Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”—Acts 23:1, TNIV

Several times in his letters to churches, the Apostle Paul spoke of the importance of conscience. He voiced the intent to live with a clear conscience and to protect the consciences of others.

Not that it made his life easy. His comment to the Sanhedrin, cited in Acts, caused the high priest Ananias to order him struck on the mouth for his impudence. Paul fired back a rebuke to the insult, then apologized for having spoken against a ruler of his people.

Martin Luther, the 16th-century reformer, made a major impact on church history with a declaration of conscience. He vowed to a council not unlike the Sanhedrin of Paul’s day: “I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.”

Scores of Christians from our own Anabaptist faith heritage have made similar assertions, declaring their loyalty to Scripture and conscience against the objection of magistrates, ecclesial councils or even fellow church members. They viewed their disobedience to human authorities as faithful dissent, a response to God’s higher calling.

In the last few years, people with varying convictions regarding same-sex marriage have appealed to the role of conscience, acting on their beliefs in the face of contrary council.

What then is the role of conscience in a Believers’ Church? What shall we do when convictions clash, with people with different takes on an issue appealing to conscience shaped by the testimony of Scripture? How can one detect the difference between courageous conscientious conviction and everyday stubbornness? Between prophetic insight and insistent self-centeredness? Between Christ-centered communal discernment and rigid social conformity?

In a recent meeting of the Constituency Leaders Council (CLC), we studied Romans 14:1-15:7.

In this Scripture passage, the Apostle Paul honored individual convictions in the face of disagreements on ethical issues such as observance of Jewish dietary laws. “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?” he asked. “Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat” (Romans 14:10).

Even so, Paul did not believe that ethical convictions were purely a matter of individual conscience. Speaking further of dietary practices, he said: “If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love” (14:15).

And he spoke much more strongly regarding sexual sin in Corinth: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’ ” (1 Corinthians 5:12)

As the CLC studied the Scriptures together, we struggled to understand the proper application of Paul’s counsel for our day. Some members felt that Paul’s advice to the Romans about Jewish dietary laws or other “disputable matters” could give us helpful guidance in the current controversy over same-sex unions today. Others were convinced that Paul’s advice to the Corinthians regarding sexual immorality (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-12) was much more applicable. The disagreements seemed to hinge on differing convictions about sexual ethics.

Like Paul, we must find a way to honor both individual conscience and the value of Gelassenheit (yieldedness) in the face of disagreements. Further, we must distinguish the difference between disputable matters and those issues that require communal agreement.

Above the din of arguments arising from a clash of conscience, I hear Paul’s plea to the Romans as good counsel for our day: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

Ervin Stutzman is executive director of Mennonite Church USA.

This appeared in the December issue of The Mennonite.