Conscience Without Offense, Part 1

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1 1 Introduction Conscience Without Offense, Part 1 When Paul gave his defense in front of the governor Felix in Caesarea, one of the things he told him was: I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. (Acts 24:15-16 Paul said that because of His hope in God and knowing His promise that there is going to be a judgment of every man at some time in the future, he always fought to maintain a good conscience before God and men. He worked diligently to insure that he didn't think or behave in a way that was hateful to God or would bring guilt upon him. 2 A Living Hope - Part 1 Paul testified that he had hope in God, and the Apostle Peter tells us that every Christian has been born again to a living hope in God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3 Our hope is not only in our forgiveness and our salvation, but it is a hope in the promise of God's word to restore the creation, to judge sin and unrighteousness and banish it forever. David, of whom God said "who followed me with all his heart," 1 said: As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. (Psalms 18:30 The living hope that was born in us from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is because His resurrection proves that the words He spoke were true, we can trust the word of God. It is a hope that everything that God says about the future will come to pass in exactly the manner He has foretold. Everyone can have that same hope living in them. They just need to repent of going their own way, of following their own thoughts and desires, and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation and follow Him: That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-10, Kings 14:8 NKJV 1

2 3 The Resurrection of the Just and the Unjust - Part 1 Paul acknowledged the truth of God and the promise of Christ that there is going to be a resurrection of the dead at some time in the future for judgment: For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5: Who are the Just and who are the Unjust? The Just have eternal life, and the Unjust have eternal condemnation. The Apostle Paul tells us who are those who are justified: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17 We are justified when we have faith in Christ. There is no other way. Jesus confirms the same thing, that whoever believes in Him, that whoever has faith that He is the sacrifice for sin that justifies us is saved, and whoever doesn't believe in Him is condemned: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16,18 John the Baptist said: He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36. It is not that people are condemned when they stand before God at the last judgment. They have already been condemned and the wrath, or anger, of God at their sin is already resting on them. The only escape is to let the sacrifice of Christ on the cross hide them from the wrath of God. Those who are justified are covered in the blood of Christ, signifying that the penalty for sin has been paid. He allowed the punishment of Christ on the cross to be a substitution for the punishment our sins deserved. It is His grace that has saved us: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 There is no work that we can do to measure up to the infinite righteousness of God. Without Christ there is nothing anyone can do to be justified. God calls our righteousness filthy rags. But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6 2

3 Paul acknowledged that his righteousness came from Christ. Paul wasn't trying to justify himself. He humbled himself before God and waited on God to apply the righteousness of Christ in his life: Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Philippians 3:8-9; Galatians 5:5 Paul knew that nothing that he did on his own would justify him before God. He says the same thing to everyone of us, we cannot be made righteous by our own acts: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. (Galatians 2:16 Paul said that the Jews had pursued their own righteousness, but missed the righteousness of God that comes through Christ: Brethren, my heart s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:1-4 So, at the time of the resurrection of the just and the unjust, those who have given their lives to Christ and accepted his sacrifice for them stand in the congregation of the righteous, they are resurrected to eternal life. The names of those justified by Christ are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Those who have refused the kind offer of God to save them, those who ignore the work of Christ on the cross, and who try to merit God's favor by their own good works, are resurrected to condemnation, to eternal destruction in the lake of fire: Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:

4 We've done nothing to deserve our forgiveness and justification. God applies the righteousness of Christ to our lives. Our living hope is that because of this we will not be condemned in the judgment. It is God who has justified us: Who shall bring a charge against God s elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33 We stand uncondemned, no longer guilty of the rebellion that was in our lives before we knew Christ: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1. Instead, our sins have been forgiven. Christ exchanged our sin for His righteousness on the cross: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 Our living hope means that we believe God when He tells us that He is keeping us from falling now, and one day we will stand before Him perfect: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 Because of our hope in God and Christ we strive to have a conscience without offense towards God and man. 4 Without Offense Towards God - Part 1 Knowing that he had been washed in the blood of Christ and was no longer condemned before a Holy God, how did Paul strive to have a clean conscience, a conscience without offense before God? 4.1 Rule Over Ourselves Paul responded to the command of God that we should rule over ourselves. When Cain was disappointed because God had not accepted his sacrifice, God told him: If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. (Genesis 4:7 The word translated 'lies' in this verse has the connotation to crouch or lie in wait, the way a lion crouches before he springs on his prey. God tells us to rule over ourselves and the sin that is lying in wait to overcome us: Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. (Proverbs 25:28 4

5 Paul strove everyday for mastery over himself. He exercised self-discipline: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:27 Because we have been made the sons and daughters of a Holy God, Paul tells us that we must cleanse ourselves from anything that would defile us, from anything that is contrary to the holiness of God: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 We are to crucify the desires and passions of our flesh: And those who are Christ s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 We see the same thing in the life of David. He tells us that he walked before the Lord in righteousness and ruled over the sin that was within him: I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. (Psalms 18: Pray Always Everyday Paul appeared before the Lord in prayer, acknowledging his need for the presence of the Lord in his life, and his need for the Lord to work on his behalf. He was constantly fulfilling the commandment of Jesus to bless other people because he was praying for them. He lifted up other people to the Lord and asked Him to bless them (Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:15-21; Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3:9-13). lives: Paul says the same thing to us, we must always pray to God over everything in our Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) Paul was just confirming what Jesus Christ commanded of us: So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10 5

6 4.3 Keep Your Eyes on the Lord Conscience Without Offense, Part 1 Paul always kept his eyes on the Lord and the upward call of Christ on his life: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 The call of Christ is an upward call, it is climbing upward on the path of righteousness to escape from hell below: The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below. (Proverbs 15:24 Every godly man or woman whose story is told in the Bible did the same things as Paul, they kept their eyes on the Lord: I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. (Psalms 16:8 We must work to have a clean conscience without offense before God. We must hate the things God hates and love the things God loves: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. (Proverbs 8:13 Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9: Make Yourself A Living Sacrifice In response to the work of God in our lives, Paul said that it is our reasonable service to become living sacrifices for God: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 It is reasonable service because we understand the sacrifice that Christ made to redeem us to God. How could we receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life without a response measured against the gift? Knowing that God created us, that God saved us, and that God has now given us new life, we offer everything we have back to Him. We continually strive to crucify our old man and live for Christ. In order to do that we have to not only understand what the will of God is, but to know that the will of God is good. Everything that God has planned for us is meant to bring us to perfection in Christ and to make us ready to live in glory with Christ and God forever. 6

7 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 The wisdom of the world contradicts the word of God and thinks that the will and word of God are evil. But Paul tells us that we are not to be conformed to the world, instead, we are to transform our thinking and prove that the will of God is good: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 You can never prove that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect if you don't act in obedience to it. The will of God is expressed in His word. If we ignore His word, we will never understand His will for our lives. If we obey the word of God, He will continually bring us to new understanding and insight into His word. Pauls tells us to study the word of God diligently, so that we might have the approval of God: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) We must purpose in our heart to study God's word and be obedient to it. We should be like the scribe Ezra who prepared his heart to seek the Lord and His word: For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. (Ezra 7:10 Without the word of God dwelling in our hearts, and a desire to be obedient to it, we can never have a clean conscience before God. 5 Without Offense Towards Man - Part 2 6 Conclusion - Part 2 Copyright Stephen W. Lange. All rights reserved. DOC=