PARENTHOOD a divine stewardship Volume 4 Issue 9September 1999
It is a good thing that human beings are able to feel shameful. If I stole a certain thing and then was able to boast about it, that would be terrible. If I steal something, I should feel ashamed of it. But so many young people today have no feeling of shame. They are not ashamed of their evil doings. But shamefulness is a protection for fallen man; it is a part of the function of our conscience. If we have a genuine, good, clean conscience, it will always cause us to be ashamed whenever we do something unclean or immoral. This is an excellent protection. The function of the conscience has preserved the human race throughout history. Simply trusting in the law, the courts, and the police force would not work adequately. There is the need of a fine, inner, and deeper work—the function of the conscience. The function of the conscience not only condemns us, but also causes us to have feelings of shame. But how the human situation has deteriorated in the past fifty years! Today there is open immorality. Some people even boast of their immorality without any sense of shame. It seems as if they do not have a conscience. They are like animals. What is the difference between man and the animals? Man has a conscience that causes him to have a sense of shame. Animals do not have such a conscience. This is part of God's sovereignty in His administration over man. In the first fall, man fell from God's presence to man's conscience. To fall from God's presence was really a sad thing. However, to fall to man's conscience was still a preservation.	(2) Man's Fall From Man's Conscience To Others' Control Man did not remain very long under the government of his conscience. The first person to violate the rule of the conscience was Cain. Genesis 4 reveals that Cain was not shameful for lying and for murdering his brother, Abel. His lying to God about Abel's death was an open manifestation of his breaking of his conscience. He was arrogant and not at all ashamed about his sin. Since man violated his conscience, violence filled the earth before the time of the flood (6:11). As we saw in the previous message, before the flood there was no human government. It was only after the flood that God established a deputy authority. Man began to exercise God's authority to rule over others. That was the beginning of human government. Thus, secondly, man fell from self-government to human government. In the first nine chapters of Genesis we see three kinds of government: the divine government, the government of the conscience, or self-government, and human government. All Bible students agree that these governments constitute three of God's dispensations, three of the ways in which God deals with the human race. The first dispensation was that of God's divine government, and the second was that of the government of man's own conscience. When man fell from the rule of his conscience, he came under the third dispensation, that of the human government.	I would like to say a word to the young people. We thank God that we are His creatures. As human beings, we are under Him and He is the real government above us. We also have a conscience that He has provided for us. This is a good thing. Moreover, we have many deputy authorities: the parents at home, the principals and teachers in the schools, and the government. All of these are the deputy authorities of God. By these three kinds of government the human race has been preserved. Although mankind has not been saved, it has been preserved by these three kinds of government. Humanly speaking, we all must have a fear of God, we all must listen to our conscience, and we all must respect God's deputy authority. We must respect our parents, the school administrators, and the government. God uses all the deputy authorities to maintain the human race so that He might fulfill His purpose. Never rebel against God, against the human conscience, or against human government. God's salvation moves in a direction opposite to that of man's fall. Man fell firstly from God's presence to man's conscience; secondly, from man's conscience to human government; and eventually from human government to rebellion under Satan's instigation. In God's salvation we are firstly saved from rebellion to human government and from human government to the conscience. Eventually we are saved from conscience to God's presence in our spirit. APPLICATION Why is it good that human beings are able to feel shameful? How has the function of the conscience preserved the human race throughout history? What are the three kinds of government through which God has preserved the human race?

PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Volume 4 Issue 9September 1999

It is a good thing that human beings are able to feel shameful. If I stole a certain thing and then was able to boast about it, that would be terrible. If I steal something, I should feel ashamed of it. But so many young people today have no feeling of shame. They are not ashamed of their evil doings. But shamefulness is a protection for fallen man; it is a part of the function of our conscience. If we have a genuine, good, clean conscience, it will always cause us to be ashamed whenever we do something unclean or immoral. This is an excellent protection.

The function of the conscience has preserved the human race throughout history. Simply trusting in the law, the courts, and the police force would not work adequately. There is the need of a fine, inner, and deeper work—the function of the conscience. The function of the conscience not only condemns us, but also causes us to have feelings of shame. But how the human situation has deteriorated in the past fifty years! Today there is open immorality. Some people even boast of their immorality without any sense of shame. It seems as if they do not have a conscience. They are like animals.

What is the difference between man and the animals? Man has a conscience that causes him to have a sense of shame. Animals do not have such a conscience. This is part of God's sovereignty in His administration over man. In the first fall, man fell from God's presence to man's conscience. To fall from God's presence was really a sad thing. However, to fall to man's conscience was still a preservation.

(2) Man's Fall From Man's Conscience To Others' Control

Man did not remain very long under the government of his conscience. The first person to violate the rule of the conscience was Cain. Genesis 4 reveals that Cain was not shameful for lying and for murdering his brother, Abel. His lying to God about Abel's death was an open manifestation of his breaking of his conscience. He was arrogant and not at all ashamed about his sin. Since man violated his conscience, violence filled the earth before the time of the flood (6:11). As we saw in the previous message, before the flood there was no human government. It was only after the flood that God established a deputy authority. Man began to exercise God's authority to rule over others. That was the beginning of human government. Thus, secondly, man fell from self-government to human government.

In the first nine chapters of Genesis we see three kinds of government: the divine government, the government of the conscience, or self-government, and human government. All Bible students agree that these governments constitute three of God's dispensations, three of the ways in which God deals with the human race. The first dispensation was that of God's divine government, and the second was that of the government of man's own conscience. When man fell from the rule of his conscience, he came under the third dispensation, that of the human government.

I would like to say a word to the young people. We thank God that we are His creatures. As human beings, we are under Him and He is the real government above us. We also have a conscience that He has provided for us. This is a good thing. Moreover, we have many deputy authorities: the parents at home, the principals and teachers in the schools, and the government. All of these are the deputy authorities of God. By these three kinds of government the human race has been preserved. Although mankind has not been saved, it has been preserved by these three kinds of government. Humanly speaking, we all must have a fear of God, we all must listen to our conscience, and we all must respect God's deputy authority. We must respect our parents, the school administrators, and the government. God uses all the deputy authorities to maintain the human race so that He might fulfill His purpose. Never rebel against God, against the human conscience, or against human government.

God's salvation moves in a direction opposite to that of man's fall. Man fell firstly from God's presence to man's conscience; secondly, from man's conscience to human government; and eventually from human government to rebellion under Satan's instigation. In God's salvation we are firstly saved from rebellion to human government and from human government to the conscience. Eventually we are saved from conscience to God's presence in our spirit.

APPLICATION

Why is it good that human beings are able to feel shameful?

How has the function of the conscience preserved the human race throughout history?

What are the three kinds of government through which God has preserved the human race?

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