Romans 2:15
who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
Truth to Learn
Our conscience is more effective at controlling our actions than any set of rules.
Behind the Words
The word translated “conscience” is suneidēsis, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of eidō, meaning “to know.” It is that part of our mind that knows, along with our heart, whether something is right or wrong.
“Bearing witness” is from summartureō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and martureō, meaning “to witness.” In this verse Paul says the conscience is witnessing together with the heart, where the natural law is written.
Meaning Explained
Paul is continuing on from the previous verse where he said that even though the Gentiles don’t have the Law of Moses, they still do things that are good. In today’s verse he is saying that when they do good things their conscience is clean because they know that they have done good. Likewise when they do not do what is right, their conscience witnesses to their heart that what they have done is not right.
This is a significant statement from Paul because, as he said in the first chapter of this epistle, the natural man knows and understands the nature and power of God simply from the creation around him. Now he is saying that the natural man knows, instinctively, the difference between right and wrong. He even goes one step further saying that those without the Law recognize when another person does good or bad and as a result they either accuse or excuse one another. There is a law written in our hearts, to which our conscience bears witness, and it teaches us the difference between good and bad.
Do you remember when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery? The Law demanded that in such a case the woman was to be stoned to death. Jesus initially responded by bending down and writing in the dirt with his finger, pretending not to hear them. As they continued to press him about it he responded by saying:
He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. (John 8:7b)
Do you remember what happened next?
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)
Do you see that? They were not convicted by the Law, they were convicted by their own consciences.
Application
We all know when we have done right and when we have done wrong, even if we don’t know everything taught in the Bible. It’s true that there are some people who don’t seem to have a conscience. They actually have one, but they have denied it for so long that it has become ineffective at directing their actions. But they are not free of their conscience, they are trapped by their sin nature and their conscience has become ineffective.
Is your conscience still working effectively?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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