1. 1 Question Does sin have an affect upon the sinner? If so, what happens in the soul as the person commits sin?

2. 2 This Week I. Examine the impact of sin upon the soul II. Explore six different words used in the Bible to denote sin. III. Delve into the concept of the inner man which bears the brunt of affects of sin. IV. Explore the healing of the conscience that has been damaged by sin. V. Examine our own consciences for the things hidden there that require healing. Lesson Plan

3. The Conscience at Work 3 Knowledge of Good & Evil Intended or Actual Offense GuiltShame Remorse & Repentance

4. 4 I. Introduction a.God is the One who created a moral universe. The universe is subject to him. Since His original design of man as a moral creature can never change, the requirement for morality among men remains constant from age to age. b.Man was created in his sinless estate to shine forth the glory of God. This was the true end of man; to reflect the glory of his Creator. Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. KJV

5. 5 I. Introduction c. In its ultimate sense, the conscience was designed as the faculty within man which enables, even compels him, to respect the miracle of Being, I.E. to act like one made in God’s image and to treat others the same. Matt 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. KJV.

6. 6 I. Introduction d. The activity of the conscience convicts the sinner of righteousness, telling him the right thing to do, and confronts him with his own guilt when he fails. In a very real sense, sin is a self-inflicted wound that does indelible injury to the soul. Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? KJV

7. 7 I. Introduction e. When sin entered into human experience as the result of Adam and Eve violating the direct command of God, this did not negate the requirement that man should be a moral creature. Mal 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; KJV

8. 8 I. Introduction f. In order to be just, God must judge. He is the One who keeps track of moral order within His created universe. Every moral act which is committed is noted by Him whether it is good or is evil. Ps 94:9-11 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. KJV

9. 9 I. Introduction g. God, who is greater than our consciences and knows all things, in His omniscience, He records each sin. And, those things in the hidden recesses of man’s conscience shall one day be opened in the judgment of the sinner. Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. KJV

10. 10 I. Introduction h. When we fail to keep God’s standard, such lapses are called sin. Sin is described as "coming short of our true end," the glory of God. Literally, in sinning we are missing the mark by our conduct. Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; KJV

11. 11 II. Types of Sin a. To be fully sinful, a man must know that the course which he is taking is an evil course. This does not necessarily mean he has a full realization of the extent of that evil at the moment of his sin. Luke 22:60-61 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. KJV

12. 12 II. Types of Sin b. While all sins are against God, all sins are not given identical weight in the biblical narrative. Distinctions are made between the various words which denote sin. c. "Presumptuous sins," or as literally rendered, "sins with an uplifted hand", i.e., are defiant acts of sin. Ps 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. KJV

13. 13 II. Types of Sin d. “Errors” or "inadvertencies" Ps 19:12 Who can discern his errors? NIV e. "Secret", i.e., hidden sins. Sins which escape the notice of the soul or conscience. Ps 19:12 Forgive my hidden faults.

14. 14 II. Types of Sin f. "Sin against the Holy Ghost", or a "sin unto death"; A willful rejection of grace. Matt 12:31-32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. KJV

15. 15 II. Types of Sin g. "Transgress," to pass over or beyond; to break or violate a civil or moral law, to do what one knows is wrong. Matt 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? KJV h. "Rebellion"; may be in the heart, as when the sinner is looking for an excuse or opportunity to rebel. Prov 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: KJV

16. 16 III. The Internal Destroyer a. Almost all failures to take a proper view of the person and work of Christ can be traced to a failure to realize adequately the seriousness of sin. I.E. Christ came as our moral example, assumes the sinner merely needs reformation not regeneration. b. Many attempt to minimize sin in various ways. Some try to explain sin away by calling it the absence of good, or as an illusion that stems from our human limitations. But, the Bible portrays sin as a real and actual evil.

17. 17 IV. Healing of the Conscience c. Sin is not merely an unwise, inexpedient, calamitous behavior that produces sorrow and distress. It is active rebellion against God's law- which is the standard of righteousness Ps 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. KJV. d. Breaking God's law at any point involves transgression at every point. Active, persistent sin will have a direct impact upon the conscience and becomes a war against one’s own soul; destroying the image of God from the inside. III. The Internal Destroyer

18. 18 IV. Healing of the Conscience e. While sin is often a violation of external commands, the presence of the will to violate is evidence of an inward condition. Thus the root of the problem lies in the immaterial heart of man; the inner life of man. Jer 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. KJV III. The Internal Destroyer

19. 19 IV. Healing of the Conscience f. Jesus affirmed this directly when He made it absolutely clear that the root of man’s sin problem lies in the inner man. Matt 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: KJV g. For this reason the believer is to guard the inmost thoughts of his heart because the battle is either won or lost inwardly before it ever manifests outwardly. Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. KJV III. The Internal Destroyer

20. 20 IV. Healing of the Conscience h. While the conscience may be scarred and the soul wounded by each willful act that comes short of the glory of God, the sinner is not without hope for healing. Matt 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. NIV III. The Internal Destroyer

21. 21 IV. Healing of the Conscience i. There is a law of the inner life with which man should bind himself, and this law is the law of Christ's life itself Rom 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. KJV IV. The Internal Destroyer

22. 22 IV. Healing of the Concience a.In the thought of Jesus, righteousness is life. Conversely, life lived in accordance with the dictates of the flesh produces death. The task of regenerated man is to fully apprehend and apply the life of Christ to the conscience. John 10:10 Jesus came that men might have life. b.While the father welcomes back the prodigal to the restored personal relations with himself, he cannot, in the full sense, blot out the fact that the prodigal has been a prodigal. The memory remains in the soul.

23. 23 IV. Healing of the Concience c.While judicial forgiveness is complete at the point of salvation, the elimination of the consequences of the evil life and the scarring of the conscience in general may require the actual work of the healing process. Mal 4:2-3 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. NIV d.Sin is serious, because it thwarts life. The topic of sin is covered so extensively in the Bible because it blocks the channel of man’s movement toward the fullest life which is the designed purpose of God for man.

24. 24 IV. Healing of the Concience e.God is the Father in Heaven. Sin has a ruinous effect upon the relations between the Father and the sons. It prevents the proper development of the life of the sons. Thus, crippled, in their souls, they must avail themselves of the balm which He alone provides. Jer 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? KJV f.The man who has warred against his own soul may find healing from the consequences of the sin only in the processes which make for its healing. The mind and will (I.E. the conscience) require transformation.

25. 25 IV. Healing of the Concience g.The mind which has thought evil must put on a new tendency to think godly thoughts. In some cases healing can be accomplished supernaturally in an instant. But some may take a lifetime to heal as we complete the work of sanctification. h.Forgiveness must not be interpreted in such terms as to make the transgression of the Law of God in any sense a light or trivial offence. But, on the other hand, we must not set limits to the curative powers of the cross of Christ. Jer 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. KJV

26. 26 IV. Healing of the Concience i. Lives cannot be transformed merely by precept or intellectual knowledge. The only effective force is the force of a divine life which will reach down into the heart, soul and spirit completing the work of salvation and sanctification. 2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. NIV

27. a.Do you recognize some of the ways that your conscience has been scarred by your personal history? b.What needs healing in your soul? c.Do you know how to apply the Balm of Gilead to your personal wounds? 27 V. Application