PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

A Conscience Void of Offense (1)

In an outburst of condemnation against the darkened hearts, consciences, and behavior of men who have succumbed to the influence of a world that is in rebellion against God, Paul cataloged man's ugly condition: "God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things which are not fitting, Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; Whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Senseless, faithless, affectionless, merciless" (Romans 1:28-31). Some may sharply remonstrate, insisting that there are many fine people in this world, and no doubt there are—yet in God's light, we all must confess that our consciences are often insensitive and unprepared to be dealt with by God and at the same time are not fully right with men.

In this issue of Parenthood, we are continuing to focus on the need for man's conscience to be recovered and to be sensitized and trained. Watchman Nee writes, "If a man does not confess to God nor apologize or recompense man, his conscience will easily become hardened. Once the conscience becomes hardened, a serious and fundamental problem develops: It becomes difficult for God's light to shine into a man. A person must build up a habit of confessing and making recompense so that he can maintain a sensitive and keen conscience before the Lord."

We are raising our children in the "midst of a crooked and perverted generation," in an atmosphere of sin and degradation. Paul declared, "I also exercise myself to always have a conscience without offense toward God and men"—Acts 24:16. We also must live righteously before God and men, and we must train our children, instilling in them a sensitivity that will govern them and restrict them to keep clear accounts with both God and man. The fellowship of Watchman Nee from Leviticus chapter 6 is both enlightening and exposing. We should do our best to implant these practices into the very core of our children's being. They must see themselves as "luminaries in the world, to hold forth the word of life" to all men (Philippians 2:15-16).

After we have believed in the Lord, we must build up a habit of confessing and recompensing. If we have offended anyone or have come short of anyone, we should learn to confess or to recompense. On the one hand, we have to confess to God, and on the other hand, we have to confess to and recompense man. If a man does not confess to God nor apologize or recompense man, his conscience will easily become hardened. Once the conscience becomes hardened, a serious and fundamental problem develops: It becomes difficult for God's light to shine into a man. A person must build up a habit of confessing and making recompense so that he can maintain a sensitive and keen conscience before the Lord.

There was once a worker of the Lord who used to ask others, "When was the last time you confessed to someone?" If it has been a long time since a person's last confession to another person, there has to be some problem with this person's conscience. We often offend others. If a person has offended someone yet has no feeling about it, his conscience must be sick or abnormal. The length of time since your last confession is an indication of whether or not there is a problem between you and God. If the period of time is long, it proves that there is a lack of light in your spirit. If the time is short, that is, if you recently have made a confession to others, it proves that the feeling of your conscience is still sensitive. In order to live under God's light, we need a sensitive conscience, and in order for our conscience to remain sensitive, we need to continually condemn sin as sin. We need to confess to God, and we also need to make confessions and recompenses to man….

What kinds of sins offend man? How should a person apologize to another person or recompense another person when he offends him or comes short in his dealings with him?…

(continued on page 2)