The Information Source and the Conscience

The Information Source and the Conscience

What Does It Mean?

This teaching explores the fundamental connection between the information we feed our minds and the function of our conscience. The instruction begins by establishing the role of the conscience: it controls our reaction to thoughts, imaginations, words, and actions. It is like a baseball umpire, located in the "spiritual heart," letting us know when we have violated our inner moral code and prompting us to make corrections.

The teaching then introduces Colossians 3:15, which describes the peace of Christ as an "umpire" ruling in our hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in our minds. The instruction emphasizes that the peace of God should rule in our "spiritual heart" continually.

However, there is a problem. The peace and conscience can only act in relationship to the information in our thought-life. The teaching uses Genesis 6:5 as an illustration: everything the people of Noah's day thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. Their standard of behavior was completely unacceptable.

The instruction then traces the origin of this problem back to Adam and Eve. In the garden, their standard of thinking came directly from the tree of life. It was peaceful. There were no problems or shame. Their conscience was in full harmony with God's order. But after the fall, they were driven from the garden, and the information they lived by changed. They lost access to the tree of life and instead lived by the standard from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where the serpent still resides. The conscience of Adam's family is now governed by a different standard. The result came quickly: Cain killed Abel. Bad information equals a bad conscience equals bad behavior.

The Twist

The unexpected element in this teaching is the direct connection between the information source and the state of the conscience. Adam and Eve's conscience was in harmony with God because they fed from the tree of life. After the fall, they lost access to that source and were governed by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is not just a historical event but a spiritual reality that affects every human being. Our conscience is shaped by the information we feed it.

Another surprising insight is that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not a neutral source. The serpent lives in it and still speaks from it today. This means that the information from this source is not just different—it is hostile to God's purposes. When we live by this standard, our conscience becomes corrupted.

The teaching also reveals that the conscience is not autonomous. It cannot function correctly without the right information. Even a well-trained conscience is useless if it is operating based on the wrong information. The information source determines the quality of the conscience.

Perhaps most challenging is the immediate consequence of living by the wrong information: Cain killed Abel. Bad information leads to bad behavior. When the conscience is corrupted, the actions that follow are also corrupted.

How Does It Apply to Me?

Identify My Information Source

The teaching reveals that my conscience is shaped by the information I feed it. I need to identify whether I am feeding from the tree of life (God's information) or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the world's information).

I can apply this by:

Evaluating the sources of my information

Asking whether I am being influenced by the world or by God

Being intentional about what I consume

Choosing God's truth over the world's wisdom

Feed from the Tree of Life

The tree of life represents God's information, which brings life and peace. I need to feed from this source through Scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.

I can do this by:

Making Scripture my daily bread

Spending time in prayer and meditation

Seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance

Allowing God's truth to shape my thinking

Recognize the Serpent's Influence

The serpent still speaks from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I need to recognize his influence and reject his lies.

I can apply this by:

Testing everything against Scripture

Not believing the enemy's deceptions

Being discerning about what I hear

Resisting the lies of the world

Understand the Connection Between Information and Behavior

Bad information leads to bad behavior. I need to understand that what I feed my mind will eventually show up in my actions.

I can do this by:

Not minimizing the power of information

Recognizing that thoughts lead to actions

Guarding my mind from corruption

Allowing God's truth to transform my behavior

Restore Access to God's Information

Through Christ, we have access to the tree of life again. I need to embrace this access and live by God's information.

I can apply this by:

Coming to God through Christ

Receiving the Holy Spirit's guidance

Living by the Word of God

Walking in the light of God's truth

Examine My Conscience

The teaching calls me to examine my conscience and see what information it is operating on. Is it shaped by God's truth or by the world's lies?

I can do this by:

Asking whether my conscience is in harmony with God

Confessing where I have been influenced by wrong information

Seeking to align my conscience with God's truth

Allowing God to renew my mind

Guard Against the Cycle of Bad Information

Bad information leads to bad conscience leads to bad behavior. I need to break this cycle by feeding my mind with God's truth.

I can do this by:

Not being passive about what I consume

Being intentional about my spiritual diet

Rejecting the world's standards

Embracing God's truth

Final Reflections

This teaching on the information source and the conscience presents a profound truth: our conscience is shaped by the information we feed it. Adam and Eve's conscience was in harmony with God because they fed from the tree of life. After the fall, they lost access to that source and were governed by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is not just a historical event but a spiritual reality that affects every human being.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not a neutral source. The serpent lives in it and still speaks from it today. When we live by this standard, our conscience becomes corrupted, and our behavior follows. The result is the kind of wickedness described in Genesis 6:5—everything they thought or imagined was consistently evil.

The immediate consequence of living by the wrong information was Cain killing Abel. This is a sobering reminder that bad information leads to bad behavior. What we feed our minds will eventually show up in our actions.

But there is hope. Through Christ, we have access to the tree of life again. We can feed on God's information and allow it to shape our conscience. When we do, our conscience is restored to harmony with God, and our behavior reflects His character.

This teaching calls me to examine my information sources. Am I feeding from the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The answer to this question determines the state of my conscience and the direction of my life.

Prayer

Father in Heaven,

I come to You with a heart that desires to feed from the tree of life. I confess that I have sometimes been influenced by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, allowing the world's standards to shape my conscience. Forgive me for my neglect and for the times I have fed my mind with information that has corrupted my heart.

Lord, I thank You that through Christ, I have access to the tree of life again. Help me to feed on Your Word and to allow Your truth to shape my conscience. Let my mind be renewed by Your Spirit and my behavior reflect Your character.

Protect me from the serpent's lies and help me to recognize his influence. Help me to test everything against Scripture and to reject the world's standards. Guard my conscience from corruption and keep it in harmony with You.

I pray for those who are living by the wrong information. Open their eyes to see the truth and lead them to the tree of life. Help them to experience the peace that comes from a conscience aligned with You.

Lord, I choose this day to feed on Your Word and to live by Your truth. Let my conscience be governed by Your standards and my life be a testimony to Your grace.

In Jesus' name, who is the tree of life,

Amen.