“Good Conscience” #3

1 Timothy 1:18-19: “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.”

John reminds us in 1 John 2:15-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”   Too often, we allow ourselves by ignoring the conscience to fall into sin.  It may not be immediate and it may be in areas where the general consensus consents but your conscience does not.   Perhaps, some undisciplined thought allowed to go on without capture (1 Cor. 10:5, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”) weakens the conscience and little by little you train the truth that you know to no longer govern you or goad you into action.    When you do this, you have seared it or made it insensitive to the truth.  It no longer hurts, because you have silenced the guilt.   The appeal of worldly things is so great and Paul’s command to hold on to a good conscience is more relevant today than ever.   

Please, do not flirt with sin and see how close you can get to it.  “Abstain from sinful desires that war against your soul.”  “But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).    “Perfect holiness in the fear (reverence) of God” (2 Cor. 7:1) by “cleansing ourselves from all  defilement of flesh and spirit.”  Or, as Peter quotes it, “Be holy, as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16; 2:11).   To fail and surrender a good conscience will cause spiritual shipwreck of your faith.   You say, “I don’t want to do that!”  Then, keep your focus and fix your gaze upon Jesus with hearts and minds on things above (Col. 3:1-4) and a good working conscience that will warn you when you are becoming entangled in the things of this world (2 Peter. 2:20).