John 8:9. A social conscience is a set of customs and norms that are acceptable to a given society. Society's conscience changes over time and is usually driven by public acts and laws. For example, during a U.S. television awards show Britney Spears and Madonna kissed each other on stage. This event had an immediate effect on the social conscience of the country. After this public event, the social conscience changed where it was now acceptable for two women to kiss in public.

In Jesus' day, Jesus' actions changed the common conscience of the day. For example in the Gospel of John with the adulteress who was about to be stoned, Jesus' intervention with the stoning changed the social conscience of the people that day. Their conscience called for the stoning of the woman, but Jesus' actions changed everything. Jesus altered the people's social conscience just by asking them to cast a stone at the adultress only if they were without sin. This one question from Jesus changed their social conscience almost immediately where it was now unacceptable to the people to stone the woman. They could not stone the woman, and they walked away (John 8:7-9, "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst").

JOHN 8 BIBLE SCRIPTURE John 8:9, "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."

Acts 24:16. If you live by the highest social conscience of society, this will not get you into heaven. You are at best pleasing man, and not necessarily pleasing God. Many people think that because they are pretty good people they are pleasing God. This is not true because God is a righteous God. By His nature He can only accept perfection, not just pretty good. Because He is also a God of love, He has given us a way to be acceptable to Him. He did this by sending His Son to save us and pay the price our imperfections. All we need to do is accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and follow a new conscience. This new conscience is void of offence toward God, and toward men (Acts 24:16, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." ). This is a conscience of love that is based on God's standard and not society's standards.

ACTS 24 BIBLE SCRIPTURE Acts 24:16, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."

Peter 4:4. Our society's conscience can reinforce, but not replace God's standards for living. In most cases in most societies the accepted social standard leads you away from God. People for the most part "think it strange that ye run not with them" instead of being led by God (1 Peter 4:4, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:"). They do not understand that they will be judged by God's standard and not by the accepted standards of the day. For Christians it is critical that we preach the gospel to everyone in order for them to hear the Truth of God's Word. No one needs to be judged by God for following an imperfect social conscience. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be in right fellowship with God and live according to God in the spirit (1 Peter 4:5-6, "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit").

1 PETER 4 BIBLE SCRIPTURE 1 Peter 4:4, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:"