Psalms 32:3

Psalms 32:3

All men are born with a conscience and a natural understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Romans 1:19-24, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.”

The difference between a lost person and a child of God when it comes to the ability to understand the difference between right and wrong is that the child of God not only has a conscience but also the Spirit of God. This is the reason that lost people often find so much pleasure in unrighteousness and continue in sin without repentance. A lost person, a child of wrath, a person who has never trusted in Jesus for salvation does not have the Spirit of God inside them to convict them and to restrain them from any sin. Such a person only has their conscience.

Ephesians 2:1-5, “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved.” To be quickened means to be made alive. The lost are dead in sin. But the saved are quickened spiritually through the Spirit of God by the righteousness, not of works, but of faith in Jesus.

These verses in Psalms describe for us the kind of conviction and guilt for sin that happens to a believer when they sin and are convicted. Psalms 32:3 says “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.” This is the reason the sayings, “let your conscience be your guide,” and “follow your heart,” are not good sayings. Because man is a sinner, he is corrupt. Even though man is born with a conscience, how easy it is for man to have that conscience seared. But if your heart and mind have their fill of the Word of God, then your conscience and your heart can be your guide because the Spirit of God will dwell you through faith in Jesus Christ. Psalms 119:11 says, “Thy Word have I hide in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

This is why it is so easy for lost people to go into sin and to be lead farther and farther away from even basic morality. They do not have the Spirit of God inside of them. Second Thessalonians 2:7 says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” The Spirit of God restrains evil and convicts men of their sins.

The primary way that a Christian is connected to the Spirit of God is through the Word of God. This is why the Word of God is so important. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth Iron. So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Jesus is a friend to all those who repent of sin to Him.

The conscience refers to man’s ability with the mind to discern the difference between right and wrong. But without the Word of God even the most basic discernment can be lost to man. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” And Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Romans 1:22 says, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

First Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit Speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”Having a conscience and understanding the difference between right and wrong is not enough. People still sin even though they know it is sin. Man is weak and sinful. Those who continue in sin and do not repent of it to Jesus will eventually “sear” their conscience to the point that they no longer feel guilt for the wrong that they do. A lost person with a seared conscience is in a dangerous place. There is only one solution for men: to repent of sins and to turn to Jesus for forgiveness of their sins.

The eating of food and marriage are two very basic and good things about life that God created. Men can have their conscience so seared concerning simple and good things such as eating food and being marriage so that these men will actually teach against and restrain themselves from doing good things. Consider the legalistic teachings of some so-called religious organizations, namely the catholic church, which for hundreds of years has taught that to be a priest a man cannot marry. By teaching this they deny the natural sexual drive that humans have and the need for love. This has resulted in massive homosexuality and abuse of innocent children in the Catholic Church by so-called priests.

Proverbs 30:18-19, “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” Marriage is good. It is good for men and women to fall in love and to marry and to fulfill sexual desire that way. To teach anything else is bad. First Timothy 4:1-3 says, “Now the Spirit Speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

We live in the last days. We know this because of the rampant amount of false teaching that dominates the nations of this world. How far most men have departed from the Bible! Even here in the USA, a nation once founded on the teachings of the Bible, marriage is looked down upon by many in our society, scorned even. Homosexuality is promoted and taught in the public government-controlled schools. Even the leaders of our country for the last 20 years have publicly promoted and condoned sexual immorality. They promote sexual immorality through “safe sex.” Professing themselves to be wise they became fools. Without the Spirit of God the conscience of man can only become seared and fall away from even those things which should be common sense.

Psalms 32:3-6, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.” Even though all men are wicked sinners, Jesus has grace greater than our sin. All it takes is repentance of sin to Jesus when the Spirit of God through the Word of God convicts you of sin. “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.”

A Godly person is a person who repents of their sin to Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of faith and the righteousness which is not of works. “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.” There is a time when God can be found and a time when he cannot. Life is an opportunity, a limited opportunity. The opportunity to repent of sins is limited too. God has grace and mercy through Jesus Christ, but there must be judgment for sin because God is Holy. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Judgment, however, is coming for the nations that forgets God and for individual men who fail to repent of sin. “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.”

The floods of great waters probably refers to the time that God destroyed all the earth with a world-wide flood. This truth is a reminder that there is judgment for sin. God must judge sin because God is holy. Those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ escape the eternal fires of hell just as Noah and His family escaped the floods of great waters which covered all the earth.

Judgment is coming on the nations and the individuals of this world that do not repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

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