to follow God’s laws not because you feel like it’s the right thing to do, but because you mind, your heart, your feelings and even your conscience are bound to God’s Word. Amen.