Word of Encouragement (8/11/2021)

The prayer we are reflecting on is, “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Tim. 1:3-5). In v. 3, Paul mentions how he serves God with “a clear conscience.” He speaks of conscience more than any other New Testament writer: of the 30 times conscience is mentioned in the New Testament, 20 of them are by Paul.

This may seem strange. We know that conscience is not the ultimate standard of righteousness. This is easy to see because no two persons have the exactly same conscience. People’s consciences seem to be heavily influenced by their social and cultural environment. It is also determined by the varying degrees of each individual’s moral sensitivity. Some have a tender, sensitive conscience while others have a conscience that is seared and dull. Therefore, our conscience cannot be the ultimate standard of righteousness. Only the Law of God can be the ultimate standard of righteousness. So, Paul says in I Cor. 4:4, “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord [according to the standard of His Word].”

Then, why does Paul mention conscience so frequently, especially in justifying his manner of conduct and ministry? This is because conscience is where the law of God meets our moral sensibility. Admittedly, there are many discrepancies between God’s law and our conscience. This is true even of Christians, who are born of the Spirit. When we are converted, our conscience is not only cleansed but also begins the process of “recalibration” according to God’s Word. But our conscience will not be fully calibrated in perfect accordance with God’s Word until we are glorified both in body and soul. So, our conscience will not be “perfect” as long as we live in this world.

Even so, insofar as our conscience is where God’s law meets our heart, it must not be ignored. So, even in this prayer, Paul declares that he serves God with a clear conscience. This is not because Paul had a higher standard for himself as an Apostle as if we can serve God according to a lower standard. The only proper way for all of us to serve God is with a clear conscience, as imperfect as our conscience is. Of course, this doesn't mean that God's law doesn't matter as long as our conscience is clear. Our conscience cannot justify us if we are violating God's law—that is, even when our conscience is clear, we are guilty if we violate God’s law. But even if we are not violating God's law, when we violate our conscience, we are sinning. For when we do that, we are doing what we believe is wrong. It is never right to go against our conscience even when it is imperfect. So, we can see how important it is for us to be knowledgeable of God’s Word and have our conscience “calibrated” by it.

Brothers and sisters, are you paying attention to the voice of your conscience, even its quiet whispers about the “littlest” things you do and don’t do? We can say that our conscience is the speaker, through which the Holy Spirit warns and urges us. If so, we ought not to dismiss and violate our conscience. This is a tall order, an impossible one. We could not even dare to start if we did not have the assurance of the certainty of God’s forgiving and enabling grace in Jesus Christ. Paul’s words not only challenge us that we ought to serve God with a clear conscience; they also assure us that we can, as Paul did, by the grace of God!