What is a conscience seared with a hot iron?

[AbigailZeke]

1 Timothy 4:1-4

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and

doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to

marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who

believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with

thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

(Emphasis for context; font change and double spacing for easier reading lol)

[HR][/HR]
According to some, it means a conscience, moral framework that no longer functions properly, or insensitive and can't tell right from wrong (consider the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from the garden of Eden). I don't agree with this because there's nowhere in the bible that says it's possible to reverse what runs in our blood... The knowledge of good and evil.

For Thayer and others, it means the consciousness of sins.

I'd like to hear your thoughts. (I'm adding a poll too)

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Its sort of like...if you repeat a lie enough times, you begin to believe its true even though you are walking in deceit. So what you are claiming is the truth is really walking in darkness.

It is to build a scaffolding of justifications to hide your nakedness.

 

[Snoozy]

its sinning wilfully to the point where ur conscience becomes numb

 

[mailmandan]

Question: "What does it mean to have a seared conscience?"

Answer: The Bible speaks of a seared conscience in 1 Timothy 4:2. The conscience is the God-given moral consciousness within each of us (Romans 2:15). If the conscience is “seared”—literally “cauterized”—then it has been rendered insensitive. Such a conscience does not work properly; it’s as if “spiritual scar tissue” has dulled the sense of right and wrong. Just as the hide of an animal scarred with a branding iron becomes numb to further pain, so the heart of an individual with a seared conscience is desensitized to moral pangs.

Paul identifies those who have a seared conscience in 1 Timothy 4:1–2: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” In this passage, we learn three things about false teachers who lead others into apostasy: 1) they are mouthpieces for evil spirits, since they promulgate “things taught by demons”; 2) they are hypocritical liars, since they wear a mask of holiness but are full of falsehood; and 3) they are unscrupulous, since their consciences have been cauterized. This explains much. How can false teachers lie with no shame and spread deception with no compunction? Because they have seared consciences. They are past feeling that lying is wrong.

Earlier in the epistle, Paul speaks of the “good conscience” as opposed to the seared conscience. “Advancing God’s work,” he says, comes by faith, and love “comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:4–5). A good conscience has the capability to tell right from wrong and is free from guilt. A person with a good conscience maintains his integrity. He enjoys fellowship with those who “walk in the light, as [Jesus] is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The lies of the devil are anathema to the one with a good conscience. Rather than follow the lies of apostates, he will “fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience” (1 Timothy 1:18–19).

Proverbs 6:27 asks a rhetorical question to illustrate the consequences of adultery: “Can a man scoop fire into his lap / without his clothes being burned?” To paraphrase the question in relation to false teaching, “Can an apostate dispense the fiery lies of hell without his conscience being seared?”

https://www.gotquestions.org/seared-conscience.html

 

[phil36]

A good post abigailzeke, and hopefully it will get us all thinking.

I see Paul here talking about false teachers and those hat follow false teaching. It states in v1b, that they 'devote themselves to demonic teaching from deceitful spirits, mediated through liars (v2a)- so this obviously is not the teaching of the gospel or christianity. Paul lists a couple of the things they teach - Forbid to marry, and abstain from unclean foods.

As for conscience, it means that through sin and lies they are desensitized to their demonic lies ( Cf Romans 1:32;2:15). This is opposite to those of sincere faith, for love issues from a clear conscience (1 Tim 1:5).

 

[notuptome]

1 Tim 4 is written to the young preacher Timothy. Paul is advising him of other "preachers" who will come that are not going to stay faithful to the word of God. They will use their position for their own gain.

The conscience is that part of man where the Holy Spirit ministers when man transgresses against the word of God. When men repeatedly ignore the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit they reach a point where they can no longer be helped. Much like the unsaved when they are made of a reprobate heart.

Gods word expressly says that sodomy is an abomination. If a man preaches that it is acceptable despite what the word of God clearly states then God will sear his conscience and cease to urge him to repent. This can only lead to apostasy.


For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[Enow]

1 Timothy 4:1-4

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and

doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to

marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who

believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with

thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

(Emphasis for context; font change and double spacing for easier reading lol)

[HR][/HR]
According to some, it means a conscience, moral framework that no longer functions properly, or insensitive and can't tell right from wrong (consider the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from the garden of Eden). I don't agree with this because there's nowhere in the bible that says it's possible to reverse what runs in our blood... The knowledge of good and evil.

For Thayer and others, it means the consciousness of sins.

I'd like to hear your thoughts. (I'm adding a poll too)

I believe this is addressing the hypocrisy of some believers that think they can receive the promise of the Holy Spirit at another time apart from salvation or for the first time as if being born again of the Spirit has nothing to do with salvation.

Some in this departure from the faith will believe that the Holy Spirit is in them but they seek to receive Him again after a sign of tongues which never comes with interpretation or other signs of confusion in the flesh which is the epitome of hypocrisy. It would be like the church acknowledged that they have hired their new preacher and that he is at the pulpit that Sunday, but everybody in the congregation is out looking around for him for a sign of him as if he is not there at the pulpit. But after calling out for the pastor, a stranger comes in, knocks people around unto the floor, and the people applauds the stranger as if he was the pastor that has just arrived.

Anyway, this departure from the faith may include those false teachings, which had started in the early days of the RCC which did begin forbidding their priests to marry. They used tongues without interpretation as a sign that they were still keeping the doctrines within the "church" and yet scripture testify that tongues were never to serve as a sign nor proof towards the believers nor the church for anything, but to serve as a sign towards the unbelievers who hears it in their native tongue.

It is probably why some believers attribute the RCC/the Vatican to Babylon in the Book of Revelations and some use the other reference in Revelation of mystery Babylon to USA, since this deception is being practiced more outside the RCC rather than within the denomenation in these latter days, even though they do have Catholic Charismatic Churches.

I would not doubt that the forbidding of eating meat may have been practiced by monks and nuns in the early days but I think I picked that up somewhere from the entertainment field and not necessarily researched to confirm that notion.

Those are my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Hizikyah]

It is a mind and heart that sins and oes not see and issue, feel remorse, nor even make a distinction that one way is right and another is wrong. A reprobate mind is a similar thing.

 

[Zmouth]

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matt 19:17

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? John 6:52

 

[Alertandawake]

Understanding of what a conscience is, the phrase itself can have multiple meanings.

One way how I understand the phrase, the ability to distinguish between what is morally right and wrong will just deteriorate to a level that said person cannot the the difference

We see people today, well this generation especially today, we see so many young people, they just don't have the ability to tell the difference between right and left, because their brains have been conditioned to just accept all the programming the media tells them. This is what happens when parents no longer teach their children the concepts of right and wrong but instead let the TV and media teach their kids.

With all the garbage shown on television today, especially family TV shows, lets be blunt here, the amount of filth in some of these tv shows have reached a level that it is considered normal. One thing I know is that family tv shows of certain time periods of when they were made, will say alot about society in that time period.