The Fall and Redemption of Conscience
The Fall and Redemption of Conscience (Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology), Andrea Ferrari, foreword by Paul T. Nimmo. Lexham Academic (ISBN: 9781683598725) 2026.
Summary: A study of conscience in relation to the Triune God as created, fallen, redeemed, and perfected.
Andrea Ferrari argues that at one time conscience was an important theological topic. He cites John Calvin who wrote: “The theologian’s task is not to divert the ears with chatter, but to strengthen consciences by teaching things true, sure, and profitable.” However, he argues conscience has suffered neglect in contemporary Christian thought. Thus, this book is an effort to recover a robust Christian theology of conscience. Ferrari sets out to provide an account that is biblical, theological, trinitarian, and covenantal. It follows a stream of influences in the Reformed tradition from John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, Michael Horton and Simeon Zahl. Ferrari was especially influenced by an essay by the late John Webster, seeing himself fleshing out Webster’s “skeleton.”
Ferrari distinguishes his work in several ways. Firstly, he offers a comprehensive account of conscience based on the whole of scripture. Secondly, he offers a specific analysis of the Old Testament. Thirdly, he explores conscience within the doctrine of creation, showing conscience existed prior to the fall, deriving from inner life of the Triune God. Finally, his study focuses on a reorientation of conscience away from self and toward God.
The plan of the book follows a classic Reformed structure of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. What distinguished the book for me is how Ferrari elaborated that structure. He begins in the first three chapters to consider conscience in light of creation. He looks at conscience first in prelapsarian terms, reflecting something of the inner life of the Trinity and key to humans’ covenantal relationship with God.
Then Ferrari considers, in chapters four and five, the fall, condemnation and corruption of conscience as it relates to other human capacities. He builds on Calvin’s idea of sensus divinitatis, of conscience as a nonphysical perceptual awareness of God. He then considers how the fall corrupts the integrity, innocence, capacity for true self-knowledge and self-scrutiny of the conscience.
The third section, chapters six through nine, addresses the redeemed conscience. Ferrari’s focus is on the renewal of conscience as a manifestation of new creation. This involves reversing the noetic effect of sin. Furthermore, this renewal includes the subjective experience of justification in cleansing from guilt and shame, moving the redeemed from a stance of hiding to openness to God.
Finally, as the last chapter in part three, Ferrari describes the perfection of conscience. He elaborates the visio Dei, our heightened awareness and clear perception of God. He likens this to Christ’s human conscience in its perfection. This enables us to enter into the very inner life of the Trinity from which our conscience derived.
As Ferrari notes, I thought this treatment moved us from conscience as an aspect of self-consciousness to recognizing the wonder of conscience as God’s gift, enabling our covenantal relationship of trust and faithfulness. All the more is this so as one weighs the contrast of the fallen and renewed conscience, especially the shift from darkened understanding to increasing clarity of perception, and from hiding from to openness to God. And then there is the hope of the perfected conscience! This is a rich study that recovers the doctrine of conscience as a glorious gift of the Triune God.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.