The Danger of Hardness of Heart, Death of Conscience, and Absence of Shame: When the Light of God Goes Out in Man
Elias Bejjani/October 17/2026
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Man Between the Light of Truth and the Darkness of Evil
The life we live, with all its details, turns and crossroads, is nothing but a path whose features are determined by the choices we make, by the values we believe in, and by the measure of God’s presence in our conscience and our hearts. Man, whatever his status, however much money, power and influence he may possess, remains accountable before God for his words and deeds, for the good he has done, and the evil he has committed, for the truth he knew and then denied, and for the duty he recognized and then evaded. We are destined to choose between two ways: the way of righteousness, wisdom, and the fear of God, and the way of straying, pride, hardness of heart, and death of conscience. The difference between the two ways is not in outward appearances, nor in the religious slogans a man raises, nor in the number of prayers he recites before others, but in the reality of the heart, the sincerity of faith, the purity of intention, the uprightness of conduct, and the extent of his respect for human dignity and human rights. The man who truly fears God does not content himself with talking about virtue, but strives to practice it. He does not content himself with condemning evil in others, but begins by holding himself accountable. He does not make religion a means to justify his mistakes or cover his interests, but makes it a light to guide him to truth, a voice to deter him from injustice, and a scale by which he judges his own conscience before he judges others. And the Lord Jesus Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Purity of heart is not weakness, nor naivety, nor compromise of truth, but it is a spiritual and moral strength that makes man able to speak the truth without lying, to practice justice without vengeance, to defend himself without injustice, and to confront evil without himself becoming an instrument of evil.
I. Conscience, Shame, and the Tongue: God’s Gifts and Man’s Responsibility
A living conscience, shame at committing wrong, and a tongue that speaks truth are not marginal matters in human life, but are among the most important manifestations of the moral responsibility that God has entrusted to man, distinguished him with, and called him through to discern between good and evil, between truth and falsehood, between love and hatred. Conscience is that inner voice that awakens a man when he errs, disturbs his rest when he oppresses, and calls him to confess his sin and repair what he has corrupted. As for shame, in its noble moral sense, it is man’s sense that his dignity is incompatible with lying, betrayal, treachery, and assault on others. And the tongue is the instrument by which man can console, encourage, reconcile, and bear witness to the truth, just as he can, if he misuses it, wound, insult, incite, mislead, and slander. But the great problem begins when man loses these three restraints: his conscience dies, his shame disappears, and his tongue turns into a weapon directed against others. Then wrong is no longer wrong to him, nor lying a disgrace, nor assault on people’s dignity a cause for remorse; rather, oppression may become for him a means to achieve interests, deception a sign of what he imagines to be intelligence, and insolence an expression of false strength. Here lies the real danger: not that man errs, for man is weak and prone to fall, but that he loses the ability to admit his error, that he justifies his evil, that he refuses repentance, and that he considers anyone who confronts him with the truth to be his enemy.
The Lord Jesus says: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).
The tongue often reveals what the heart stores. The words a man chooses in moments of anger or dispute or self-interest may reveal the truth of what governs his behavior. He who is accustomed to lying, slander, and insult, and no longer feels any remorse, should ask himself: What remains of the voice of conscience within me? And what value remains to my words if I use them to destroy others instead of speaking the truth?
The Bible also warns us of the danger of the tongue, as the Book of Proverbs says: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). How many a word has restored hope to a despairing man, and how many a word has crushed a soul, how many a slander has tarnished the reputation of an innocent, how many a lie has divided members of a family, how many a hateful speech has ignited enmity that could have been avoided! A word is not a passing sound that ends as soon as it is uttered; it may leave a wound that lasts for years, it may lead to injustice, and it may destroy trust that is difficult to rebuild. Therefore, the man who fears God watches his tongue, and knows that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to slander, and that frankness does not justify insult, and that disagreement does not grant anyone the right to strip others of their dignity.
II. Hardness of Heart: When Man Sees the Truth and Rejects It
Hardness of heart is among the most dangerous spiritual and moral states a man can reach. The hard-hearted man is not necessarily one who is ignorant of the truth, but may be among those who know it well, and are aware of the consequences of their actions, but refuse to submit to it because their interests or their pride or their grudges are more important to them than the truth. It may begin with justifying a small mistake, then the mistake is repeated until it becomes a habit, then the habit turns into a fixed behavior, until man loses his moral sensitivity towards what he commits. In the end, he may reach a stage where he no longer feels guilt when he oppresses, nor shame when he lies, nor regret when he destroys the lives of others. A hard heart is not formed in a single day, but may be shaped gradually through persistence in evil, rejection of advice, contempt for others, arrogance against truth, and evasion of responsibility. For this reason, the Bible warns us against hardness of heart, saying in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
This divine call is not directed only to persons far from faith, but to every man who is able to hear the voice of truth and then chooses to ignore it. How many a man hears sincere advice, but rejects it because admitting a mistake wounds his pride? And how many a person realizes he has harmed another, but prefers to persist in stubbornness rather than say a word of apology? Confessing a mistake does not diminish a man’s value, but reveals his courage and maturity. As for persisting in falsehood, while knowing the truth, it is what turns a mistake into a dangerous path of obstinacy and denial.
And the Gospel of Mark presents to us a painful image of hardness of heart, when it mentions that Jesus looked at some of those present “with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5). It is an image that combines anger at evil and sorrow for the man who refuses to see the truth. God does not call man to cruelty, nor does He rejoice in his fall, but wants him to repent and return to the way of life. But refusal of repentance makes man a prisoner of his sin, and deprives him of the inner peace that neither money nor positions nor outward victories can grant.
III. Death of Conscience and Absence of Shame: More Dangerous Than the Mistake Itself
A mistake followed by remorse may become the beginning of reform, while a mistake followed by denial and lying and justification may turn into a door to more evil. A living conscience does not prevent man from falling every time, but it does not allow him to rest in his sin as if nothing had happened. It reminds him of his responsibility, and calls him to retreat from falsehood, to apologize to those he has wronged, to restore rights to their owners, and to bear the consequences of his actions.
But when conscience dies, man becomes able to witness the suffering of others without concern, and to inflict harm upon them without remorse, and to repeat the offense without feeling shame. It may come to the point of turning facts upside down, so he portrays himself as the victim while he is the aggressor, and accuses the oppressed instead of confessing his oppression, and attacks all who expose his mistakes instead of correcting them.
Here the absence of shame becomes a double danger, because moral shame is not merely fear of people’s gaze, but an inner awareness that there are limits that man must not cross without losing respect for himself and for others. However, a distinction must be made between shame that leads to repentance, and disgrace that crushes man and makes him believe there is no hope for reform. The Christian faith does not call to despair, but to sincere repentance and return to God. What is required is not that man remain a prisoner of his mistake, but that he confess it and repair it as much as he can.
Saint Paul says in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).
Silence about evil is not always wisdom, and overlooking injustice is not always love. True love does not mean collusion with the aggressor, nor covering up corruption, nor demanding that the oppressed be silent to preserve the comfort of the oppressor. Rather, it means standing beside truth, defending human dignity, and refusing to turn tolerance into a cover for repeating offense. He who errs and then repents opens a new door for himself, but he who errs and persists and continues to harm others doubles his moral responsibility for every new act he commits.
IV. He Who Sows Evil Cannot Guarantee a Harvest of Peace
It is among the profound moral laws in life that a man’s actions leave their traces, and that injustice leaves wounds, and that hatred breeds enmities, and that betrayal destroys trust, and that lying weakens its owner’s credibility. Results may not appear immediately, and the oppressor may succeed for some time in evading accountability, but that does not turn injustice into right, nor does temporary escape prove innocence.
The Book of Proverbs says: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him” (Proverbs 26:27). And Saint Paul says: “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). These two wisdoms do not mean that everyone who suffers has committed evil, or that every calamity that befalls man is a direct punishment for an act he did. The Bible itself rejects this simplification, and teaches us that the innocent may suffer, and that the unjust may sometimes enjoy temporary prosperity. But they affirm that moral choices have consequences, and that man cannot build a sound life on deception and aggression and then expect his relationships and his community and his conscience to remain safe from ruin.
As the authentic Lebanese proverb says: “You will surely drink from the same cup you gave others to drink from.” This proverb sums up a deep human experience: he who sows hatred may reap isolation, he who becomes accustomed to betrayal may lose the trust of those closest to him, and he who destroys the dignity of others may one day find himself surrounded by people who neither trust nor respect him.
But justice does not mean that we await the misfortunes of others or gloat over their fall. The believer does not make revenge his goal, nor does he wish evil even on one who wronged him, but he seeks justice, and leaves final judgment to God, and strives to protect the innocent and prevent the repetition of harm.
And the Lord Jesus says: “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). It is a call to reject the logic of violence and revenge, and to realize that evil is not cured by unleashing similar evil, but by truth and justice and self-control.
V. A Stumbling Block: When Hurting Others Becomes a Way of Life
Undoubtedly, we have all met in the paths of life persons who leave behind them pain and disputes and disappointments. Some of them hurt others out of ignorance or impulsiveness, and may reconsider when they realize the results of their actions. But some others persist in offense, delight in stirring up conflicts, and use hurtful words and rumors and manipulation of situations to weaken those around them, especially members of their family and those close to them. These do not content themselves with inflicting harm, but may try to convince their victims that they themselves are the wrongdoers, and that demanding one’s right is aggression, and that defending dignity is pride, and that exposing the truth is an offense against them. The most dangerous thing in these practices is that they make the harmful person act as if he were above accountability, and turn human relationships from spaces for love and cooperation into arenas of fear and blackmail and enmity. And the Lord Jesus warns of the danger of being a cause for the fall or misleading of others, saying: “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:7).
A stumbling block is not only one who pushes others to commit wrong, but can also be one who exploits their weakness, or destroys their self-confidence, or uses his position and authority to humiliate them, or turns his life and the lives of those around him into a series of crises because of his stubbornness and malice. How far is the difference between a man who errs and apologizes, and a man who deliberately offends and then boasts about it! And how far is the difference between one who uses his strength to protect the weak, and one who uses it to subdue them! And how far is the difference between one who disagrees with others and respects their dignity, and one who considers disagreement a justification for insult and defamation and revenge! The believer is called to love man, but he is not called to accept injustice or justify evil. He can forgive, without giving up his right to protection and justice; and he can pray for those who have wronged him, without exposing himself or his family to continued harm.
VI. Pride, Malice, and Envy: Masks Hiding Fragility of Spirit
When pride exceeds the bounds of legitimate self-respect, it turns into a barrier that prevents man from seeing his faults. And malice makes him a prisoner of the past, and envy drives him to resent the success of others, and the desire for revenge deprives him of peace, while love of domination makes him believe that his dignity is not realized except by subjugating others. The arrogant man may appear strong, but he is unable to say the word “I was wrong.” He may talk about morals, but he excludes himself from their rules. He may raise slogans of faith, while his actions contradict the mercy and truth and justice to which faith calls. For this reason, a man’s goodness must not be measured by what he says about himself, but by what he does when truth conflicts with his interest, and by what he says when he is angry, and by how he deals with those who cannot return harm to him, and by his readiness to admit his mistake and correct what he has corrupted. And the Lord Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew: “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Man is known by his fruits: by his truthfulness or his lying, and by his mercy or his cruelty, and by his justice or his injustice, and by his loyalty or his betrayal, and by his humility or his arrogance. Not everyone who speaks in the name of God walks in His way, and not everyone who raises the slogan of virtue practices it in his daily life. True faith is not verbal adornment, but a daily commitment to be truthful and just and merciful, to refuse to exploit others, to face one’s mistakes with courage, and to always remember that human dignity is not his property to strip from others.
VII. Judgment: When Masks and Excuses Are of No Use
Among the most dangerous illusions of man is to believe that he can forever escape responsibility for his actions, or that money and influence and connections and the ability to deceive people can grant him immunity before the justice of God. Man may be able to hide the truth from some people, and may succeed in justifying his actions before his surroundings, and may find those who applaud him or defend him, but the truth of faith that must not be ignored is that man is accountable before God for his deeds and his words, and for the way in which he used his freedom and his talents and his position in life. And the Lord Jesus says: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). This verse places the tongue at the heart of spiritual responsibility. A word is not a trivial matter, and slander is not merely a passing dispute, and false witness is not a legitimate means to protect interests. Every man has responsibility for his speech, especially when he deliberately misleads others or defames the innocent or incites injustice. And the Bible also says: “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). This means that responsibility is personal, and that man cannot justify his sin simply because others have also committed it, nor can he turn following the group or loyalty to a person or party or interest into an exemption from moral accountability. But faith in judgment should not lead us to despair or to issuing final judgments on the fate of others. God alone knows the depths of hearts, and He alone is the just Judge. As for our duty, it is to hold ourselves accountable, to reject evil, to demand justice, and to open the door of repentance before all who want a sincere return to truth.
VIII. Repentance Is Possible as Long as Man Is Ready to Return to God
Despite the seriousness of hardness of heart and death of conscience, the Christian message does not close the door of hope. God does not want the destruction of man, but his repentance and return to the way of life. And the man who has erred is not condemned to remain a prisoner of his past, if he has the courage to confess his sin and seek forgiveness and work to repair what he has corrupted. The Lord Jesus says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Self-denial here means, in its moral essence, that man frees himself from slavery to ego and pride, and stops making his desires and interests the sole criterion of truth. For repentance is not merely words spoken, nor temporary tears, nor an apology aimed at restoring interests, but it is a change in heart and behavior, a readiness to bear responsibility, to restore rights, and to refrain from repeating harm. And among the most beautiful things the Bible declares about God’s mercy is His saying in the Book of Ezekiel: “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30). God calls man to return, not to persist; to confession, not to denial; to repairing what can be repaired, not to hiding behind excuses. And he who sincerely seeks forgiveness must also seek reconciliation with those he has wronged, and restore rights to their owners, and build a new conduct that proves the sincerity of his repentance. As for he who refuses to confess his mistake and insists on harming others, he cannot make the word “forgiveness” a means to silence his victims, nor demand that they forget the harm while he continues to commit it. True reconciliation needs honesty, forgiveness does not abolish justice, and pardon does not mean granting the aggressor a license to repeat his aggression.
Conclusion: Fear God, Keep Your Conscience Alive, and Guard Your Tongue
Man, whatever money or power or fame or influence he possesses, remains poor if he has lost his conscience, and a loser if the sense of right and wrong has died in his heart, and mistaken if he believes that insolence is strength, and cruelty is courage, and the ability to harm others is a sign of superiority. The man who fears God does not measure his success by the number of those he has subjugated, nor by the value of the money he has amassed, nor by his ability to silence those who oppose him, but by the extent of his uprightness, his truthfulness, his justice, his mercy, and his respect for the dignity of others. Remember, O man, that a living conscience is both a grace and a responsibility, and that shame at wrongdoing is not a defect, and that an apology does not diminish your dignity, and that a true word does not become false because people of interests hate to hear it. And remember that the tongue which God created to be an instrument of communication and good can become, if misused, a cause of injustice and division and enmity.
So do not dig a pit for your brother, nor plant thorns in his path, nor make the weakness of others an opportunity to exploit them, nor their love for you a means to control them. And do not imagine that silence imposed by fear is proof that you are right, or that the absence of human accountability means the absence of divine justice. And let us always remember the saying of the Lord Jesus: “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17). So let us hold ourselves accountable before we hold others accountable, and let us guard our tongues before we demand that people respect our words, and let us ask God for a humble heart that does not become arrogant against truth, and a living conscience that does not compromise on justice, and a spirit capable of repentance and forgiveness, and a will that refuses to make evil a way of life. And let us raise our hearts in prayer and hope, asking God to bring dead consciences back to life, and hard hearts back to mercy, and lying tongues back to truth, and hateful souls back to love. And let us pray for every man who has lost his way, not to justify his evil, but so that he may return to truth, and stop harming others, and begin the journey of repentance and reform. So fear God, O man, and watch your heart and your tongue and your deeds, and do not allow pride and malice and self-interest to extinguish the light of conscience within you. For life is short, appearances are fleeting, and masks do not last, but man’s responsibility for his choices before God remains a reality worth pausing over every day. And let us conclude with the words of Saint Paul the Apostle: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Amen.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com & media.lccc@gmail.com
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