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The secret of a clear conscience
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Tuesday, June, 22, 2010
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by John Fischer
"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." (1 Corinthians 4:3-4)
Wouldn't we all like to know the secret of a clear conscience? Well here it is. We have talked a lot about judging in previous Catches, but very little about what to do when you are the one being judged. The answer is actually pretty much the same. It stands to reason. If we are not to judge others, then we should not allow ourselves to be judged by anyone. Now of course we can't control what someone does to us, but we can refuse to allow it to concern us. Or as Paul put it, "I care very little if I am judged by you."
Why do you suppose he can say that? On what basis is he able to disregard the judgment of others? On the basis that the Lord is the only judge that matters to Paul. Paul knows that he has already been accepted by the Lord, so who cares what anyone else thinks?
Don't you wish you could live this way? You can. Just do the same thing.
Paul's clear conscience is not because he is innocent, but because he has brought everything he knows about to the Lord.
Keep a short record. Bring your sins immediately before the Lord as soon as you are aware of them. Leave them there at the cross and walk on through to your new life in Christ. Will you be perfect? No. You'll just be perfectly clear.
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