Paul tells us that our conscience can get seared, 1Tim.4:2. This mostly applies to unsaved people, but it does not disqualify those who are saved but who have never grown up in the Word. The saints at Corinth are a good example, being saved, but flagrantly carnal and worldly as babes in Christ.
Being seared in conscience means that we become insensitive to what is wrong, and it does not bother us when we fall in its traps. In direct contrast to this is a saved person who spends time in the Word, studying it, allowing it to renew their minds, and giving themselves over to obeying it. Such a person becomes ‘unseared’, being sensitive to the will of God and to godliness. The remedy to a seared conscience is not practicing law or having righteous willpower, but the knowledge of grace through the work of Christ which we find in the doctrine of Paul’s epistles. This can only come to us by spending time in the Word. It is the Word of God that prunes, and cuts away, discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart, Heb.4:12, washes, renews the mind, brings us the will of God, and produces the fruit of the Spirit within us.
(Being seared in conscience is almost like entropy, where we are all in disorder. But when we give ourselves over to the truth in the Word of God, we come into order and harmony and oneness in Christ.)
So, we are all on different levels of sensitivity to conscience and conviction because we all have different levels of knowledge, understanding, and obedience to the Word of God. The criteria to measure (or quantify) conscience, is our maturity in Paul’s doctrine which establishes the measure of the fullness of Christ in us. Let me end with this confirmation by Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, with special emphasis on the bold text and especially the CAPS.
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the UNITY OF THE FAITH, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (15) But speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP INTO HIM in all things, which is the head, even Christ: … (17) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the VANITY of their mind, (18) Having the understanding DARKENED, being alienated from the life of God through the IGNORANCE that is in them, because of the BLINDNESS of their heart: (19) Who being PAST FEELING [of conscience] have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (20) But ye have not so LEARNED Christ; (21) If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: (22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be RENEWED in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
God bless.
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