One of the greatest blessings
for the born again Christian is the deep sense of
peace with God (Phil. 4:7, 9; Col. 3:15; John
14:27).
The apostle Paul wrote, “I am
telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my
conscience bearing joint-testimony with me in the
Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 9:1).
Paul takes a triple oath here
because of deep convictions regarding the salvation
of the Jewish people. He makes a strong, positive
affirmation in Christ, a negative statement that he
is not lying, and the appeal to his conscience as a
co-witness “in the Holy Spirit.” Paul looked to
Christ and rejoiced; he looked at the Jewish people
lost in sin and wept. Paul was willing to go to hell
for the sake of his lost Jewish friends.
The conscience is that faculty
of man that evaluates our actions, along with our
thoughts that either accuse or excuse us of sin. Our
conscience is an important part of human nature the
world over. It is not an absolutely trustworthy
indicator of what is right and wrong. We can have a
“good” conscience (Acts 23:1); 1 Tim. 1:5, 19), a
“clear” conscience (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim.
1:3; Heb. 13:18), or a “guilty” conscience (Heb.
10:22), a “corrupted” conscience (Titus 1:15), a
“weak” conscience (1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12), or a
“seared” conscience (1 Tim. 4:2).
The marvelous thing about the
gospel is that “the blood of Christ” cleanses the
conscience. The writer of Hebrews says, “How much
more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to
God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?” (Heb.
9:14).
The conscience is the remains
of God’s image in man after the fall of Adam. The
universal fact of this inner voice is important. It
is a divine law. Because we are sinners obedience to
the voice of conscience must always be tested with
an acceptance of the revealed will of God in the
Scriptures (John 8:7-9; Rom. 2:15-16; 9:1; Titus
1:13-15).
The apostle Paul warned,
“Nothing is wholesome to those who are themselves
unwholesome and who have no faith in God—their very
minds and consciences are diseased” (Tit. 1:15,
Phillips). The conscience is defiled because the
light from both it and the Holy Spirit are refused.
The conscience in the born
again believer is restored to its high position as
the Christian studies and meditates on God’s
revealed will in the Bible. For the mature Christian
the witness of the conscience will be met by the
witness of the Holy Spirit as to what pleases God
(Rom. 9:1). We should seek to continually have “a
conscience void of offence toward God, and toward
men” (Acts 24:16).
May the Holy Spirit cleanse the
deepest recesses of our hearts by the infinite
purification that God alone can accomplish by means
of the blood of Jesus Christ. May He make us
sensitive to the slightest whisper of His Holy
Spirit. His Spirit gives us a sense of disquiet when
we are tempted. He makes us hate anything that will
separate us from abiding fellowship with God.
To maintain a good, clear
conscience that is sensitive to the Spirit of God we
must confess every sin that we are conscious of and
walk in the light of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit
always uses God’s Word to reveal sin to us. When the
conscience reproves listen to it, and confess the
sin to God, claim His forgiveness based on the
atoning death of Christ. The blood of Jesus cleanses
us of all sin. Pray that the witness of your
conscience and the witness of the Holy Spirit and
the abiding presence of being “in Christ” becomes
one. Hold “to the mystery of the faith with a clear
conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9).
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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