CP 4. The Human Conscience as the Law to the Gentiles

Posted on January 09, 2019 by Eric Fan in Crucial Points

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4. The Human Conscience as the Law to the Gentiles

One-minute Bible study
Pray over these verses.

Romans 2:14-15
14 For when the Gentiles, who have no law, do by nature the things of the law, these, though they have no law, are a law to themselves,
15 Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness with it and their reasonings, one with the other, accusing or even excusing them.

Just as the creation of God causes man to be without excuse in his knowing of God (1:20), the law of God given to the Jews is also a protection and restriction to sinful man. However, even the Gentiles, who were not given the law, have no excuse because God has still given them a conscience that functions to remind man of the good, God-created nature within him.
A few more minutes
Prayerfully read through these reading portions.

God gave the outward law to the Jews, so the Jews have to behave and act before God according to the God-given, outward law. God did not give the Gentiles an outward law, but in the nature of every human being there is a conscience, and that conscience is in the function of the law. The function of the conscience is just the same as the function of the law. The Jews are under the law condemned by God, and the Gentiles are also condemned before God according to their conscience. The conscience works to accuse you or excuse you. When the conscience accuses you, it means that you are wrong, and when it excuses you, it means that you are right. There is something within you by nature, in your nature, that condemns, accuses, you or justifies, excuses, you. (Elders’ Training Book 6: The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles, ch. 2, section 2)

Our original nature, as created by God, was good. Everything created by our Father, including our nature, was good originally. Of course, our nature was poisoned by the fall. There can be no doubt about this. Nevertheless, as human beings, we have a nature which God created good, and we need to act according to it. We should take heed to this nature. Although you may argue that it is not wrong to steal from others, the nature within you protests whenever you are tempted to steal. Even bank robbers will admit that, as they rob banks, their nature tells them, “Don’t do this.” However, they will not listen. It is the same with every evil-doer. Whenever they do something wrong, their nature disagrees. We need to observe the requirements of the nature within us. (Life-study of Romans, msg. 3, section 4).

Going deeper
Please read or listen to these materials for an in-depth study of this crucial point.
 
Further Reading:
Life-study of Romans, msg. 3, sections 3-4.
The Economy of God, ch. 6, sections 3-4.
The Experience of Life, ch. 6.

Footnotes from Recovery Version of the New Testament:
Romans 2:14, footnote1.
Romans 2:15, footnote 1.

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All verses and footnotes taken from the Holy Bible Recovery Version. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 2003.

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