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David's Deliberations . . .

The Possibility of a Good Conscience

27 January 2008

Though the apostle Paul called himself the "foremost" or "chief" of sinners, admitting that he had acted ignorantly and in unbelief, he was able to say that he had because of Christ received mercy and the hope of eternal life (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

He later wrote: "I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience..." (2 Timothy 1:3).

Think of the possibility here for every Christian--no matter his past sins, in Christ he may serve God with a clear conscience! The word "clear" comes from a Greek word that is translated "pure," "clean," or "clear." One purpose of Christianity is to give each Christian a "good conscience" (1 Timothy 1:5), even though he may have had an evil conscience: "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:22).

There are some people who live with an evil conscience, so much so that they devote themselves to a life of evil and rebellion against God (see Romans 3:9-18). Anyone (even one of these rebels) who obeys the gospel is forgiven of sins and may therefore, obtain a good conscience: "...the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Having obtained from God through faithful obedience to the gospel, a Christian must maintain that pure conscience (1 Timothy 1:5)--it is a precious treasure. A pure or clear conscience will give the Christian peace of mind, and confidence for living and serving God. Paul knew of the value of a good conscience (Acts 23:1) and made it the goal of his teaching (1 Timothy 1:5). In fact, writing to Timothy, he tied keeping the faith and having a good conscience together: "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith" (1 Timothy 18-19).

There is a danger of falling away from Christ when one violates his conscience--doing something wrong or something he believes is wrong (see Romans 14:23). If one does wrong and suffers an "attack of conscience" (as Huck Finn said "Sometimes a feller's conscience takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides."), he may try to "solve the problem" by denying ("suffering shipwreck" of) his faith, that is, rationalizing the sin to the point of turning away from the truth altogether.

The real solution to the problem of sin in the life of a Christian is to repent, and confess in prayer (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:7-9).

—David Carl Swanson