conscience: the inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior.
consciousness; the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.
Let's look at Romans 13:15 briefly.
Romans 13:5 ESV: “it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.”
Koine Greek:"διὸ ἀνάγκη ὑποτάσσεσθαι, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν."
Spanish from Reina-Valera 1960:"Por lo cual es necesario estarle sujetos, no solamente por razón del castigo, sino también por causa de la conciencia."
In this day, we are bombarded by the opinion of the experts. In the United States, everyone feels their opinion is valid. Paul is saying “for the sake of a clear conscience that you have been an abider to the law of men and those that have written the law, quietly conform to it, so that you are not counted as a dissenter.” Paul wrote this in the age of the Roman emperors. Paul would be arrested and brought to Rome because he was a Roman citizen to face judgement. It is inherent in us to speak our thoughts and opinions, based on what information we have gathered. This is no longer the age of Roman emperors and imperialism, or so we think. We will always be judged by others “for something,” that is inherent in humanity also. If we do not speak up, someone will judge us for being “the silent who bury our heads in the sand.”
In Bonhoeffer, a biography of German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, written by Eric Metaxas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer made this statement about Lutherans in 1936: "the willingness of Lutherans to keep the church out of the world reflects an overemphasis on Romans 13:1-5; they had never been forced to the boundary of this scriptural idea of obedience to worldly authorities" (page 281, Metaxas, Eric. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Thomas Nelson, 2010).
We cannot be silent. We will be judged anyhow.
I believe we should educate ourselves on the facts and get as close to the truth before we speak. The Association of College & Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning." If we should be judged for anything, let it be for Truth.
In an age of confused information, a blurring of the facts, bipartisan politics and downright ignorance. How can we truly be free when our lips are sealed by the burden of misinformation or fear of judgment? You have a voice, the words you choose will define you, choose carefully and trust God if no one else.
Arnie "Kenny" Palyola
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