It is extremely important that we strive to maintain a good conscience toward God. We must fully accept God’s forgiveness through grace before approaching God. The slightest suggestion of guilt in our conscience will cause us to shield our eyes and turn away from God, much as Adam and Eve did when they discovered they were naked.
Note the apostle Paul’s declaration in Acts 24:16:
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
This is why sin is so damnable. As soon as we commit a sin, the devil is right there to begin accusing us to God, to others, and to ourselves. Our natural tendency at this point is to hide away from God with a guilty conscience.
This can be devastating. Look at what 1 Timothy 1:18-19 has to say about this:
18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
If we don’t maintain a good conscience, our faith can become shipwrecked! A shipwrecked faith is useless and void of any power.
If we have a guilty conscience, and don’t do anything about it, we sever ourselves from our confidence and faith in God. We will hide from God just like Adam and Eve hid from Him in the garden when they knew they had sinned. But if our conscience is clear before God we will not be afraid to turn and face Him to receive forgiveness for our sin.
Note 1 John 3:20-22:
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
True Guilt vs. False Guilt
We need to speak a little more about the conscience, because it is a very complicated and sometimes tricky area. Knowing how vital it is for Christians to maintain a clean conscience before God, the devil makes use of this knowledge as one of his most insidious tools.
Some Christians have a weak conscience (see 1 Corinthians 8:7). It doesn’t take much to invoke in them a feeling of guilt. That is why the devil loves to cause such a Christian to sin. One of his most common tricks is tempting you to sin and then accusing you afterward to cause you to have a guilty conscience.
Some Christians feel guilty for almost anything. Their conscience becomes hyper-sensitive to even the slightest mistake. This can result from a legalistic attitude. One of the consequences of living under the law (i.e. trying to “work” your way to salvation) is that since one can never achieve it, a sense of failure and guilt toward God can result.
So what is the cure for a guilty conscience?
The cure is found in Hebrews 9:11-15 and Hebrews 10:19-23:
Heb. 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come...
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood...
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats...
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ... purge your conscience from dead works...
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament...
Heb. 10:19 ¶ Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way...
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Here are some other powerful scriptures to fight against the devil when he tries to afflict us with a guilty conscience:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD...