A CLEAR CONSCIENCE BEFORE GOD
ACTS 24:16 AND HEREIN DO I (
¨
In this scripture we
find something we all long for:
¨
To have a clear
conscience toward all men.
¨
To have a clear
conscience toward God.
It may be helpful to explore the meaning of the word CONSCIENCE.
a)
The awareness of an
ethical or moral condition applied to our conduct
b)
The urge that tells us
whether an act is right or wrong.
c)
An internal, ethical or
moral judgment.
d)
A personal sense of
right and wrong.
e)
The super-ego in
psychoanalysis that judges the ethical nature of one’s
thoughts, or actions; and passes them down to the ego for consideration.
f)
The personal, moral
judgment that when violated, leads to feelings of
guilt.
g)
The root meaning is
(knowledge within)
Notice that the word science is included in the word conscience:
v
Science means to have
outside knowledge.
v
Conscience means to
have inside knowledge.
Some call it the inner witness. The still small
voice. A knowing. Many other attempts have been
made to identify what all men call the conscience. The conscience of the unsaved person is
subject to defilement from the world and influenced by evil spirits.
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-3 “NOW THE SPIRIT SPEAKETH
EXPRESSLY, THAT IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING
HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS, AND DOCTRINES
OF DEVILS; SPEAKING LIES IN
HYPOCRISY; HAVING THEIR CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH A HOT IRON; FORBIDDING TO MARRY,
AND COMMANDING TO ABSTAIN FROM MEATS, WHICH GOD HATH CREATED TO BE RECEIVED
WITH THANKSGIVING OF THEM WHICH BELIEVE AND KNOW THE TRUTH.”
This desensitizing of the conscience to
the leading of the Spirit of God, is the result of the
influence of evil spirits. It is also spoken of as the hardening of the heart.
HEBREWS 4:7 “TO DAY IF YE WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT
YOUR HEARTS”
The hardening of our hearts and the searing of our
consciences is the result of personal choices. Until we have invited and received
the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we will remain subject to the influences of
the world and evil spirits. Both sources, the world and evil spirits, produce
in us, a life filled with sin, sickness, and death. To rid ourselves of this infection, we must
be born again of the Spirit.
As long
as we remain ruled by the flesh, we will continue to be victims of evil
spirits. This is why God provided a
means of victory for us.
1JOHN 3:8 “FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE
MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL”
God has made a way of escape from the
results of a conscience polluted by the devil.
2 CORINTHIANS
What we could not do in the flesh,
ROMANS 8:3-4 “FOR WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO, IN THAT
IT WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH, GOD SENDING HIS OWN SON IN THE LIKENESS OF
SINFUL FLESH, AND FOR SIN, CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH, THAT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS
OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER
THE SPIRIT.”
He made a way for us to escape the pollution of this world.
2 PETER 1:4 “WHEREBY ARE GIVEN
UNTO US EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES.
THAT BY THESE YE MIGHT BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE
NATURE, HAVING ESCAPED THE CORRUPTION THAT IS IN THE WORLD THROUGH LUST.”
A CLEAN
CONSCIENCE TOWARD ALL MEN
ACTS 24:16 “AND HEREIN DO I (
1. A conscience clean toward man.
2. A conscience clean toward God.
In order to have a clean conscience toward men, we must understand that we
cannot do so in the power of our flesh. We need to be born again of the Spirit
and receive His Divine nature. The above
scripture in 2
JOHN 14:16-17 “AND I WILL PRAY THE FATHER, AND HE SHALL
GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER, THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOR EVER; EVEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH; WHOM THE WORLD
CANNOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE IT SEETH HIM NOT, NEITHER KNOWETH HIM: BUT YE KNOW HIM; FOR HE DWELLETH
WITH YOU, AND SHALL BE IN YOU.”
Notice those that have not been born again do not have God’s Spirit in them.
There are many scriptures dealing with our victory over
being offensive toward others.
1CORINTHIANS
2CORINTHIANS 6:3 “GIVING NO OFFENCE IN ANY THING, THAT
THE MINISTRY BE NOT BLAMED”
PHILIPPIANS
A CLEAN CONSCIENCE TOWARD
GOD
ACTS 24:16 “AND HEREIN DO I (
1. A conscience clean
toward man.
2. A conscience clean toward God.
Every time we chose to violate the clear direction of our conscience, we will
have a conscience defiled toward God. Prior to being born again, we all stand
guilty before God . . . of offending Him.
That is why all those that are not yet born
again, have a guilty conscience before God.
ROMANS
The purpose of the law was not to make us right toward God, but rather to
prove to us all we are guilty before God.
ROMANS
The law was not given to us so that we could have a clear, clean conscience
toward God, but to reveal our need of a Savior.
ROMANS
8:3-5 “FOR WHAT THE LAW
COULD NOT DO, IN THAT IT WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH, GOD SENDING HIS OWN SON IN
THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH, AND FOR SIN, CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH, THAT THE
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE
FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT. FOR THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE FLESH DO MIND THE THINGS OF THE FLESH,
BUT THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE SPIRIT, THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT.”
Every time we offend others by our unwillingness to disobey the voice of our
conscience, we are an offence toward God.
In order to overcome offending others, we must first be right toward
God! In order to have our consciences
washed from offence toward God, we must confess or apologize for our sins and
misdeeds.
1
Apologizing and asking for forgiveness is what will produce in us, a
conscience clear of offence toward God.
Jesus’ sacrifice of His life for us, sets us
free from our offences toward God and man!
ROMANS
We
can live the overcoming life!
ACTS 23:1 AND
We all have the testimony of our
conscience, whether we are right before God and men.
2CORINTHIANS
Loving God and others is the end of the law.
1TIMOTHY 1:5 “NOW THE END OF THE COMMANDMENT IS
CHARITY OUT OF A PURE HEART, AND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE, AND OF FAITH UNFEIGNED”
1
We were all held
under the power of a guilty conscience toward God, but now we have…
1PETER
1JOHN
Have a God-day!
