Good and Evil don’t change
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
1 Corinthians 10:27-29 “If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience' sake. (28) But if anyone says to you, "This was offered to idols," do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience' sake; for "the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness." (29) "Conscience," I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience?”
We have seen that our conscience is given to us to convict us in choosing that which is good and reject evil, and that it is our choice as to whether we obey or reject the conviction of our conscience. Let me say here that good and evil is constant, i.e. they do not change, ever. In other words what was good and evil in the time of Noah and all the way back to Adam, is the same today as it was then. The conscience that God has given us always convicts us to choose good and reject evil. And so good and evil is what God says is good and evil, and it is not a concept or principle taught by mankind. Some have erroneously taught that our conscience is a product of our culture and upbringing, which is why some people can do some practices that, would offend others who have a different culture. And so what is considered good in some societies is considered evil in other societies, and vice versa. However, in the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit clearly explains to us that the conscience is given to us by God to only discern between good and evil, and that it has nothing to do with the various cultures of mankind. In context, the apostle Paul is referring specifically to the conscience of an unbeliever in this passage. This is not an unbeliever who has been brought up in a Jewish synagogue, and thus knows the laws of Moses and is endeavouring to keep them. This unbeliever sacrifices and makes offerings to his gods which he has been serving all his life, and which we know are demons. Paul then makes an extraordinary statement. He says that if you eat at this unbeliever’s house and he tells you that he has offered to his idols, the food you are about to eat, then you are not to eat it. Paul does not say this because eating it would wound the believer’s conscience, but rather because it would wound the unbeliever’s conscience! And so if the unbeliever’s conscience was a product of his upbringing and culture, then it would not be possible that eating the food that he offered to his idols every day, would wound his conscience? No rather, the reason his conscience would be wounded, is because offering food to demons is evil, no matter what culture or religion one is brought up in. And even though the unbeliever has had his conscience weakened to the extent that his conscience cannot convict him of this sin anymore, it is still a sin. And Paul counsels us to not be complicit in the further wounding of his conscience by approving his practice through the eating of his food.
Titus 1:15-16 “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. (16) They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul talks about the conscience of unbelievers as being defiled. If their conscience was a product of their culture and upbringing, then the fact that they are unbelievers would not have the effect of making their conscience defiled, especially if they are diligently adhering to all of the practices that their particular culture and religion teaches. And so the reason their consciences are defiled, is because they have ignored the conviction of their consciences by continuing in their sinful practices.
Mark 7:5-13 “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" (6) He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'this people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. (7) And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' (8) For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men-- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." (9) He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. (10) For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' (11) But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"--' (that is, a gift to God), (12) then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, (13) making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
I brought all this into this section to make it clear that disputes about non-issues are not evil, and do not involve the conscience. You may say why is that important? It is very important because what it does is give us a clear biblical understanding that what is good and evil as far as our conscience is concerned, is absolute. It is not a cultural thing which is open for discussion. In other words our conscience does not change its view on what is good and what is evil, depending on what our personal beliefs are at any given time. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus teaches us that adhering to religious or cultural practices has nothing to do with the conscience of man. In this passage the religious leaders of His day questioned Him as to why He was allowing His disciples to ignore the cultural traditions that everyone else was observing. Jesus replied that the only thing that matters is keeping the commandments of God, not the traditions of men. Jesus would never teach us to violate our conscience, because He is the one who created it. And so if ignoring our cultural traditions had the effect of violating our conscience, then Jesus would have taught us to keep those traditions. But Jesus teaches the exact opposite, because He knows that not keeping the traditions of our culture has nothing to do with the conscience. For in fact what the traditions of men eventually do is to nullify the commandments of God, because men begin to exalt their traditions above the commandments of God, all the time claiming to be serving the Lord, when in actual fact their traditions have now become their God. Thus Jesus calls them hypocrites.
Michael E.B. Maher
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