The Only Conscience-Cleanser

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

Here we are in the modern age — the age of the Internet, smartphones, space travel, and heart transplants — and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. And our consciences bear witness.

We can cut ourselves, or throw our children in the sacred river, or give a million dollars to charity, or serve in a soup kitchen, or a hundred forms of penance or self-injury, and the result will be the same: The stain remains and death terrifies.

We know that our conscience is defiled — not with external things like touching a corpse, a dirty diaper, or a piece of pork. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (Mark 7:15–23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear.

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age, is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrews 9:14 gives you the answer: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

The answer is: Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death.

John Piper 

God Gave You a Conscience

“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

 

PONDER THIS

Conscience is that inner voice—the judge God has put within our breasts—that accuses us or excuses us for our actions. Now conscience can’t make you be good or bad: it’s just the alarm that goes off when you are wrong, or it’s peace that affirms when you do right. We hear people say, “Let conscience be your guide.” But that’s not a foolproof method. You can let conscience be your guide sometimes, but not all the time. You can only let conscience be your guide to the degree that God guides your conscience.

A good conscience is a conscience free of offense toward God and toward men. If you don’t have that kind of conscience, you’ll never be able to stand criticism or endure persecution.

If you want to have a good conscience before God and men, you must ask if there is any unconfessed sin in your heart. The next question is if there are any problems between you and a brother or sister that you’ve not made right. I’m not talking about what they have done to you; I’m talking about what you have done to them. Have you offended somebody? If so, you need to deal with these sins and confess them to God—repenting and pursuing reconciliation with Him and with those you’ve offended.

What is your default reaction when you offend someone? What does a Christ-like response look like?

What is the state of your conscience? Does it bother you or are you at peace like Paul?

PRACTICE THIS

If needed, pursue reconciliation with someone you have offended.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Have a Clear Conscience?

PRAY OVER THIS

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:20-22

 

PONDER THIS

Imagine you and your spouse are having one of those arguments that can be heard about three blocks away. Christians can do this. They take their eyes off the Lord and they're at one another's throats. Whatever else they're doing, they are not dwelling together as heirs of the grace of life. Imagine right after this argument and the storming off, the mother goes in to check on the baby and she comes out with a frightened look on her face. The baby is very sick and you're both believers and you know you need to pray. What happens? Usually, at that moment, you feel like fools praying in that atmosphere, that hostility, that venom, but you know what you do? You say, “I'm so sorry, I was wrong, I was a fool, forgive me.” She says, “It was my fault too” and you reconcile. After that, the conscience is clear, the assurance is back, and you can pray. But you cannot pray with a condemning heart. When you still have enmity between one another you won’t be united in prayer. If you don't have a good conscience, you cannot have great confidence, and if you don't have great confidence, you can't get your prayers answered. Love gives a good conscience and when love gives a good conscience, love gets great confidence.

When have you lost sight of your identity in Christ in a hard moment?

Why is reconciliation with others so important in the Christian life?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider the last angry argument you had. If you have not already, pursue peace with the person with whom you were angry.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Can Our Conscience be Our Guide?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” 1 John 3:19-23

 

PONDER THIS

When you have love in your heart, you’re going to find a wonderful thing—your conscience will be clear. Your conscience is not an enemy; it is a friend, something unique put in you that God did not put into animals. Have you ever thought about it? Animals can’t blush and animals can’t laugh. A little boy once called the conscience the part of us that feels bad when everything else feels good. But that’s not really true. That may be the world’s frivolous definition of conscience, but it’s that part that God has put in each of us, to focus our actions and make moral judgments. The Bible teaches that everyone should have a good conscience. For believers in Jesus, the conscience is driven by the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 24:16, Paul said, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” In Christ, when I learn to love and live by love, I’m going to have a good conscience. And when I have a good conscience, I’m going to have great confidence. And when I have great confidence, I’m going to have a gracious communion. The Holy Spirit will be whispering to my heart that I belong to Jesus and He to me.

When was a time you remember the Holy Spirit led you by your conscience?

How is this different than the way people outside of Jesus recognize the conscience?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider where God might be leading you by His Spirit today. Respond in obedience.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Only Conscience-Cleanser

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

Here we are in the modern age — the age of the Internet, smartphones, space travel, and heart transplants — and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. And our consciences bear witness.

We can cut ourselves, or throw our children in the sacred river, or give a million dollars to charity, or serve in a soup kitchen, or a hundred forms of penance or self-injury, and the result will be the same: The stain remains and death terrifies.

We know that our conscience is defiled — not with external things like touching a corpse, a dirty diaper, or a piece of pork. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (Mark 7:15–23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear.

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age, is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrews 9:14 gives you the answer: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

The answer is: Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death.

John Piper 

Are You Approaching God Unhindered?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22

 

PONDER THIS

How do you get your prayers answered? Begin by having a good conscience—one that is clear before God. What does that do? It gives you a great confidence, and you can come to God and ask in His name for your prayer to be answered. Answered prayer is not for rebels. Answered prayer is not for those whose hearts are filled with hate. The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). That’s a prayer promise we don’t like to quote. Here’s an illustration. Have you ever read in 1 Peter 3:7 where Peter told husbands and wives how to dwell together as heirs of the grace of life? Peter went on to say the reason for this was so that their prayers may not be hindered. This is one example of what it looks like to live in such a way that our prayers are not hindered. All of God’s people are called to live this way, whatever their circumstances.

What needs to change for you to live with a clear conscience before God?

How does living with a clear conscience give you the confidence to come before God?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today to confess before God anything you have held back from Him so that your conscience might be clear, and you might approach Him unhindered.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Only Conscience-Cleanser

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

Here we are in the modern age — the age of the Internet, smartphones, space travel, and heart transplants — and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. And our consciences bear witness.

We can cut ourselves, or throw our children in the sacred river, or give a million dollars to charity, or serve in a soup kitchen, or a hundred forms of penance or self-injury, and the result will be the same: The stain remains and death terrifies.

We know that our conscience is defiled — not with external things like touching a corpse, a dirty diaper, or a piece of pork. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (Mark 7:15–23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear.

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age, is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrews 9:14 gives you the answer: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

The answer is: Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death.

John Piper