I am a good person who always behaves according to my conscience. Do I really need God?
Let’s start with my conscience
While conscience is given by God during the creation, it has been contaminated by our sins that it can no longer be able to serve as a reliable moral compass. Because of this, we cannot count on it as the reference standard to judge whether something is right or wrong.
Where my value system comes from ?
Take disciplining children for an example. Assuming that a child stole money from his classmate and got caught, a dad with a good conscience would of course be mad and get on his case. But the father’s judgment of the child’s case could be affected by a lot of factors.
Well…it depends on this
For instance, the father’s value system and background could affect his conclusion on whether the child’s behavior is acceptable. (Come on, stealing money is not really a big deal! I did the same thing frequently during my youth too!)
OR that
Even if he concludes that stealing is wrong, whether he is in a good mood will largely determine what kind of disciplinary actions the child will receive. (Sorry son, you are miserable! I just had a fight with your mom last night and I am itchy to pour out my frustration on you today!)
In summary
As you can see, conscience is a variable standard at best. When applied in our lives, there is no warranty that the same judgment can be made even if the same behavior happens again. That is exactly the problem with our conscience!
Let’s be honest
If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that our conscience has failed to guide us. In contrast, God’s standard is consistent and undeterred over time. It is a lot more reliable than our conscience. It is a lot better than our conscience. Don’t we need God?