Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The conscience is that
innermost place of our thoughts and considerations. It is the
seed of our moral consciousness and that from which we cannot
escape. It is that which shall bear witness against us in the
day of judgment, apart from the great mercy and grace of God
to give us a substitute, who shall also be our advocate in
that greater size. The Lord is pleased to give unto
his people a tender conscience, which causes them to confess
with the psalmist, I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and
thy law is my delight. And to rejoice even, as Paul
declared, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. This tender conscience finds
a place of solace in contemplating the Word of God. With my whole
heart have I sought Thee, O let me not wander from Thy commandments.
Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes. They even
confess that His Word is true and His judgment is just, even
if they are destroyed by it. Though He slay me, yet will I
trust in Him. A man with this tender conscience toward God
must declare with Paul, God forbid, yea, let God be true, but every
man a liar, as it is written that thou mightest be justified
in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
We must confess with Peter when asked if he would depart from
the Lord, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. The scriptures speak of
the conscience with several different adjectives, the most common being
good. The term good conscience appears
six times. Pray for us, for we trust we
have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart
and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned. We can probably
substitute the word clear for good since there is no hint of
condemnation to that man who has a good conscience. He is
satisfied with that which he professes, even as Peter describes
the act of water baptism as the answer of a good conscience towards
God. The sons of God are not to be
immersed in water in order to gain something, but rather because
they are satisfied with that which Christ has done, wishing
to be identified with Him in His example and His command.
We read of Paul saying he had a conscience void of offense
in Acts 24 16 as he testified before Felix of his unshakable
belief and the satisfaction in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There
was no doubt in Paul's mind of Christ seated on the throne of
heaven, having risen from the dead and taken captive to captive.
He was not reiterating some dogma he had learned in his youth,
nor was he desiring to promote some tenet of religion, but rather
spoke of that which his very heart and soul was clinging to,
to the exclusion of all other foundations. Paul writes to Timothy
of a pure conscience, as he describes the various qualities of those
prepared to be deacons, holding the mystery of the faith in pure
conscience. Any believer, but especially those who would execute
this noble calling, must not be double-minded nor double-tongued,
that is, speaking one thing while doing another. The mystery of
the faith is revealed as Christ in you the hope of glory. Also
that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs in the gospel, since the
Lord's elect come from every kindred, tribe, and tongue. There
is no place of sectarianism among the sons of God due to race or
ethnicity. Paul speaks of this same pure
conscience when he confesses to be in prayer for Timothy.
I thank God whom I serve for my forefathers with pure conscience,
that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and
day. This pure conscience is faith
unfeigned. Quite in contrast to this good
conscience, conscience void of offense, and pure conscience,
Paul also describes a seared conscience, a defiled conscience,
and an evil conscience. Those who are quite overtaken
in their own deceit are those with a conscience seared with
a hot iron, that is, one which exhibits no remorse and is blind. They are those who speak lies
in hypocrisy and promote seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
These are those latter times of which he speaks, even as he
warned Timothy of this in his day. Those who deny the supremacy
and complete salvation wrought by Christ for his elect bride
are in such a condition from which they cannot extricate themselves.
A defiled conscience is that which turns from the freedom
purchased by Christ to embrace the beggarly elements of touch
not, taste not. An evil conscience is that which
causes men to desire some message other than Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. This same evil conscience is
that which would keep a man from resting in the full and free
redemption of Christ. What kind of conscience have
you been given? For a free CD containing 15 of these radio
broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.