He tended to live too much by the private judgements of…
““He tended to live too much by the private judgements of his own conscience and not enough by the sheer Word of the Gospel, forgetting, perhaps, that if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, infinitely greater. That is the Majesty of His Mercy. Over against that the Christian conscience is not something that a man possesses in himself, but something that he shares with his fellow-believers, and above all that which they in togetherness share with God, a con-science which is their joint knowing of the Divine will in Christ announced to them through the Gospel. The tendency for the conscience to rely upon itself as an autonomous or semi-autonomous principle was characteristic of the humanism of the Renaissance,””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Human conscience should be communal and guided by divine teachings, not solely personal judgment.
In simple terms: Conscience is shared, guided by divine will.
Key Takeaway
Seek communal wisdom, align with higher values.
Themes
faith
conscience
community
divine
morality
humility
Mood
reflective
spiritual
Type
theory
exposition
When to use this quote
- church fellowship
- study groups
- personal prayer
- ethical decision‑making
- counseling
Key Concepts
theology
ethics
spirituality
Questions to Reflect On
- How does communal conscience shape moral choices?
- What role does divine guidance play in ethics?
A Different Perspective
Relying only on personal conscience can lead to self‑justification.