The Lost Sinner's Conscience

There is a grave danger in using the light of the conscience in showing the sinner that he has broken God's laws and asking him to pray a prayer or make a decision based on agreement to facts of Scripture instead of waiting for the work of the Spirit to illuminate the reality of their offense toward God Himself (and not just His laws) in godly sorrow and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. The light of the conscience can never lead anyone to Christ for it only condemns his condition as guilty, and the text of itself is not sufficient, but the light of the Spirit draws, and bears witness since that is His exclusive office. The first one creates a proselyte, the second one regenerates; the first one can be used with human methods like faith in a chair or repeating a sinner’s prayer, the second one has the supernatural work of God changing the heart of stone to a heart of flesh; the first one is intellectual, the second one is being born of God. It is the difference between damnation and salvation.

As an example, someone may be tempted to think of what they have done when comparing to God's law as sinful but not consider themselves as vile. Their attitude may be, "everyone does it," or "I guess no one is perfect." It is not just what we have done but who we are that must be exposed by the Spirit. The witness of the conscience can expose what we have done, but the witness of the Spirit exposes who we are before a holy God.