Every morning for the last several weeks, I‘ve had the weirdest sensation on my way to the church. Let me tell you about it!

Back in January, the road leading to our church, Rt. 625 was under construction for several months. The township ripped up the road and installed new sewer lines right down the center of the northbound lane. The road was closed, except for local traffic, and that traffic was redirected to drive up the left-hand side of the road. So, for six month, 5 days a week I got a lesson in driving on the “wrong” side of the road.  In fact, driving on the left became second nature, almost feeling normal. I think I’m ready for a roadtrip in Great Britain.

Now, even though the road has reopened to two-way traffic and all the detour signs have been taken down, there’s still a residual effect. When I get to the corner of Rt. 23 and 625, my brain instinctively tells me to drive on the left side. In fact, I’ve caught myself several time, cutting the corner into the left lane only to swerve into the right lane mid-turn. I know that driving down the right side of the road is correct, but on some level, it still feels wrong.  My brain was trained to adapt to a new standard and it’s taking some time to readjust.

Did you know the same is true with our moral compass?

God, in his goodness, has given every human a moral compass called a conscience. This internal guide defines our sense of right and wrong and guides our behavior.  It’s a universal phenomenon found in every culture, across time and place. We all  possess an innate sense of conscience… that some things are good and right while other things are bad or evil. It’s like a dashboard light on your car that lets you know somethings not right or that you’re headed in the wrong direction.

But our conscience is not fixed.  It can be influenced, conditioned, or even distorted.  Just like continuously driving on the left side of the road can become normalized, continuous exposure to the changing standards of this world can condition us to feel or think that something is morally right, even when it isn’t. Our conscience can be reshaped according to a different or changing standard.

The Bible addresses this very conundrum in several places:

1. Romans 2:15: “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.”

2. 1 Timothy 4:2 “The Spirit clearly says that in the later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits… such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”

3. Titus 1:15: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”

These verses go a long way towards explaining what’s happening in our world today particularly in our Christian communities, especially our youth. All around us, we are constantly being bombarded with a new morality.  We see it in the news, on TV, in political speeches, music, and celebrity social media accounts.  We’re told again and again, what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable, what is moral and immoral.  And while some of these messages align with biblical principles, many seek to redefine moral boundaries, ethical standards, and even the teachings of the Bible itself. And unfortunately, the new standards are re-forming the consciences of believers. That’s why you can have a conversation with a Christian who genuinely “feels” that something is right, or truly “believes” that there’s nothing wrong with x,y or z, even though they were raised in the church or know what the Bible says.  Like Jell-O poured into a mold, their consciences are being remolded by the relentless pressure of the world’s influence. None of us are immune.

That’s precisely why knowing and believing your Bible is crucial. Merely, “letting our conscience be our guide” is insufficient.  As Christians, we must surrender our heart, soul, and spirit; our emotions, will and mind (including our conscience) to the lordship of Jesus. Our conscience is not true north; what we think is not true north. God Himself is. And his unchanging truth should always be our guide.

Let’s anchor ourselves in the unchanging truth of God’s Word and allow it to shape and align our conscience to His perfect standard. In so doing, we will safely navigate the ever-changing morality of this world and also be a clear witness of a loving eternal Father who means for his creation to both know him and thrive.