What must one do to set his conscience at rest?

"What must one do to set his conscience at rest? The same thing he does to extinguish the red light on the dashboard. He doesn't take a hammer and smash the red light. Instead, he gets out and lifts the hood to see what is wrong. His problem is not with the light on the dashboard. He is thankful for the light; it has warned him early enough to something about the real problem. Likewise, one's problem is not with his conscience. It is his friend, warning him that there is something wrong with his behavior. There is no emotional problem. One should not try to smash his conscience then. He will not want to put it to sleep by pills or any means that would anesthetize it. In I Timothy 4:2, Paul referred to those who are "seared (cauterized) in their own conscience as with a branding iron." The word "seared" does not speak of the act of branding, but of the result of branding. It refers to the condition of flesh which has been seared with a branding iron and as a result is no longer sensitive to pain. Paul seems to refer to the same phenomenon in Ephesians 4:19 where he speaks of those who are "past feeling" or "callous" (the word indicates inability to feel pain). If the red light were inactivated the driver might be likely to forget about the problem under the hood, which will grow steadily worse until there is a breakdown. The same is true of the man with an inactivated conscience. Such cauterizing of the conscience comes by ignoring its message or by anesthetizing it over a period of time."

-Excerpt from Competent to Counsel, by Jay E. Adams, Ch. 6, p. 95. 

Is God Enough? - Part 2

The title implies several things: we have needs, sometimes we are tempted to meet our needs with things and ideas other than God, and there are degrees of expectation about how these needs are to be met.

What are our needs? According to Abraham Maslow[1] our needs fall under the following categories, and order of priority: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Our physiological needs include breathing, food, water, sleep, and excretion. Safety needs include security of body, employment resources, morality, the family, health, and property. Love and belonging needs include friendship, family, and intimacy. Esteem needs involve self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. And finally, self-actualization needs include morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts.

Although we could say that at first glance most of these seem reasonable, what Maslow’s theory is missing is the acknowledgment of the Creator of humankind, and the “Operation Manual” He has written. Who knows better what our needs are than the Person who designed us?

It is obvious that Maslow assumed human life is more than putting food in a body, digesting it, and then disposing of it. There’s more to life than eating, drinking, and surviving. And yet, who determines what those things should be?

Jesus said: “Life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment” (Luke 12:23). We need to fulfill our physical needs in order to maintain our physical lives, but Jesus said that “for all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:30-31). Can we come to the point where we can say, “God is enough, and I have everything I need in Him,” even when we lack food, raiment, shelter, friends, family respect from others, and employment?

Where does the idea that we cannot find victory and fulfillment in life unless all our physical and emotional “needs” are met, come from? When our expectations of love and friendship fail us, do we fall into hopeless depression? No doubt, lacking these things can be a great temptation for us, but we are called to endure “hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). And we are called to seek the Kingdom of God above all things, and be willing to die for it!

So, again, the question for us is, is God enough? Is seeking His Kingdom enough, even when everything else is lacking, perhaps knowing we will never again see the light of day as we languish in a dark, cold, and bug-infected prison cell? Is God enough when we have been abused, and feel rejected of our parents, our siblings, our peers?

Do we believe what God said through Paul, “I shall supply all your need according to my riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)? Remember, that without faith it is impossible, impossible, to please Him; “for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

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[1] Abraham Maslow (April 1, 1908-June 8, 1970), was the founder of what is known today as humanistic psychology "Dr. Abraham Maslow, Founder Of Humanistic Psychology, Dies". New York Times), and the creator of a theory of psychological health (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) that organized the fulfillment of human needs according to their respective priority.

Is God Enough? Part 1

At times, especially during a hard trial or excruciating pain, we may begin to wonder what separates us from unbelievers in their trials. We may question what the difference really is? We all suffer, we all cry, we all get confused. But there is a difference, an immense difference. The unbeliever’s god is his belly, but our God is the Creator of the Universe, the One who says a word and it happens. So, if God said He will be our Father, guiding, protecting, and loving us, why do we not feel this at times? Although God, who forced His will upon the rest of Creation, does not force His will on mankind, He requires that we, out of our own will, would fill ourselves with the knowledge of His Word, living in a close relationship with Him, humbling ourselves, completely trusting in Him. God truly is enough, but do we live as though He is enough?

As a born-again believer, God has given you and me all we need in order to be “more than conquerors”[1] in life, and live a truly godly life. This is not conditioned by the severity of our circumstances, but is a reality especially in the hardest trials of life. We know this because Paul said he was more than conqueror through tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril, and sword. How dare we wallow in the mire of depression, self-pity, and bitterness because of past mistreatment, rejection, loss of loved ones, or loss of relationships, when God’s grace will enable us to be super-victorious? Sometimes we may excuse ourselves by saying, “I’m not the apostle Paul”. But the apostle himself said it was only when he was weak that he was the strongest through Christ. It was when he emptied himself of “Paul” that he was the strongest. God is enough, but we must humble ourselves, as Paul did.

You may doubt the statement that God will give you all you need, but the Bible really says so: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”[2] Could it be that we fail to experience the fullness of this reality simply because we don’t believe it? God is enough, but without faith we cannot please Him, and much less experience His power in us.

Or maybe we are suffering from a case of “zeal without knowledge”? We are excited for the Lord and want to do what is right, but we don’t know enough of God’s Word to know how to do what is right. The Bible says that God has given us all things “through the knowledge of him”. This means that God can only give us His power when His Word dwells in us, as Paul says in another place: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.”[3] In order to experience the fullness of God’s power, we must have a deep knowledge of the written Word, the Bible, and a deep relationship with the living Word, Jesus Christ. This is clearly taught by Christ Himself in His defense before Satan: “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”[4] Do we know every word of God? Are we at least working diligently towards that goal? If not, why are we surprised when we don’t fully experience God’s power in our lives? God is enough, and He has given us all we need through His Spirit and His Word. Are we diligent in feeding from the Bible?

God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”[5] If we are not experiencing this we dare not blame our circumstances, our father and mother, or God! Rather, we should be deeply ashamed of ourselves for being faithless, claiming to belong to God but failing to identify ourselves with Him and His power. Sin and unbelief in our lives prevent us from experiencing this, and bitterness and pride are two idols that prevent God from taking control of our hearts. God is truly enough, but are we humble, full of faith in God’s Word and provision, living daily in a close relationship with Him?

-E.S. Gutwein

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[1] Romans 8:37

[2] 2 Peter 1:3

[3] Colossians 3:16

[4] Luke 4:4

[5] Ephesians 3:20