TEXT: Acts 23:1

"And Paul looking steadfastly on the council said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day."

Definition: Conscience (Greek suneidesis —compound of sun, together, and eideo, to see, or know) means, the power of judging ourselves. which is always in accordance with the knowledge of ourselves, and the relations in which we stand to our Creator and fellow creature.

A. EVIL (when polluted with guilt) Heb. 10:22

B. WEAK (when knowledge is limited) 1 Cor. 8:7.

C. GOOD (when in harmony with laws of God) 1 Tim. 1:5

D. PURE (when free from accusation) 2 Tim. 1:3; Acts 24:16

(a) Every accountable individual is possessor of one of some kind. No matter what kind, it was trained by its possessor, and is the product of that training.

A. WOUNDED 1 Cor. 8:12

B. SEARED 1 Tim. 4:2

C. PURGED Heb. 9:14

D. STRENGTHENED 1 Cor. 8:10

A. TO ACCUSE John 8:9

B. TO EXCUSE Rom. 2:15

(4) A Good Conscience Necessary If We Would:

A. Serve God acceptably 2 Tim. 1:3

B. Put our adversary to shame. Pet. 3:16

C. Keep our faith intact 1 Tim. 1:19

A. By Faith (not faith only, or alone) Acts 15:9

B. By Obedience 1 Pet. 1:22

C. By Blood of Christ Heb. 9:14

(a) Christ’s blood shed in death. Sinner comes in contact with Blood in Baptism,Rom.6:3,4.

A. By Knowledge (1 Cor. 8:7); B.

B. By Example (verse 10);

C. By Fidelity (1 Pet. 2:19, 20).

(a) Most dangerous person in world is one who ignores conscience; This done and any sinmay be committed: even murder

(b) The nucleus of Christ’s Church in its infancy was the pick and cream of a chosen race who submitted to the promptings of a Conscience rightly taught.

Example: Acts 2:37-41.