God's Gift of Conscience

Our Conscience is God’s Gift to His Children because God Loves Us and Helps Us

We are all born with a special gift of conscience that is specific to children of God. The scriptures refer to conscience as a manifestation of the Light of Christ. 1 By means of conscience, we intuitively know right from wrong: we feel peace of conscience when we choose right; we feel a guilty conscience when we choose wrong. In other words, the Light of Christ within us brightens or dims according to our choices.

Conscience is Our Defense

Instinctively we know right from wrong. Developing God’s gift of conscience can become a defense system to help guard us against making poor choices or to keep us from stepping into spiritually harmful situations. Our conscience provides us a sense of awareness of the consequences of our actions. Our conscience sends us an immediate signal when we act in a good or bad way. When we obey commandments our conscience feels peaceful; when we disobey commandments our conscience feels miserable.

Peace of Conscience: God Loves Us and Helps Us

Conscience is the gift by which Heavenly Father draws us toward him and the truth. Because he loves us, he encourages us through our conscience to choose the right. When we repent and begin to obey the commandments, we feel peace of conscience, which means we feel reconciled to God and close to him; we never again want to risk separating ourselves from him in any way.

Just as we yearn to heal after a physical injury, we long for our conscience to heal after a spiritual injury. We ache to finally feel at peace with God, others, and ourselves. Jesus Christ is our Master Physician. We can go to him and he will heal us. He will help us take the essential steps to reconcile with Heavenly Father and change our lives for the better.

Guilty Conscience

A guilty conscience hurts. Pain of any kind motivates us to seek help and to change things that are unhealthy in our lives. Whereas a peaceful conscience motivates us to remain on a spiritually healthy path and to press forward toward more light and truth, a guilty conscience motivates us to repent and seek forgiveness. Only repentance and forgiveness heal a guilty conscience.

A modern-day apostle has said, “Every person’s conscience is pure and clean at birth. 2 But after an individual arrives at the years of accountability his conscience begins to be blackened by his sins. Because of disobedience one’s conscience is ‘seared with a hot iron.’ 3 Wickedness invariably leads to remorse of conscience, 4 and those so smitten tremble under a consciousness of their own guilt and filthiness before the Lord. 5 But men are commanded to…gain ‘peace of conscience’ through ‘a remission of sins.’” 6

If God Loves Us and Helps Us, How Can a Guilty Conscience be Healed?

As stated, a guilty conscience can only be healed through sincere repentance and forgiveness. A modern apostle, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, has written:

“To gain forgiveness through repentance a person must have a conviction of guilt, a godly sorrow for sin, and a contrite spirit. He must desire to be relieved of the burden of sin, have a fixed determination to forsake his evil ways, be willing to confess his sins, and forgive those who have trespassed against him; he must accept the cleansing power of the blood of Christ as such is offered through the waters of baptism and the conferral of the Holy Ghost” 7.

Repentance is an act of faith in Jesus Christ. Because we believe in his ability to cleanse us from sin, we seek him and plead for his help. As we repent, we begin to feel the promised “peace of conscience,” which is the fruit of forgiveness. Now we are ready to make a formal covenant with God that we will forsake our former sinful ways and seek to be obedient to him throughout the remainder of our lives.

That covenant is baptism and it is made by immersion by one having the priesthood of God. Symbolically, we allow our old self to die and be buried in the waters of baptism then we are raised, or born again, a new person, pure and totally cleansed from past sins.

Thereafter we become members of Christ’s family or church and are entitled to receive the consummate gift of God—the gift of the Holy Ghost. Having the Holy Ghost to guide us, we can so live as:

• to be taught the truth of all things 8



• to be taught all things that we should do 9



• to receive a sure witness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ 10



• to receive comfort 11



• to fill us with hope and perfect love 12



• to receive the extraordinary gifts of the spirit, such as the gift to heal and to be healed 13



• to sanctify us and make us fit to return to God 14



• and to confirm all the priesthood saving ordinances and covenants that we make with God. 15

Questions about 'Conscience is God’s Gift to His Children'

• Do you believe that your conscience is a gift of God?



• Have you felt peace of conscience when you have done good?



• Have you felt a guilty conscience when you have done bad?



• Have you felt your conscience drawing you toward God?



• Do you yearn to have your guilty conscience healed and be reconciled to God?



• Do you believe that Jesus Christ can heal your guilty conscience?



• Do you understand the power of faith in Jesus Christ, sincere repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost?

References for 'Conscience is God’s Gift to His Children'

1. Moroni 7:15-19 – For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
2. D&C 93:38 – Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
3. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron
4. Alma 29:5; Alma 42:18 – Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience" (Alma 29:5). "Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man" (Alma 42:18).
5. Alma 12:1; Alma 14:6; Mormon 9:3-4; John 8:9 – Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done" (Alma 12:1). "And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell" (Alma 14:6). "Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell" (Mormon 9:3-4). "And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9).
6. Mosiah 4:3; Mormon Doctrine, p. 157 – And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them" (Mosiah 4:3). (See Mormon Doctrine, p. 157).
7. Mormon Doctrine, p.630
8. Moroni 10:5 – And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
9. 2 Nephi 31:1-5 – And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob. Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying. For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding. Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world. And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
10. 2 Nephi 31:18 – And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
11. John 14:26 – And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
12. Moroni 8:26; D&C 36:2 – And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God" (Moroni 8:26). "And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom..." (D&C 36:2).
13. D&C 46:9-11 – For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts. And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church. For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
14. Mosiah 5:1-6; 3 Nephi 27:20; Moses 6:64-68 – And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy. And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God. And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant" (Mosiah 5:1-6). "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20). "And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen" (Moses 6:64-68).
15. Ephesians 1:13; D&C 132:7, 18-19, 26 – In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). "And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead...And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever...Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God" (D&C 132:7, 18-19, 26).