The Over & Under Sensitive Conscience
Diagnosing The Problem and Prescribing Christ For The Conscience
Introduction
The following is some reflection on the over-sensitive conscience and the under-sensitive conscience. Both of these are seen as the struggling Christian but can certainly relate to the non-Christian that needs to come to Jesus.
Diagnosis
The Over-sensitive Conscience:
- Over self-examination (goes beyond the biblical grounds for needful self-examination -- This over self-examination is too much self and too little Christ)
- Never feels like you confess your sins (even the same ones) enough
- Never feels like you repent of a particular sinful moment enough
- Little comfort in Christ & His righteousness
- Significantly more fear than assurance during the preached Word and partaking in the Sacraments
- Every mole hill becomes a mountain and every bush has a bear in it (exaggeration in everything)
- You have a tendency to evaluate yourself only in extremes (and the extremes are typically in the worst possible evaluation)
- You transfer your own negative evaluation of yourself into the minds of others and think that they are constantly thinking about you in that same evaluation
- You only go on a sin-hunt with yourself in every situation and circumstance. You never think about how God is at work or His promises for you but you linger over your sins, weaknesses, failures, mistakes.
- You overthink everything you’ve done because you’re afraid you’re hiding some deep sin that hasn’t been dealt with (even though there is no evidence of this not any accusations from anyone)
- When you hear about apostasy or moral failure, you conclude that this will inevitably happen to you
- You spend little time being amazed at the sufficiency of the righteousness of Christ for you because you over-play your sinfulness.
- You live in “what if” land and think that all the “what ifs” of your sinful nature will inevitably happen
- You let your emotions determine your true standing before God rather than Christ
- You always feel that you “should” or “ought” to do more and until you do that you can’t rest in Christ
- You'll read the next list and say, "This is me."
The Under-sensitive Conscience:
- Too little self-examination and too little examination of the Law, Christ's fulfillment, and the Christian life
- Little confession of sin if at all
- Little comfort in Christ and more comfort in self
- Every mountain of sin is merely a mole hill and every bear is just a bush (sin is downplayed, watered down, excused)
- You have the mindset of "time heals all" rather than receiving forgiveness from Christ (in other words you don't bring your sins to God but you just forget about them and bury them)
- The preached Word rarely phases you and the Sacraments sparingly make you reflect on your true need for Christ for all your sins (matter of fact, you tend to say to yourself, "I wish [so-and-so] was here because they really need to hear this.")
- You have a tendency to only see yourself as doing good deeds (not in the sense of resting in Christ and going on a grace-hunt but more so in approving your own works)
- You tend to ignore God's Law and think it doesn't apply to you right now. You don’t let the Law reveal to you your sin, the righteousness of Christ, and desperate need of Christ.
- You spend little time being amazed at the sufficiency of the righteousness of Christ for you because you downplay your sinfulness.
- You sparingly find yourself broken by the Law and clinging to the promises of God’s forgiveness in Christ
- You think you're too good in yourself to have a great fall (once again, this is not in the sense of depending on Christ and His promises but in the sense of relying on yourself and pridefully thinking you’re beyond that)
- You know that the Law is no longer condemning you but you've gone so far that you don't even see the Law as a guiding Friend (this is the anti-Law mindset of "I can live however I want because I am forgiven and therefore I can indulge in whatever sin." — This is not the same as a gospel-mindset of Romans 6, 7, 8 where you know your identity in Christ (Rom. 6), yet your continuing struggle to obey God (Rom. 7), but your assurance that there is no condemnation ever for those in Christ (Rom. 8), and that the Holy Spirit empowers you more and more to live according to God's ways [yet not to secure your salvation] because you are already secure in Christ) -- Forgive me for being too verbose on that one.
- Jesus is a nice help but He isn't everything and your only hope of salvation
- You'll read both lists and hardly be phased at all
Prescription
NOT: More Law and more self-focus
The problem with both: Little view of Christ and His Person & Work. In both of these there is too much of us and too little of Christ.
The solution to both: The enormity of Christ’s work shows that our sin increases greatly but grace abounds all the more (Romans 3:19-20; 5:20). As Robert Murray McCheyne says, "For every one look at yourself take ten looks at Christ."
The suggested practice:
Spend a considerable season meditating on the promises of God for you. One practice Dr. Guy Waters gave us in seminary was to find a portion of Scripture and write down 5 personal reflections on each verse. In this practice, specifically focus on who God is for you in Christ. Suggestion: Try meditating on Colossians 1, Romans 8, Galatians 2:15-21, Hebrews 4, 2 Corinthians 12, Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 12.
Find books that unpack the glories of Christ. Consider the following:
The Everlasting Righteousness by Horatius Bonar
The Glory of Christ by John Owen
Christ All In All by Philip Henry
Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg & Sinclair Ferguson
Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund
Christ Crucified by Donald MacLeod
Rejoicing In Christ by Michael Reeves
Blood Work by Anthony Carter
In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson
The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson
Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett
None Greater by Matthew Barrett
You might be in need of someone assisting you. Do not feel bad about this for we are meant for community. Even the “strongest” saints know how often they need these. Matter of fact, the “stronger” saints know more of their need of others to pour into them. We are often in seasons when we need help from others to help us as a bruised reed or to help us feel the heat of the Law and lead us to Christ. For this, you must choose someone who knows how to focus on the gospel and Christ. Do NOT choose someone legalistic or someone who just wants to beat you up. Choose someone who knows how to unpack the glories of Christ. What you need is more Christ. We need to remember that our corporate worship is what informs our private worship not vice versa. Our focus today is too much on a private relationship between us and God but that does not fit with the Bible nor Church history. When we find ourselves in a season of over-sensitive or under-sensitive conscience we must go back to the importance of corporate worship and sitting under the preached Word and partaking in the sacraments.
Much of this is reflection from and loosely quoted from the following works:
- Counseling Under the Cross by Bob Kellemen
- Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
- The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson
- The Christian’s Reasonable Service by Wilhelmus à Brakel
- Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks
- Fear of God by John Bunyan
- Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel
- Rejoice & Tremble by Michael Reeves
- Running Scared by Ed Welch
- When People Are Big and God Is Small by Ed Welch
- Pursuing a Heart of Wisdom by John Kwasny
- Shame Interrupted by Ed Welch
- Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace by Paul Tautges
- Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zack Eswine
- Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison
- Safe and Sound by David Powlison
- Christians Get Depressed Too by David Murray
- Depression by Ed Welch
- A Still and Quiet Mind by Esther Smith
- I’m Not Supposed To Feel Like This by Chris Williams
- Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund
- Deeper by Dane Ortlund
- The Letters of Martin Luther
- The Letters of John Newton
- The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall
- Calvin on the Christian Life by Michael Horton
- Martin Luther on the Christian Life by Carl Trueman
- The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes