Conscience As A Prison
Job 27:6
NIV
[6] I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
Perhaps you’ve not heard of this prison before but it exists, and its inmates are more than those in the traditional physical prisons!
Even as you read this article you may probably be one of those in that prison!
Of the prisons that we are locked in one is called “ conscience !” This is not a physical but a “moral, emotional “ prison!
Here is how scriptures describe how we are sentenced into this type of prison ;
James 4
KJV
17+ Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
To know to do good and failing to do the same creates guilt, and it is this guilt that sentences us into this prison. Ever heard of the expression “ guilty conscience?” .
Read how those in these types of prisons behave;
Proverbs 28
KJV
1+ The wicked “flee when no man pursueth”: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
If you have a “guilty conscience” that’s how you act !
John 8
KJV
9 And they which heard it, being “convicted” by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
In politics, we read of some who are detained, tried and jailed because they refused to yield to an order to act contrary to what they believe. These are called “ prisoners of conscience”
Muhammad Ali the boxer was stripped of his heavyweight title because he refused to fight in Vietnam! His conscience will not allow him to do so. A victim of conscience
Similarly, we can also be “prisoners of conscience “ if we act in a way that is contrary to our true nature. Nature therefore pronounces us guilty and sentences us. In this case, it is “ guilty conscience “.
Unfortunately, many today are locked up in this “ prison” they can only be pardoned if they act wisely ( do the right thing)
This type of prison or imprisonment is worse than the physical as we are tortured every day and hour!
It is to redeem us from this “prison” that we are taught the word of God and encouraged to put it into practice. It is by living and upholding these that we are declared innocent.
This is what the verse implies,
Job 27:6
NIV
[6] I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
If we do the right things our consciences shall not “ reproach” us, if not it will “accuse” and “imprison” us.
This issue of having a clear conscience is indeed a challenge we all face. Read what
Paul said;
Acts 24:16
NIV
[16] So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
To maintain a clear conscience is a daily challenge, admittedly it is not easy but we must try. Make every effort to stay out of this prison, guilty conscience!
A thought