Dear Rev. Graham: Do you think we have something inside us that tells us what’s right and wrong? I used to think so, but I work in our local police department and I’ve seen people do so many evil things that I’m beginning to wonder. — Mrs. N.H.
Rev. Graham: Yes, God has put within each of us a conscience — an inner sense of right and wrong. When King Solomon rebuked someone who had wronged his father, he said, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did” (1 Kings 2:44).
Tragically, however, our conscience — this inner moral compass that ought to point us to right and wrong — can become dulled and suppressed, and we may not even be able to hear its warnings. Instead we deliberately choose to do wrong — and the more we do this, the more calloused or hardened our conscience becomes.
What is the problem? The basic problem is what the Bible calls sin, which is like a spiritual disease that affects every one of us. Sin battles against our conscience, and even can almost destroy it. Tragically, some consciences become dulled almost from the beginning, through the sin of parents or the evil influence of others.
Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.
