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Fruits of Faith: A Blameless Conscience – Acts 24
Fruits of Faith: A Blameless Conscience – Acts 24
As Paul defends himself before Felix, he makes this statement:
| 14 "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. (Acts 24:14-15). |
He ties his serving God to his Faith and hope:
· He Believes EVERYTHING that is in accordance with the Law and the prophets.
· He believes such in the face of opposition and in spite such not being politically correct for the day.
His hope is not in this life, this world, the people of this world, religious leaders but in God.
Knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die, the question has always been: “What then?” Paul understood it would be a resurrection. Such resurrection would be not only of the righteous, but also of the wicked. In other words, EVERYONE will be raised. This is the teaching of Jesus:
| 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:27-29). |
Such not only affirms the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked but the execution of judgment upon them for the lives that they lived. To the righteous: eternal life; and to the wicked: condemnation.
In light of such understanding, faith, and hope, Paul did his “best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men” (24:16). Such means to always do what you understand to be RIGHT. Such an understanding needs to be educated according to the word of God. When your understanding of right and wrong is itself wrong, you change your standard! Paul HAD thought at one time that denying Jesus as the Christ and persecuting the disciples of Jesus was the RIGHT thing to do. Then, with the appearing of Jesus to him and the proof of the resurrection, he became a follower of Jesus. He still lived in a way that would allow him a ‘blameless conscience’, only his conscience has not been conformed to the teachings of Jesus.
How is YOUR conscience? Have you educated it with the words of Jesus? Are doing your best to maintain always a blameless conscience?
Hugh DeLong
