An elder cultivates his conscience by a knowledge of God’s people, of the souls entrusted under his care. Pastor Paul went “from house to house,” “serving the Lord with all humility and with tears.” (Acts 20:19-20) Paul knew the sheep, Paul loved the sheep, and Paul led the sheep – whoever they were, wherever they were. He personally brought God’s provision to God’s people. Or in layman’s terms, he put the hay where the sheep could reach it.

The latest buzzword in ministry circles is “health.” Books abound with discussions of cultivating good exercise habits, cultivating a good work/life habits, cultivating good rest habits. However, as important as these are, one area often not addressed is cultivating a good conscience. Pastor Paul took great pains to “have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” (Acts 24:16) What does that look like for elders in Christ’s church?

Knowing What The Conscience Is

First, what is the conscience? Robert Bruce notes that “the conscience consists of two parts: of knowledge, according to which it is called science, and of feeling, according to which the con is added – therefore – conscience. The word conscience signifies, therefore, knowledge with application.” (1)  Knowledge always precedes feeling, producing either fear and trembling or relief and rejoicing. For the individual, that knowledge could be summed up in Calvin’s two famous headings: “the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” (2)  Thus, we routinely encourage our people to study God’s Word, and we refer them to the summaries of such in our confessions and catechisms. Moreover, we encourage them to be watchful – to know themselves and the motions of their hearts, for we know “the particular judgment [of their own conscience] must precede the general and universal judgment of the Lord.” (3)

The Elder & His Conscience Before The Lord

This leads to my second question – what about the elder? What about the man who will have to give an account for the soul of another? (Heb. 13:17) How does he cultivate a clear conscience? If the individual must know God and know himself, then the elder must know God and know His people. 

One the one hand, cultivating an elder’s conscience requires daily growth in his knowledge of God. Our roots must spread deep and wide in the soil of God’s revelation. However, we must keep a helpful Southern proverb in mind: “For every mile of road, there are two miles of ditches.” One ditch is knowing God only to prepare for the next lesson. Too often, instead of walking with God in the garden, we are only interested in snatching the next piece of fruit (Gen. 3:6-8). We can behave like the husband whose only topic of conversation with the Mrs. revolves around the punctuality of the plate on the table. Tell me, is that a healthy relationship? Not for him, not for her, not for the children of which he is accountable.

Before anyone begins to think, “Well, I spend my hours reading John Calvin.” Herein lies the second ditch. Study can become an end in and of itself. Too often, we fall into the trap of communing with dead theologians instead of the living God.

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