What Does Your Conscience Say?

What Does It Mean to be "Born Again"?, Part 3

On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 2:29 (NRSVUE)

To be a Jew in the first century was to be part of a community that had access to the Law of Moses, the Law of God. For men, circumcision of the flesh signified membership in the community. If one wanted access to the Law—that which could guide them into fidelity to God—one had to become a Jew first. 

For the apostle Paul, however, being a Jew meant something very different. Yes, he was officially Jewish, and a Pharisee to boot. After his conversion to the risen Christ, however, he interpreted what it meant to be a participant in the Covenant of God who inherits the Law of God very differently. For him, being Jewish wasn't about being circumcised in the flesh, but about being circumcised in the heart.  If you want to follow the call of God in your life, you can allow your conscience to guide you. 

Developing a healthy conscience

I've already talked about how an ever-expanding sense of identity is the spiritual maturation process itself. Here’s a new bit of related information for you…

As your sense of identity (your consciousness) expands, your conscience expands with it. 

Having a healthy conscience lets you know how your behaviors affect those around you. The stronger and healthier your conscience is, the more sensitive you will become to how you might be helping or hurting others. 

But your conscience isn’t just about other people. It’s about everything.

• How are you treating other animals?

• How are you treating the planet upon which you live?

• How are you treating yourself?

Developing your conscience and developing your spirituality go hand-in-hand. In fact, I recently watched a video interview with Paul Smith, author of Integral Christianity. In it, he said, “The best way to understand the word ‘spirit’ in the Bible is our word consciousness today.”

I think he's spot on. Our consciousness is our awareness of the reality in which we are immersed. Our consciousness manifests in our behavior. The more you are able to identify with the other, the more developed your consciousness will be, and the more you will engage in loving behavior.

And for Paul, remember that we are to “Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Rom 13: 8, NRSVUE)