I last introduced the concept of the absence of Conscience and Empathy, as the first two important identifying characteristics of the psychopath! So now, I want to more fully describe Biblical Conscience and its driving force behind all emotions, and, thus more clearly unveil the resultant psychopathology when these are missing in a person!! In Module One of the Pinpoint Course, "Awakening Conscience" is discussed and it is from there that I want to give an abbreviated review of the Biblical concepts outlined in understanding Conscience.
Firstly, conscience measures everything! Knowing what is good and what is evil, or, what is sin and what is righteousness, or, what is true and what is false. The word "judgment" is a key word which defines Conscience! For example, John 16:8 states that "..when the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin,and of righteousness and of judgment..". Judgment determines the difference between sin and righteousness. Judgment discerns the difference between good and evil. Judgment measures the difference between true and false. Matthew 7:2 states that "..with what judgment we measure, we will be measured with also..". Another scripture is that in Leviticus 19:35 which states "..Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure..". Judgment, which is the centre of the driving force behind conscience, measures and weighs everything to do with life...everything!!! If conscience is deformed or distorted its judgments will in like manner, be deformed and distorted. It will measure wrong!! It will measure self-image wrong and therefore calculate an incorrect self-esteem (self-estimation). It will measure the image of God wrong and thus produce idolatry, which the belief and worship of false images of God! It will measure people and relationship interactions wrong. All of the Conscience's judgments (measurements) are stored in the heart, and, they are used to build up an elaborate series of reference benchmarks with which to compare any and all things that we encounter in life!!
Conscience resides in the heart (Hebrews 10:22 ). Our hearts are a storehouse (Matthew 12:35 ). In this scripture the Greek word for "treasure " in the KJV is "thesauros" which actually means "storehouse" or "treasury". In English we get the word thesaurus which is a huge collection (treasury/storehouse) of words and synonyms.
Jesus said we must judge righteous judgment (John 7:24 )
How does Conscience/Judgment work?
A simple example is that of self-esteem. If we have a low self-image our conscience has measured our self image and after comparing the measurement with the internal stored references of self-image measurement (which have been accumulated over the years of our life), it will have a measurement result below the benchmark. It will then transmit that result of a low self-estimation to our conscious awareness through feelings of failure, uselessness, and being "less than". Conscience emits it's results via the emotions. If conscience gets a good comparison result from its measurements it will emit feelings of worth and success and fulfillment which in turn makes us feel good about ourselves.
Changing all these powerful internal comparisons and measurements of the conscience is not so easy and in fact it needs the supernatural power of God to transplant (Ezekiel 36:25-27), purge (Hebrews 9:14 ), and cleanse (Hebrews 10:22 ). More about his next time, including the scriptural linkage between conscience and emotions.
However, if we are talking about the psychopath whose conscience is reprobate ie: void of judgment (Romans1:24 ), then this explains why the psychopath has no empathy because he/she has no conscience. No conscience no feelings!!
By Pastor Allan Anderson MDiv, Phd.
Firstly, conscience measures everything! Knowing what is good and what is evil, or, what is sin and what is righteousness, or, what is true and what is false. The word "judgment" is a key word which defines Conscience! For example, John 16:8 states that "..when the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin,and of righteousness and of judgment..". Judgment determines the difference between sin and righteousness. Judgment discerns the difference between good and evil. Judgment measures the difference between true and false. Matthew 7:2 states that "..with what judgment we measure, we will be measured with also..". Another scripture is that in Leviticus 19:35 which states "..Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure..". Judgment, which is the centre of the driving force behind conscience, measures and weighs everything to do with life...everything!!! If conscience is deformed or distorted its judgments will in like manner, be deformed and distorted. It will measure wrong!! It will measure self-image wrong and therefore calculate an incorrect self-esteem (self-estimation). It will measure the image of God wrong and thus produce idolatry, which the belief and worship of false images of God! It will measure people and relationship interactions wrong. All of the Conscience's judgments (measurements) are stored in the heart, and, they are used to build up an elaborate series of reference benchmarks with which to compare any and all things that we encounter in life!!
Conscience resides in the heart (Hebrews 10:22 ). Our hearts are a storehouse (Matthew 12:35 ). In this scripture the Greek word for "treasure " in the KJV is "thesauros" which actually means "storehouse" or "treasury". In English we get the word thesaurus which is a huge collection (treasury/storehouse) of words and synonyms.
Jesus said we must judge righteous judgment (John 7:24 )
How does Conscience/Judgment work?
A simple example is that of self-esteem. If we have a low self-image our conscience has measured our self image and after comparing the measurement with the internal stored references of self-image measurement (which have been accumulated over the years of our life), it will have a measurement result below the benchmark. It will then transmit that result of a low self-estimation to our conscious awareness through feelings of failure, uselessness, and being "less than". Conscience emits it's results via the emotions. If conscience gets a good comparison result from its measurements it will emit feelings of worth and success and fulfillment which in turn makes us feel good about ourselves.
Changing all these powerful internal comparisons and measurements of the conscience is not so easy and in fact it needs the supernatural power of God to transplant (Ezekiel 36:25-27), purge (Hebrews 9:14 ), and cleanse (Hebrews 10:22 ). More about his next time, including the scriptural linkage between conscience and emotions.
However, if we are talking about the psychopath whose conscience is reprobate ie: void of judgment (Romans1:24 ), then this explains why the psychopath has no empathy because he/she has no conscience. No conscience no feelings!!
By Pastor Allan Anderson MDiv, Phd.