How to Use Bible Principles to Train the Conscience

1 ANIMALS are guided by instinct, and many machines are programmed to perform certain tasks. But humans are different. When God created us, he gave us a very special gift, one that true Christians deeply value. That gift is free will, the freedom to choose and make our own decisions in life. The Bible says that the first man, Adam, was created in God’s image and likeness (Gen. 1:26, 27). Both he and his wife, Eve, were intelligent and had freedom to make personal choices. 2 Jehovah did not give Adam and Eve a long list of laws. He simply told them to care for the earth, fill it with children, and respect his right to place reasonable limits on what they could do (Gen. 1:28; 2:16, 17). How should they have shown gratitude for the gift of free choice? In view of everything Jehovah had given them, they should have obeyed those basic instructions to show that they loved him and wanted to make him happy (Prov. 23:15).

They received free will, the ability to choose and make intelligent decisions. To show gratitude, they should have obeyed Jehovah’s simple instructions from the heart.

Jehovah did not want programmed servants. He wanted children who would choose loyalty out of love. That is still the best use of freedom today.

The Bible reveals that Adam and Eve misused their freedom of choice and decided to disobey Jehovah. Instead of showing love and gratitude, they let selfishness guide them (Gen. 3:1-7). And we are still paying the consequences of that bad decision today (Rom. 5:12).

They used their freedom selfishly and chose to disobey Jehovah. That opened the way for sin and death to affect all mankind.

Their example shows that freedom without spiritual guidance can become destructive. That is why conscience must be trained, not left to itself.

Life today is complicated. We face many decisions every day (read Galatians 6:5). Some are simple, and others are more complex. How can we make decisions that please Jehovah? Above all, we must recognize that we need his help (Prov. 16:3; Jer. 10:23). Even Jesus, though perfect, understood that he needed God’s help (Heb. 5:7). And we, being imperfect, need it even more. But Jehovah has given us another help for making good decisions: the conscience. Let us now consider that gift.

Each of us must carry personal responsibility for our choices and humbly seek Jehovah’s help. The other gift the article discusses is the conscience.

If Jesus sought his Father’s help, we certainly should. A trained conscience works best when it is supported by prayer and divine guidance.

The conscience is an inner sense of right and wrong. Even people who do not know God’s laws have a conscience (2 Cor. 4:2). It is like a judge within us that either accuses us or excuses us for what we think or do (read Romans 2:14, 15). The conscience warns us not to do what we know is wrong (1 Sam. 26:8-11). And it also moves us to do what we know is right. Freedom of choice by itself does not guarantee that every decision we make will please Jehovah. We need the help of our conscience to distinguish between a good and a bad decision.

The conscience is an inner sense of right and wrong. It helps as an inward judge that warns, accuses, or approves us depending on our thoughts and actions.

Being free to choose is not enough. We also need a moral guide that helps us tell what agrees with Jehovah’s will.

But there is a problem with the conscience. Since we are imperfect, our conscience is imperfect too. It can be negatively shaped by our upbringing, our culture, or wrong desires. The Bible says that it can become “weak,” “defiled,” “seared as with a branding iron,” or even “wicked” (1 Cor. 8:12; Titus 1:15; 1 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 10:22). In that case, it would no longer be a good guide. It would be like a miscalibrated scale that needs adjustment. To keep it in good condition, it needs maintenance (1 Pet. 3:16). How can we do that?

Because of imperfection and bad influences, the conscience can become distorted and stop being a reliable guide.

A damaged conscience may excuse what Jehovah condemns or stop reacting to wrongdoing. That is why it must be recalibrated regularly.

7 How can we train our conscience? By learning what is right and what is wrong in Jehovah’s eyes. One way to do that is by reading the Bible every day. Studying God’s laws will help us understand his way of thinking. Of course, as we saw in the previous article, some laws are very specific and have limited application. For that reason, we must also look for principles. That way, we gain a broader view of what Jehovah thinks and feels (Isa. 55:9). 8 Our life is like a journey through a desert without roads, paths, or signs. The position of the sun and stars might give us a general sense of direction, but a map with landmarks would be far more useful. It would help us see whether we are on the right course and get back on track if we drift away. As Christians, the destination we want to reach is Jehovah’s approval. The Bible is the map, and Bible principles are the landmarks. If we let those principles guide us, we will successfully reach our destination.

We train our conscience by reading the Bible and learning how Jehovah thinks. Bible principles act like landmarks that keep us on the right path toward his approval.

Laws help, but principles help even more when life presents situations that are not covered by a direct command. They teach us to think as Jehovah thinks.

God’s holy spirit helps us train our conscience properly (read Romans 9:1). It helps us understand how Jehovah feels about certain matters. And it also motivates us and gives us the energy to act in harmony with Jehovah’s will (Phil. 2:13). But what must we do so that holy spirit helps us?

We have the help of God’s holy spirit. It helps us understand Jehovah’s viewpoint and strengthens us to act in harmony with it.

A trained conscience needs more than knowledge. It also needs the active support of holy spirit to move us from understanding to obedience.

Ask Jehovah for his spirit (read Luke 11:10, 13). We can be sure that he will give it to us generously (John 3:34). God gives it in abundance to those who let themselves be guided by him (Prov. 1:23; Jas. 1:5). What else do we need in order to train our conscience?

We must keep asking Jehovah for his spirit, confident that he gives it generously to those who sincerely seek it.

This reminds us not to trust only our own reasoning. Prayer keeps us teachable and keeps our conscience responsive to Jehovah.

Always seek Jehovah’s approval (Prov. 8:34, 35). This should be our main goal in life. No matter what situation arises, keeping that goal clearly in mind will help us train our conscience. We can say that we have a well-trained conscience when our thinking is in harmony with Jehovah’s and our heart cares about what he feels. Since life today is difficult, it is very important that the conscience be well trained. We often face situations that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. They may involve entertainment, work, education, or personal relationships.

Our main goal should be Jehovah’s approval. We need a well-trained conscience because modern life presents many issues that are not covered by a specific law but still require godly judgment.

When our conscience is in harmony with Jehovah, it helps us handle gray areas in work, education, friendships, and recreation.

Meditate on what we read in God’s Word (Ps. 49:3). When we read the Bible, we should look for principles that help us understand Jehovah’s way of thinking (read Ephesians 5:10). Then, when we need direction amid life’s major issues, those Bible principles will help us see whether our conscience is leading us to make good decisions (Prov. 2:4-9, 11-13). And, if necessary, they will help us readjust and correct our conscience so that we do not leave the right path (Heb. 5:14).

Meditating on Scripture and looking for principles that reveal Jehovah’s thinking will show whether our conscience is properly guiding us or needs correction.

Meditation turns Bible reading into practical guidance. It helps conscience stay calibrated instead of drifting with the world around us.

We should not make the decision first and then look for principles to justify it. We should avoid being like the Israelites who remained in the land of Judah after Jerusalem’s destruction in 607 B.C.E. They said to Jeremiah: “Let Jehovah your God tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do” (Jer. 42:3-6). But they had actually already decided what they were going to do. So when Jehovah gave instructions that they did not like, they stuck to the decision they had already made, and that led to disaster (Jer. 42:19-22; 43:1, 2, 4). So we do not want to do as they did. Instead, we first search for Bible principles that show Jehovah’s way of thinking and then make a decision that is in harmony with them.

We must avoid deciding according to our own wishes first and then searching for verses to justify it. The right order is to look for Jehovah’s principles first and then decide.

That is a valuable lesson in honesty. Real spiritual maturity means adjusting our plans to the truth, not adjusting the truth to our plans.

We should base our decisions on Bible principles (Matt. 7:24-29; Jas. 1:23-25). By doing so, we let ourselves be guided by holy spirit and act in harmony with it. As a result, Jehovah will keep giving us his spirit (Acts 5:32). On the other hand, if we ignore the guidance of Jehovah’s spirit or act against it, we could be “grieving” holy spirit (Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10; Acts 7:51). As a result, Jehovah could take it away from us (Ps. 51:11; 1 Thess. 5:19). That would be terrible because we need the power and strength that holy spirit provides (Eph. 3:16).

We should apply Bible principles because doing so keeps us in harmony with holy spirit and preserves Jehovah’s active support in our life.

Obedience does more than prevent mistakes. It keeps open the channel of spiritual strength that we need to endure.

15 By using study tools. Before we can apply Bible principles, we first need to be able to identify them in God’s Word. Imagine, for example, that a Bible student is reluctant to stop smoking. He may think: “The Bible does not talk about smoking. So why do Jehovah’s Witnesses say it is wrong?” How can we help him find the principles that will lead him to the right conclusion? A very valuable tool is the Research Guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses. We could show him the heading “Tobacco” and, in that section, the reference to the article “What Does God Think About Tobacco?”. 16 Let us consider five principles mentioned in that article. 1) We do not want to become slaves to something that leads to death (Rom. 6:16). 2) We must avoid anything that harms our body (2 Cor. 7:1). 3) Jehovah wants us to serve him with our whole soul (Matt. 22:37). 4) We should not harm others by our actions (Matt. 22:39; 1 Cor. 10:24). 5) Jehovah gives us the strength to do what is right (Phil. 4:13). So even though the Bible does not specifically mention smoking, it contains principles that can help the student understand Jehovah’s viewpoint.

We can find needed principles by using study tools such as the Research Guide. In the case of tobacco, principles about avoiding slavery, caring for the body, whole-souled service, love for others, and relying on Jehovah’s strength all apply.

This shows that a trained conscience does not depend on a keyword appearing in the Bible. It depends on learning to reason from Jehovah’s principles.

How can a Witness couple planning their wedding find Bible principles that will help them make good decisions? Again, the Research Guide can help. Under the heading “Weddings and Receptions,” we find a list of articles that include basic principles. Let us consider six principles that the bride and groom should keep in mind. 1) Every part of the wedding arrangements should honor Jehovah (1 Cor. 10:31, 32). 2) Clothing should be appropriate and modest and should not follow extreme fashions (1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4). 3) They should avoid any showiness that imitates Satan’s world (John 17:14; Jas. 1:27; 1 John 2:15, 16). 4) Everything should be done in an orderly way (1 Cor. 14:40). 5) The reception should not become an uncontrolled party where people get drunk (Gal. 5:21). 6) It is wise to assign someone to supervise the banquet (John 2:8, 9).

They can use the Research Guide and apply principles about honoring Jehovah, modesty, order, avoiding showiness, and keeping the reception under good control.

A beautiful Christian wedding is not the flashiest one. It is the one that clearly shows the couple wants Jehovah’s approval from beginning to end.

18 Another tool that has helped many is the book Bible Verses for Christian Living. This work contains lists of verses organized by topic. Under each topic, there is a series of questions and scriptures that help us identify Bible principles. For example, a Christian may wonder whether he should attend a certain celebration. If he looks up the entry “Celebrations,” he will find the section “Celebrations That Are Not Appropriate for a Christian.” 19 Within that section, he will see the following heading: “Why is it wrong to participate in celebrations related to false religion? (1 Cor. 10:21; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Eph. 5:10, 11)”. There he will also find examples of some of those celebrations. And under the section “Patriotic celebrations,” he will find other scriptures containing useful principles. These principles can help him decide whether he should celebrate a country’s historic or political events, attend ceremonies commemorating wars, or join in acts that give almost religious honor to prominent people.

Another helpful tool is Bible Verses for Christian Living. It gathers principles about false religion, neutrality, and separation from the world that help us make sound decisions about celebrations.

Jehovah has not left us without help in complicated areas. His organization provides practical tools that help conscience stay balanced and clean.

We understand that the gift of free choice is very valuable. But we also understand that we must train our conscience so that we can use that freedom responsibly. A well-trained conscience will move us to make decisions that honor Jehovah and agree with his will. To do that, we need Jehovah’s spirit. So we must keep asking for his spirit and keep letting ourselves be guided by it. Another help in training our conscience is Bible principles. If we make good use of all these gifts, we will see the power of God’s Word in our life (2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12).

We show it by using our freedom responsibly and making decisions that honor Jehovah, guided by holy spirit and Bible principles.

A well-trained conscience becomes visible in daily choices. It not only knows what is right; it wants to do what is right because it loves Jehovah.