CONSCIENCE without Offense

[GARY WALKER]

Conscience without offense

    In Acts 24:16, Paul, speaking to Felix, a Roman governor, said:
"I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men."

    Among the things that Paul was striving, was to have his conscience clean, without offense, toward God and men. In contrast to him, some others followed/follow another way regarding conscience.

 In I Timothy 4:1-2 we read:
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron"

    In the very opposite of the clean conscience we have the seared conscience. This is the amputated conscience that is unable to feel, for it is seared. It is the apathetic conscience that has been numbed and which is now indifferent and lax, as the heart of the respective man. However, this was not the conscience of Paul, nor can it be the conscience of a man that walks in fellowship with the living God. When there is fellowship with Him nothing can remain dead: it is resurrected. The fellowship with the living God gives life to conscience / heart and only with an alive conscience can one walk with Him. Returning to Paul, he didn’t sear his conscience to face pain and opposition, but in contrast he strove to have his conscience always clean, without any offence or laxity that would make him apathetic. What Paul preached, he was also. He was striving to have a conscience without offense, a clean heart, toward God and men.

 May we also have the same mind, striving as well to have the same alive conscience, the same clean heart, without offence towards God and men.

[Christine]

What are some ways we can work these truths into our lives TODAY? How does one DO this "keeping a clear conscience thing" without becoming overly focused on what others think? ( We are always going to get opposition to the "message", so it can't be referring to THAT!)

Comments?

[Lu]

Speaking the truth in love, kindness, and caring.
This is where the fruit of the Spirit comes in:
longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control.  Do not repay evil for evil.
I think ?   

YFIC,  Lu

[Christine]

Speaking the truth in love, kindness, and caring.
This is where the fruit of the Spirit comes in:
longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control.  Do not repay evil for evil.
I think ?   

YFIC,  Lu

That sure is a good start, isn't it Lu? Is this where allowing Christ to live His life in and thru us comes in as well? Does this necessarily guarantee that others will not be offended? What do you think? What should be the focus....clarity of the message, or being overly concerned that others might be offended at truth? What are we going to be judged by in the end? How we responded to truth and delivered it faithfully, or whether others saw us as "nice people" (which I am certainly "ALL for"  if it doesn't come at the cost of TRUTH.)

[Lu]

Speak the truth with clarity of the message and if they are offended try to retain self control.
Leave if necessary.  You can leave in good conscience knowing the truth was spoken and you did what you could.

YFIC,  Lu

[Oasis]

You hit that nail right on the head, Lu! 
I think the hardest part is leaving if necessary...and even harder is not wanting to get the last word in. 
Sometimes I think a discussion/debate can get to the point that it's better to not even respond.  Just step down, let it go, and know that you've planted the seed.

ybiC,
Kab

[MercyBreeze]

Kab, Lu, and Christine,

Well said... all of you.  There are no easy answers on how best to address one's conscience as it relates to man's perspective.  Often we're put into situations where it seems no matter what we do, someone will tell us that our actions are offensive.  And the common practice for many Christians across the board (grace believers or not) is to disregard such claims with an ultimate conclusion that goes something like this: "What you think doesn't matter... I live for Christ and Him alone."  Sadly, and much to the dismay of these disregarding conclusions, we are indeed responsible for the life we live before men.

Below is a short article that I wrote during the course of our Proverbs series earlier this year:

"So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:4

Page after page of the Kings and Chronicles tell the often redundant tale of men and tribes who either did right or did evil "in the sight of the Lord."  Each account is given at the end of a reign so as to define the view of God regarding how that period ought to be described.  Among the first of these is the author of Proverbs, whose story can be summed up with the following: "Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father" (I Kings 11:6).  This truth may shock many who rightly praise King Solomon as the wisest of all men. 

When called on the carpet for their actions or their conduct, a common trend among modern believers is to use God as their out.  In other words, we jump on the bandwagon of saying that our testimony is only before God and what man thinks is irrelevant.  Using Scripture as a proof-text, many will run to passages that speak against being "menpleasers" (Ephesians 6:6-7; Colossians 3:22-23; I Thessalonians 2:4, Galatians 1:10).  We are correct if we understand the error of living to gain glory among men (I Corinthians 3:21), but when it becomes our scapegoat to live as we please regardless of anyone else, this is an even greater error that proves we did not and do not fully recognize our place in this world.

Standing before Felix in the governor's court, the Apostle Paul testified that he had "a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16).  Perhaps most strikingly, he speaks to the Romans noting that they who are servants to Christ are both "acceptable to God" and "approved of men" (Romans 14:18).  The contrast is drawn more clearly when Paul speaks to the Corinthians declaring that they "be not the servants of men" (I Corinthians 7:22-23) while later saying that he has been made a "servant to all" (I Corinthians 9:19) for the sake of man's salvation (I Corinthians 10:33).

As the Lord remains patient in His grace, we as believers remain a "spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men" (I Corinthians 4:9). Therefore, Paul affirms that we should be "careful to maintain good works" as they are "good and profitable unto men" (Titus 3:8 ).  Likewise, we are not to "render evil for evil unto any man" as that would be contrary to the grace we have received and live to illustrate before "all men" (Romans 12:17; I Thessalonians 5:15).  Such practical lessons are wrapped up in the interest of "providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (II Corinthians 8:21).

Here we return to Proverbs after surveying the ageless wisdom of our testimony before God and man.  As the last passage makes clear, an honest life is not merely witnessed "in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men."  Thus, he who walks by the light of "mercy and truth" and does not forget what he has been taught shall "find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."  When you find favor in the eyes of men, there is an open door to share the gospel.  Live not to please man; rather, live for the cause of his salvation.

There are no easy answers for the conscience.  Nor are there any easy answers when it comes to how we must conduct ourselves before man.  Hope the above article helps a little bit.

Have a great weekend, guys!

Grace and peace.

In Christ Alone,

Jeremy

[Oasis]

Jeremy

Often we're put into situations where it seems no matter what we do, someone will tell us that our actions are offensive.  And the common practice for many Christians across the board (grace believers or not) is to disregard such claims with an ultimate conclusion that goes something like this: "What you think doesn't matter... I live for Christ and Him alone." 

Hi  Jeremy,

Good thoughts in your post. 

Some of the above can also come from:
-Clashing personalities.  You know, like two type A's who's nature it is not to give ground at any cost.
-One party in a discussion being overly sensitive to the point of seeing aggression or an attack in everything said by one or more participants.
-One in authority being too protective of those he/ she is responsible for, to the point of ruining any chance for good Scriptural discussion.

I like Christine's response to Lu's comments.

Lu said

Quote from: Lu on April 02, 2008, 03:07:49 PM
Speaking the truth in love, kindness, and caring.
This is where the fruit of the Spirit comes in:
longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control.  Do not repay evil for evil.
I think ?   

YFIC,  Lu

Christine responded

That sure is a good start, isn't it Lu? Is this where allowing Christ to live His life in and thru us comes in as well? Does this necessarily guarantee that others will not be offended? What do you think? What should be the focus....clarity of the message, or being overly concerned that others might be offended at truth? What are we going to be judged by in the end? How we responded to truth and delivered it faithfully, or whether others saw us as "nice people" (which I am certainly "ALL for"   if it doesn't come at the cost of TRUTH.)

Unity in the Truth should always be strived for,
but not at the cost of being unified
to the point of the message being muddied.

Have a great day all!

ybiC,
Kab

[Christine]

Thanks for your thoughts, Jeremy. They are always appreciated.

[MaricoG]

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