Some Christians believe that the conscience is the voice of God. God is speaking to individuals, guiding them to do the right thing in a given situation.
Conscience can be described as a moral sense of right and wrong. A conscience must be educated, as an uneducated conscience can make a wrong decision. An individual can educate their conscience through prayer, scripture and experience. Indeed the scriptures state that even those who do not have faith to follow still have their conscience.
When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them.Romans 2:14-15
Reason
Some Christians believe that the human ability to make sense of situations is given by God, and that God reveals himself to Christians through their own sense of reason.
What is learned about God in these revelations?
Christians learn many things through these types of revelations:
- God teaches people through his word
- God cares about people (design of the world)
- God communicates with people as individuals
- God knows and understands what it is like to be human
Problems for the believer of different views about God
Different views of the Bible cause problems for some believers. They may not understand what appear to be obvious contradictions, or teachings that don't appear to uphold Christian values, eg slavery. Leviticus states that:
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way.Leviticus 25:44-46
The concept of the conscience and reason can also cause problems for Christians. They may be unsure how to interpret the voice of God. They may also doubt whether their sense of reason is given by God or is something humans have acquired or developed. Some Christians may question God's nature when believers understand God in different ways.
