Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.  (Romans 13:5)

In the application chapters of his epistle to the Romans, Paul cycles through a number of scenarios where the justified walking the path of sanctification will be confronted with dilemma between conscience and commandment – in the case quoted above, to obey the God-appointed governing authorities.  Given that Paul appealed to Caesar and that emperor was Nero, the dilemma is immediately obvious.

But to understand better, one has to examine Biblically what is ‘conscience’.   The Greek word employed by Paul is συνείδησις syneídēsis is a compound of syn ‘together with’ and eido ‘to know or see’ and describes ‘shared understanding’.  Thus, conscience is the tempering of individual reaction and instinct with respect to others.  Conscience is also concerning with the regulation of conduct and this infers a concept of morality, hence it the Bible there is reference to ‘good’ conscience.  But the interesting consideration is how conscience might grow at all.

Scripture declares it is a property that application must be exercised. Paul tells his protégé to ‘fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience’ (1 Timothy 1:18) and that it can be lost by ‘hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared’ (ibid 4:2).  Yet the capacity for ‘good conscience’ is in each, even it needs to be cultivated.

Directly after the Fall, when the sound of the closing gates of Eden may still ring in ears of Adam, his sons prepare a sacrifice to honour God, their creator.  Of Abel’s God approved but Cain’s he rejected.  This angered Cain.

Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’

(Genesis 4:6-7)

The immediate conclusion is the Cain knew what was the right thing to do, and how, the inference is by the exercise of ‘good conscience’.  From a dispensational standpoint this antediluvian era is one in which God relies on human conduct to be regulated by conscience, however, what begins with fratricide disintegrates through the generation into unspeakable evil, such that God declares he has had enough.

After the flood has literally cleansed the earth, God will not rely on conscience, especially with regard to the first extra-Edenic sin, murder; he says to Noah: 

I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.  Whoever sheds human blood by humans shall their blood be shed… (Genesis 9:5b-6a)

Conscience then is to be strengthened through to fear of judicial punishment, this then requires governance to ensure that murder is identified, the murderer caught and executed. 

But even so, conscience can lie moribund.  Moses is a prince of Egypt when he killed an overseer beating a slave, a Hebrew.

Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:12)

Later Moses intervenes in another fight, between two Hebrews which leads to this rebuke:

‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and thought, ‘What I did must have become known.’  (Ibid 4:14)

Moses first thought was not to reconsider his actions as invited, but that he had not got away with murder.  There is no evidence of the exercise of any conscience, let alone a good one.  And it is to this unrepentant prince of Egypt that God declares his Holy Law, including, ‘you shall not murder’.  In fact, by some six hundred and thirteen mitzvot, the Law fully informs the Israelites of his morality.  

So, it is seen that, the inherent capacity for conscience, for knowing and making sound ethical choices comes being made in God’s image; that it can be ignored or lie undeveloped; furthermore, the property needs to be informed.  It can be informed by the behaviour of others, societal norms or by God through his word.  It is thus a voice can be external and internal, learned or inherent.  But what Paul alludes to in the head quotation, commandment and compunction to God’s will, comes both from an outside source, the commandments of Christ and from within, the Holy Spirit who indwells those justified in Christ.  Thus, Jesus promises his disciples: 

‘… the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:7a-8)

Jesus completed respected the authority of Sanhedrin, the very body who would see to it that he was unjustly executed, murdered in fact, an innocent suffering a murderer’s death.  Only in the week leading to that travesty of justice, Jesus says this in the hearing of his disciples:

‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So, you must be careful to do everything they tell you…’ (Matthew 18:2-3)

The custodians of the Law of Moses upheld the authority of governing council, the Greater Sanhedrin.  When Paul says, ‘let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,’ (Romans 13:1), he merely reiterates what Jesus stated.  And yet, what if they are driven by evil intent?  To Jesus, this made no difference, he never protested against their authority at his sham trial before them, only their lack of evidence.  Ultimately, he submitted to their authority by walking meekly to the cross.

Yet the disciples by the exercise of conscience, defied the Sanhedrin, once the resurrected Jesus has ascended.  The Jewish authorities had expressly banned them from giving any witness to his name and identity as that Christ (Messiah).  When two of the apostles had been taken into custody for speaking of the suffering Messiah (Acts 3:18) and are brought before the assembly of the council:

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ (Acts 4:18-20).

It was good conscience then that brought them to defy what Jesus had told them, that is the disciples should do ‘everything they tell you’.  This then is first recorded instance in the Bible of the conflict that will occur in the hearts of every follower of Christ.  When Paul speaks of the battlelines through that convicting organ…

So, I find this law at work: although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  (Romans 7:21-23)

… it is necessary this is not simply about not doing wrong, but knowing what action is right.  The disciples were instructed by Jesus to be his witness in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8) yet he also said to obey the Sanhedrin, who expressly forbade that witness.  In other words, how the disciples witness was to be achieved with respect to good conscience was not clear.

In the end, it seems that wittingly or not, the disciples accepted that they must account for their actions at the judgment seat of Christ for not submitting to his appointed governors as they, like Jesus, did not dispute their right to judge them, and put aside the question over their legitimacy.  The disciples accepted gladly the punishment the Sanhedrin meted out, the ‘disgrace’ of a flogging, forty strikes (the maximum corporal punishment allowed both under the laws of Moses and Rome).

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.  (Acts 5:41-42)

But they continued to defy the governing authorities as the choice of good conscience.  Such dilemmas will present themselves in a fallen world, when all God’s appointed government necessarily consists of men and women, against whom the justified Christian may also decide they must rebel, defy or disobey, fall short of God’s glory.

God’s word written into Scripture or on hearts is perfect and never contradictory, yet to determine it may not be straightforward or simple and without false starts. This is why Paul introduces the section on application in Romans saying, that the justified must be transformed by the renew the mind, only ‘then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will,’ Romans 12:2b.