# Commentary on 1 Timothy Word Study – Conscience > *Conscience* (1 Tim 1:19) – *Syneidēsis* (Gk): \"moral consciousness\". The term is used six times in the Pastoral Epistles and 24 times in the rest of the NT. It refers to a hidden law in the heart that obliges us to do good and avoid evil (Rom 2:15). As an interior judge, it either approves our actions as praiseworthy (2 Cor 1:12) or accuses us of sins committed (Wis 17:11). Habitual sin can cause the voice of conscience to be muffled over time, making sinners responsible for their own inability to distinguish right from wrong (Tit 1:15). Conversely, to serve God with a good or clear conscience is to listen to its guidance and act in accord with its directives (Acts 24:16; Heb 13:18). Baptism plays an important part in this, as it gives us a new start by cleansing our conscience of past failures (Heb 10:22; 1 Pet 3:21). For Paul, our concern for conscience must also extend to our neighbor. He warns that when Christians act irresponsibly, they can cause the consciences of weaker believers to be wounded (1 Cor 8:12; 10:27-29) (CCC 1776-89). --- > Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, *The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament*, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).