“Don’t do anything that will give you a guilty conscience,” thus I was admonished quite often when I was young, both by my parents, other elders in my family (especially my aunts), my Sunday School teachers and even some public school teachers. What do we mean by “a good conscience?” Defined, conscience is the moral awareness that judges an action right or wrong. In the verses cited from I Timothy, Paul is advising Timothy to keep his instruction true to the faith and not to enter into vain arguments on the fine points of the law, genealogies and fables as the heterodox (or false) teachers were doing in some of the churches. He should be on guard to keep his teachings faithful to the truth, “in a good conscience,” holding to the true faith as he had been taught.
As the writer of Hebrews was ready to close his letter, he asked Christian friends to pray that “we have a good conscience in all things” in order to live honorably. The Greek word from which conscience is derived means “to know with” and implies a standard to go by. When we hear “Let your conscience be your guide,” we have to ask if we have learned the standard by which we should be guided. This applies to so many areas of the Christian’s life: his conduct in following either good or evil; his thoughts, in pursuing purity or wickedness; his beliefs, whether orthodox in faith or following, as Paul admonished Timothy to guard against, those heterodox teachers who spread untrue doctrines.
How, then, can we maintain a good conscience? First, we have to study and know a good moral standard. Sometimes the standard is not so much “thou shalt not” as “thou shalt.” Paul gave a good summary of a good standard for Christians in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoeverthings are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” –Philippians 4:8. A standard to follow contains truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, things of good report. If we follow these to cultivate our conscience, we will have a lofty standard by which to measure conduct; and if we do this, our conscience can then surely be our guide. George Washington, our first president, wrote: “Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” I like what he called a good conscience: “that little spark of celestial fire in the breast.” Seeking God’s way can give us that “celestial spark” to help us maintain a good conscience. Pray for it; latch on to it; maintain it.
No comments:
Post a Comment