Clear Conscience

1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

How many times have I heard after someone has walked right into sin, “My conscience is clear.” They choose an affair rather than fidelity to their spouse, saying their spouse just didn’t love them the way they needed to be loved, or some other excuse. They steal from their company justifying it by saying they weren’t recognized or acknowledged for all they did.

A clear conscience doesn’t guarantee the the action was righteous. It might mean that your conscience has been seared like a steak on a hot grill, unable to feel anything. Having a conscience that is pricked by sin is a good thing. It helps us listen as we get close to the sin boundaries in our lives.

Paul is passionately working to persuade these believers in the city of Corinth that the Gospel still holds true. Some teachers have come and begun to teach some things contrary to the Gospel. They have made much of themselves and not much of Christ.They have occupied the Center Ring in the Big Top, the place only Jesus occupies.

He has called out some of the name-dropping that has happened by these people in order to elevate themselves and their ministry. Paul isn’t afraid to step right in the middle of the controversy. Someone has to do it, and Paul takes up the challenge on behalf of the Gospel.

It can be very difficult to determine what someone else’s motivation was for a particular action. We can’t read their heart and mind. We sometimes have a hard time determining our own motivation for our actions. Motivations can be very complicated and interconnected things. Most of the time they are a mix of different elements, some of which might be righteous.

Paul was honest enough to leave even his own conscience on the table. His own assessment was that it was clear, but he admits that this is not the final determination of righteousness. He submits it to the LORD as the final judge.

One thing I have found is that decisions that stand the test of time are complicated. The heavier the decision, the more that rides on the outcome, the more complicated they become. And for some decisions, the ultimate rightness of them will only be determined in the future.

So, as we make decisions today, pause and weigh your motivations. List the various pros and cons of your own internal battle. Be as honest as you can be with yourself. Pray. Seek godly counsel. Take into account all the known will of God. Then make the decision.

This kind of decision making will take time and effort to be done in the presence of the LORD, but when it is done this way, the outcome will likely reflect the character of the LORD to a greater degree than if we just do what we want, even if we have a clear conscience.