by Matthew C. Harrison The word “conscience” appears hundreds of times in our Lutheran Confessions. The central issue for the Reformation was the assurance of the forgiveness of sins for those dealing with guilt. The word “conscience” appears 27 times in the New Testament. It hardly appears in the Old Testament at all. In Scripture, internal belief and external actions are understood as either in concert with the Word of God or not. Genesis 42 notes that Jacob’s sons were ashamed ...
