A friend of mine forwarded your website to me. Since she knows I’m a member of the church (she is Jewish) she questioned this statement: A pure conscience was not attainable under either Patriarchy or Judaism, for there was always an awareness of sins (Hebrews 9:9; 10:2). On another ocassion when she and I visited the church while we were travelling, she became very offended and upset when she understood the preacher to say “Jews have no conscience”. Now she has seen this statement and is even more upset. I do not believe that Jews have no conscience because I know Saul of Tarsus said he had lived in all good conscience (as a Jew). And under the law, when Jews obeyed God, God was pleased. I’m not sure I understand your position, but thought I would ask so perhaps I can better understand what you are saying so I know better how to answer her. Thank you, Sandra
Obviously I cannot answer for another person’s statements when I know neither the person nor precisely what he said. However, I can gladly answer for my statements based on the biblical text.
Every human being who is born with a working mind and reaches the age of discernment between right and wrong has a conscience. However, once a person knows the difference between right and wrong, his conscience commends him or her for what it perceives as right and rebukes him or her for what it perceives as wrong thoughts and conduct. Yet, a human conscience can be improperly educated, as was the case with Saul of Tarsus (while he was persecuting Christians) before he became a Christian and later an apostle.
The point over which your inquiry evidences some confusion pertains to the actual forgiveness of sins. Sins prior to the cross of Christ were forgiven in prospect (e.g., such as a promissory note) in anticipation of the cross of Christ. Only under Christianity can sins actually be forgiven; God forgets sins that have been forgiven, but under Judaism, one’s past sins were remembered annually at the Day of Atonement. Animal sacrifices were never an end to themselves, but they prefigured the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Please re-read the article to which you refer at:
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2006/jul/page5.htm.
For your convenience, see below the verses of Scripture that I cited at that place respecting forgiveness of sins and the human conscience.
- “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience” (Hebrews 9:9).
- “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1-4).
- “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).
- “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).
- “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).
