Conscience

Paul was “earnestly beholding” or attentively observing his audience. He was trying to find out if there were any familiar acquaintances of the Sanhedrin (v. 6). He stated that he had “lived in all good conscience before God.” The word conscience means awareness and the knowledge of good and evil that God has equipped all of mankind (Prov 20:21).

It bears witness (Rom 2:15), that either approves or condemns the actions of our own conduct in a moral sense (Titus 1:5). It acts as “the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts” (Prov 20:27) – like a judge, weighing the right and wrong in the courtroom of our hearts! When lost people do something wrong, their conscience should invoke the inner feelings of pain and guilt (Jn 8:9). Sadly, some are already steeped in their wickedness (1 Cor 5:13), and desensitized to such actions that they continue in their evil ways (2 Pe 2:2)!

But in the case of saved individuals who have already trusted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour by faith (1 Pet 1:23), the Holy Spirit convicts us of our wrongdoings (Jn 16:13), and motivates us to do what is right (Rom 13:5). The reason is that, the blood of Jesus has already purged our “conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb 9:14). We should therefore keep it pure and “void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16). Since we are all sinners (Rom 3:10), living in a sinful world; everything around us can affect our conscience. It is like an alarm clock that goes off each time we violate God’s commands (Ps 19:7). We have a choice to either ignore it or snooze it. When we sin against God, we can deny it, distort it, or deal with it! God’s word is our constant guide and standard for living (Heb 4:12). And just like Paul, Christians need to live in all good conscience before God and this world! God bless you all!

- Pastor Melito Barrera