17. Against what other incorrect view do we need to guard?

¹⁷ Another danger, though, is swinging to the opposite extreme, feeling that each Christian is free to do virtually anything that his conscience permits. A few recently have made an issue of this, saying “Christianity is not a religion of rules” and referring to passages such as: “You were, of course, called for freedom, brothers; only do not use this freedom as an inducement for the flesh, but through love slave for one another. For the entire Law stands fulfilled in one saying, namely: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:13, 14)

¹⁹ We also find Bible rules on matters that are not disfellowshipping offenses. For example, Paul wrote that single Christians should marry “only in the Lord,” and he ordered that “if anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.” (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Thessalonians 3:10) Someone might reason, ‘Since I would not be expelled for disobeying that advice, these must not be serious rules.’ What unwise thinking!

Some have had the feeling, ‘If it is something that is up to my conscience, it is entirely a personal matter what I do.’ Let us examine the matter in the following article and learn further how we can train our conscience to get the greatest benefit from it.

Many persons feel that ‘if something does not bother my conscience, it is all right.’ Is that thinking correct?

² The Bible shows that because of our sinful flesh our conscience can mislead us; it can be weak, misguided or defiled. We can better appreciate the danger of the view “let your conscience be your guide” by considering the first-century inhabitants of Crete, who were known for being “liars, injurious wild beasts, unemployed gluttons.”​—Titus 1:10-12.

3. What effect did conscience have on the Cretans?

³ As with all peoples, the Cretans had inborn consciences. But they were not benefiting from these. Writing to Titus in Crete, the apostle Paul said: “All things are clean to clean persons. But to persons defiled and faithless nothing is clean, but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” (Titus 1:15; Romans 2:14, 15) Most Cretans had insensitive consciences that were not helping them to do what was moral or clean. (1 Timothy 4:2) ‘Nothing was clean’ to many Cretans. How so? With defiled consciences they looked on each situation as an opportunity to do what was wicked. They might have said, ‘It does not bother my conscience.’ But it should have! However, some Cretan Jews or proselytes were in Jerusalem for Pentecost 33 C.E. Their spiritual knowledge would have helped them to avoid being liars, injurious or gluttonous. And those accepting Jesus were further helped by his teaching to have good, working consciences.​—Acts 2:5, 11; Titus 1:5; 2:2-5; 3:3-7.

4, 5. What can we learn about conscience from the case of Paul?

⁴ Conscience, though, can mislead even a person who is exposed to God’s Word and wants to do right. Saul, or Paul, was acquainted with the Scriptures and zealously worshiped according to the Law. Yet he failed to keep up with the progressive outworking of God’s will. After the Messiah arrived, preached and died in fulfillment of prophecy, Paul continued to practice Pharisaic Judaism. His conscience did not prevent him from “persecuting the congregation” and “breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord.”​—Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 9:1, 2.