How to Read the Bible With Reason and Conscience

Written By The Og

By: The Third Enlightenment Church

The Bible contains some of the most profound moral wisdom ever written.
It also contains passages that trouble our conscience, challenge our reason, and seem foreign to the spirit of Jesus Himself.

How should a thoughtful Christian approach this?

The Third Enlightenment Church believes that faith must honor both conscience and reason. Jesus taught this long before any council or creed existed. He expected His followers not to obey blindly, but to think, discern, and pursue truth with moral clarity.

Reading the Bible with reason and conscience is not a rejection of scripture. It is a return to the way Jesus, the apostles, and many early Christians approached sacred texts: thoughtfully, morally, and with courage.

1. Jesus Taught a Rational, Conscience-Based Approach to Scripture

Jesus repeatedly invited His listeners to evaluate tradition through compassion and justice.

  • "You have heard it said, but I say to you."

  • "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?"

  • He placed mercy above ritual purity.

  • He broke religious rules when they harmed human beings.

  • He read scripture through the lens of love, not legalism.

Jesus did not interpret scripture mechanically.
He interpreted it morally.

If Jesus approached scripture in this way, should we not do the same?

2. Not All Scripture Holds Equal Moral Weight, and That Is Okay

The Bible is not a single voice, but a library containing:

  • ancient laws

  • stories

  • poetry

  • prophecy

  • letters

  • community debates

  • the teachings of Jesus

Some passages express the highest ideals of compassion and justice.
Others reflect ancient cultural norms, tribal warfare, or early stages of moral development.

Treating every verse as equally authoritative flattens the Bible's moral depth.

Consider two clear examples

  • Jesus teaches, "Love your enemies."
    Deuteronomy commands the destruction of enemy cities.

  • Jesus stops the execution of an adulterer.
    Leviticus prescribes stoning for the same offense.

These are not subtle differences. They reflect opposite moral visions.

Something must guide our interpretation. Jesus Himself showed us what that guide should be:
the primacy of compassion, conscience, and moral reason.

Reading the Bible with reason does not weaken scripture. It clarifies it.

3. The Teachings of Jesus Are the Bible's Moral Center

For Christians committed to conscience and truth, Jesus stands at the center.

Jesus is the Word of God in the fullest sense (John 1:1 to 14):
the living expression of divine wisdom, compassion, and truth.

What this means in practice

  • When passages appear morally conflicting, Jesus is the measure.

  • When we are unsure how to apply a teaching, Jesus is the model.

  • When reading the Old Testament, we follow the interpretive method of Jesus, not a literalist one.

This is not a rejection of the Old Testament.
It simply means we read it the way Jesus did. We look for the thread of divine compassion that runs through it while recognizing that human understanding of God developed over time.

This Christ-centered approach was used by early Christians, Enlightenment thinkers, and Jesus Himself.

4. Conscience Is a Gift, Not a Threat

A Christianity that fears questions cannot produce strong faith.
A Christianity that discourages moral reasoning cannot produce moral people.

Your conscience is not the enemy of scripture.
It is the way God guides your understanding.

The Apostle Paul speaks of a law written on the heart (Romans 2:15), pointing to the inner moral awareness we call conscience.

Jesus appealed constantly to inner judgment, not blind obedience.

Faith was never meant to bypass conscience.

5. Scripture Is Divine Truth Expressed Through Human History

The Bible reflects humanity's long journey toward understanding God. This journey is guided by divine truth, but expressed through human language, culture, and evolving moral awareness.

God speaks.
Humans receive, interpret, and record revelation within their historical context.

This means:

  • Some passages reflect early steps toward justice

  • Others reflect fuller moral development

  • Jesus reveals God's character most completely

This does not diminish the Bible's value.
It deepens it.

6. Why This Matters for the Third Enlightenment

Our mission is simple.

  • Recover the moral clarity of Jesus

  • Honor conscience as sacred

  • Integrate reason and faith

  • Promote compassion, justice, and truth

  • Restore a thoughtful and ethical Christianity rooted in Enlightenment values

Reading the Bible with reason and conscience restores what Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and other Enlightenment Christians admired most:
a faith that elevates moral wisdom, human dignity, virtue, and truth.

We are not discarding scripture.
We are reading it as Jesus taught, with our minds and hearts fully engaged.

Practical Steps for Reading Scripture Thoughtfully

When you encounter a challenging passage

  • Ask: Does this align with Jesus and His teachings on love, justice, and mercy?

  • Consider: What was the historical and cultural context?

  • Reflect: What does my conscience say about this?

  • Seek: Alternative interpretations and scholarly perspectives.

  • Remember: Jesus is the lens through which all scripture is understood.

When passages seem to conflict

  • Prioritize: The direct teachings of Jesus.

  • Look: For the trajectory toward greater compassion and justice.

  • Trust: That reason and conscience are divine gifts meant to guide you.

When you are unsure

  • Allow: Yourself to say, "I do not know yet."

  • Understand: That wrestling with scripture is part of mature faith.

  • Believe: That truth withstands examination. Jesus promised it would.

A Faith Strong Enough to Think

If you have ever struggled with scripture,
if you have ever felt torn between honoring the Bible and honoring your conscience,
you are not alone.

The Third Enlightenment Church exists for those who refuse to choose between thinking and believing.
For those who long for a Christianity that is:

  • thoughtful

  • honest

  • courageous

  • morally serious

  • spiritually alive

Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
Freedom requires reason.
Faith requires conscience.
The Bible requires both.

This is the path of the Third Enlightenment.
This is the path Jesus Himself walked.

The Og
Next

Did Jesus Teach a Rational Faith?