How is your conscience? If I were to ask you whether you are walking righteously what would your first thought be?
I think many people may be able to relate to this snippet from Romans 2:15, “while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” Conflicting thoughts oscillating between accusing yourself or defending yourself.
Where do you find the truth or peace in the midst of that clash within yourself?
Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” On many different occasions Paul described his conscience as good, clear, and blameless. In fact, his bold assertion to this resulted in a strike to his mouth because it offended the high priest. (Acts 23:1-2)
How can we as Christians obtain that same confidence in our conscience? Or it that only for the elite super-Christians?
Hopefully you know that you cannot obtain anything unless Jesus first secures it for you! And that includes a good conscience!
The writer of Hebrews explains and contrasts the old and new covenant. He states in Hebrews 9:9, “Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” The old covenant with its regulations was not able to make the worshiper perfect in conscience. (Perhaps consequently the strike to Paul from the high priest who didn’t understand the new covenant.)
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 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?” (Hebrews 9:11-14)
How much more is the blood of Christ effective to cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? His blood is eternally more powerful than the blood of goats and calves!! We can place our faith in Him and believe that His blood can cleanse us and our conscience.
However, if you choose to try to worship God through dead works (under the old covenant or under the Law) you will miss the benefits which Christ has already obtained for you. One of which being a good, clear, blameless conscience.
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 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 10:19-22)
Our conscience has been sprinkled clean! May we all live in the truth that we can have confidence in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and experience the peace of a good conscience.
