A Clear Conscience

Acts 23:1 (KJV) “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

Having a clear conscience is very important. In Acts 24:16, the Apostle Paul said it this way, “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”

The conscience is often misunderstood among believers. Conscience is the voice of your spirit. It is only a safe guide for those who are born again. In 1 John 3:20, in the King James Version, it says, “If our heart condemns us.” The Amplified Classic translates it this way, “If our conscience condemns us.”

To me, our conscience is part of our spirit. It is the part of us that calls the balls and strikes in our life. It was very important to Paul, and it is very important to us, to have a clear conscience before God and man. 1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT) says, “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.”

When we do something wrong and sin, it goes against our conscience. It bothers us on the inside. The Holy Spirit is convicting us, and He is dealing with our conscience in our born-again spirit that is alive unto God. We should immediately yield to our conscience and not do anything that bothers or goes against our conscience.

The problem is that our conscience can be overridden by our will. The more you override your conscience, the more you sear it. 1 Timothy 4:2 says, “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” When you sear your conscience, the Holy Spirit is no longer able to communicate with you and keep you out of trouble.

It is, then, very important to keep your conscience clear before God. If not, Paul says you can shipwreck your faith.