Michael continues: 1 Peter 3:16-17 says, “keep a clear conscience so that those who do evil against you will be reproved. It’s better to suffer for doing good than to do evil.” In the last beatitude Jesus said, “blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven.” Romans 12:17 says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.” It’s not the wrath of God but the goodness of God that calls a men and women to repentance. Too reconcile others to Christ, we do not bring them a declaration of war, but instead we offer them a peace treaty from the Prince of peace [Jesus Christ]. John 3:17 says, Jesus “came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved”.
The greatest victory is the great surrender. In order to defeat the enemy, we must surrender to God. Therefore, make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free. Force me to render up my sword and I shall conquered be. I sink in life’s alarms if by myself I stand. Imprison me within thine arms, and free shall be my stand. Without God, men and women have their conscience “seared with a hot iron.” Conscience means “with knowledge.” A healthy conscience operates “with knowledge” of the Word of God. God will guide us and direct us according to the knowledge of His living word. Wisdom is acting upon God’s revelation He reveals to us in His holy Word.
There is such thing as healthy guilt that acknowledges and mourns over wrongs done. This type of a guilty conscience leads to repentance ... to turn away from sin that separates our heart from God’s heart and to return back into the presence of the Lord. According to 1 John 1:9, “if we confess our sins (of having broken fellowship with God) then he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Then when we return our hearts to the Lord, we can walk in the light and the blood of Jesus Christ will (continue to) cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Blessed are they that mourn, for Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of. When God opens the eyes of our spiritual understanding so that we can see the contrast between the sin nature that we inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature that we received when we were born again of God’s Spirit, then we can change our minds and follow our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Then we are no longer a slave to sin. We become bond-slaves, servants of Jesus Christ to serve Him from a heart of love.
It’s important to keep a clear conscience, free of the condemnation of guilt, worry, and the fear that separates our heart from God’s heart. This is the theme of Romans chapter 8. Instead of condemnation, we have been made the righteousness of Christ. Romans 8:35-39 concludes: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”... that we may have a clear conscience and ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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