BULLETIN ARTICLE – 11 November 2018
How will your daily behaviour as a believer in Jesus at your home and at work, stand up to scrutiny?
In his life as a believer in the resurrected Jesus, Apostle Paul’s stand was to “strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man” (Acts 24:16). A clear conscience is a testimony where our hearts do not accuse us and we stand confident before an omnipresent and holy God.
In Acts 24 we find Paul standing accused by the High Priest Ananias before Governor Felix in Caesarea. The Jerusalem Temple leaders, through Tertullus the lawyer, accused Paul of charges that could easily incriminate him if Governor Felix was persuaded to believe them. According to Tertullus, Paul stirred up “riots among the Jews all over the world”, which would discredit Governor Felix’s ability to control his province. The lawyer also claimed that Paul was also a ringleader of a new Nazarene sect (in the Roman Empire, no new religion was recognised). Furthermore, he charged that Paul desecrated the Temple and caused an outbreak of violence that resulted in his arrest by the Roman commander in Jerusalem.
In his defence, Paul described how he “strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man” as a devote Jew. His visit to the Jerusalem Temple was to worship with fellow Jews. He did not have any controversial discussion with the Temple leaders, much less start a “riot among the Jews all over the world”. He undertook the purification rites having come from mission among the Gentiles, knowing full well the likely accusation he would receive had he not done it. This reflected that he served the same God as his accusers and kept the Jewish religious rites. His visit to Jerusalem was to bring the financial collections and offerings from the churches in Asia for the Jerusalem Christians. The only difference he had with his accusers was that he held the conviction that Jesus was the Messiah who was resurrected from the dead. There was no evidence nor any eyewitness that could support the accusations he was charged with. In addition, Paul was given every opportunity and means to bribe Governor Felix (who was waiting for it), yet he did not.
How did Paul show that he “strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man”? He obeyed the Jewish religious rites because he believed in the Torah as the Word of God. As a disciple of Jesus, Paul was not forgetful of his specific calling at the point of his salvation. He was “to proclaim my (Jesus) name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). The opportunities he had with Governor Felix were not spent trying to secure his innocence, rather on “faith in Christ Jesus”, “righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come”.
Living with a “conscience clear before God and man” is vital because, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21-22). As we live our Christian lives we must always honour human relationships and be in readiness to share in God’s kingdom work and for his glory.
