An Approving Conscience Devotion 4 of 11

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14). "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:22)

WHAT IS THE COMMANDMENT IN REFERENCE?

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (1 Tim 1:5) The "commandment" to which Paul refers is his charge to Timothy. Remember how he referred to his own calling? "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by THE COMMANDMENT of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope" (1 Tim 1:1). It is the commandment of God regarding ministry--the summons to involvement in His eternal purpose. Paul himself was given a commandment concerning his Apostleship. This is intended to reveal the purpose for which Paul was placed into the Apostleship. It was not a religious career, like that of a Pharisee, or today's clergy. He was "put into the ministry" (1 Tim 1:12) for the purpose of enabling men to have love out of a pure heart, faith unfeigned, and a good conscience. Where these are not targeted, the work of God is NOT being done. A message that can be embraced without producing this fruit is a false and erroneous message, regardless of how hoary it is with theological age. God wants people to have pure hearts that express love. He desires for unpretentious faith to dominate the individual. His objective is for all to have cleansed and uncondemning consciences. That is why He sent Paul to the Gentiles, and that is why Paul admonished Timothy. This is the objective of kingdom work. It is of deep concern that so little of this sort of emphasis is found in contemporary religion. Its glaring absence confirms that we are living in the midst of a great apostasy. Notice that Paul contrasts this triple objective with variant religious trends. "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do" (1 Tim. 1:4). The remarkable thing about these words is that they vividly describe much of the novel religious teaching of our day. It also accounts for the debilitating absence of a "good conscience" in millions of professed believers. There is always a penalty to be paid when delusions are heard and accepted. No one will feel at home in the presence of the Lord who was not first at home before His Word. Keeping the commandment--retaining it in our heart--is requisite to obtaining a good conscience. The person with an approving conscience will say with the Psalmist, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psa 119:11).

-- TOMORROW: THE FUTILITY OF THE LAW --