It is never easy to understand what "conscience" is. It is even more confusing if you fail to understand that there is a difference between the "soul" and "spirit" of man. Please refer to my earlier posting "The Saving of Souls" (17th Oct 2005) before you read on.
Briefly, the soul of man relates man to the intellectual and emotional realm. It is that part of man which consists of his mind, his will and his emotion; whereas the spirit of man relates man to the spiritual realm. It gives man the ability to relate to God and to know about God. It makes him God conscious. Conscience is a function of the human spirit. It has been created by God with the ability to "see" general moral truths (such as honesty and faithfulness) and the ability to apply them to particular cases so that we have the desire to tell the truth, and to keep our promises even when it is inconvenient to do so. People everywhere, irrespective of race and culture, have an inner sense of right and wrong and an inner fear of judgment. This inner judge is called conscience. Therefore even in the fallen state, the natural man has a measure of conscience. The natural man is not totally immoral and lawless but has some desire to do "good". This can be attested by the Scripture.
The Unbelievers' Stand in God's Sight
The question we need to ask is - How God deals with people who don't have a revelation of Him in the Word, either in the Law or subsequent portion of Scripture?
Paul said, "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them)" (Romans 2:13 - 15, NIV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The law refers to bothe Moses Law (God give perfect Law) and other forms of law - verified by Greek Lexicon.
2. There are only two ways of achieving righteousness, one is by keeping rules and the other is by trusting God in faith.
3. The natural instinct of every human being when challenged in the issue of righteousness is to start to think in terms of rules. Rules have a place in life, but Christianity is not a set of rules.
4. Unbelieving Gentiles don't have the direct revelation of God's Law, but there is something inside them which does the same for them as the law would do, so that they show the work of the law written in their hearts. This is the work of conscience. What is written in their hearts is not the law but the working of the law.
5. The work of conscience is not to make us righteous but to bring us to the point where we see we need G0d's mercy to be made righteous.
6. Paul pictured a kind of court scene going on inside us. Conscience is our prosecutor. But we are all inclined to justifiy ourselves - one thought says we tell a lie, the other says n0, we just exaggerate a little bit.
There are no innocent people in the world
In God's perspective there are no innocent people in the world. It is in fact a careless presumption to believe that some people who have not heard of Christ are innocent. The opposite of innocent is guilty. And so, if the natural man is never innocent then he must be guilty.
Let us apply some simple logic. If the natural man is truly an innocent person, he needs not hear about Chirst. He has no need of redemption. God never punishes innocent people because such people are also righteous. The innocent person needs no Savior; he can save himself by his innocence.
The fact remains the people who die without hearing the gospel will be judged according to the knowledge they have. They will be judged guilty for rejecting God the Father. God never condemns innocent people.
The following paragraphs explain why:
Every person knows about God
The New Testament reveals the universal guilt of man - all natural men are sinners and they need a Savior. It announces the coming Christ to a world that had already rejected God the Father!
Jesus said, "For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:13, NKJV).
Paul said, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be know of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:18 - 21, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. God's wrath as revealed is not against innocence or ignorance but against ungodliness and unrighteousness - which is suppressing of truth. Men know the truth about God, but they do not allow this truth to work in their lives. They suppress it in order that they might live their own lives and not be convicted by God's truth.
2. God reveals what theologians called "general revelation" about Himself. So every man knows God. But man's problem is not that he doesn't know God but that he refuses to acknowledge what he knows to be true.
3. The revelation of God has been going on since the foundation of the word. It is not a once-for-all event but continues in a constant way. The revelation comes by way of creation. God's invisible nature is revealed "by the things that are made".
4. The revelation of God is sufficient to render man inexcusable. Since all men know God and all distort or reject that knowledge, they are not innocent. No man can plead ignorance as an excuse for not worshiping Him.
God judges according to the knowledge people have
The New Testament makes it clear that people will be judged according to the light that they have. This is implied by Paul:
"For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law" (Romans 2:12).
Applied generally, this means that each person will be judged according to the measure of moral light and understanding made available to him. Those who have had the full knowledge of God's moral standards revealed to them through the Law of Moses will be judged by that law. But those who did not have the fuller revelation of the Law of Moses will not be judged by that law, but only in accordance with the general revelation of God granted to the human race as a whole through the wonders of creation (Rom. 1:20).
It is important to mention here that idolatry as a "religion" does not please God but adds insult to injury to the glory of God:
"I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images" (Isaiah 42:8).
"Religion" does not redeem people but may add to their guilt.
