A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE

Acts 24 (v.16)

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

January 13, 2008

Conscience: there it is again for the apostle Paul. It seems to be a common theme for him as we look at his New Testament letters, but especially when brought before authorities to defend himself. When Paul was first arrested by the Romans in Jerusalem and accused by the leaders of the Jewish Council, he began his defense by looking straight at them and saying, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” [i]

But it didn’t go well at all for Paul in Jerusalem. A plot was made by some Jews to kill Paul. But, once revealed to the Roman authorities, Paul was transferred under cover of night by army escort to Caesarea.

Caesarea was the capital of the province of Judea and served as the official home of the procurators. These were Roman military officers having administrative powers and authority as an agent of the Emperor. If Paul at first thought it might go better for him in Caesarea, he would’ve remembered quickly who was in charge. Antonius Felix was the procurator at the time. At one time Felix was a slave, then a freedman. He then rose in various degrees of influence in the Roman government, eventually becoming the procurator of Judea in AD 52 by order of Emperor Claudius. He only remained in office for eight years until 60 AD, however, when Emperor Nero recalled him. You see, Felix was a man of ill repute, cruel and greedy, and unworthy of anyone’s trust. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that Felix practiced “every kind of cruelty and lust, wielding the power of a king with the instincts of a slave.”[ii]

Obviously, Felix had little moral awareness or moral inclination. We see this in his choice of Drusilla as his wife. She was a daughter of Herod Agrippa II (a son of Herod the Great), which brought a certain kind of influence to him. As for Drusilla, this was a second marriage for her, divorcing her first husband and marrying Felix for improved personal gain.

We are given a view of Felix’s character in the concluding verses of the chapter. In private meetings between Felix, Drusilla and Paul, we are told: “As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’ At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.”

Sometimes we speak of a person with no conscience or little conscience, and it appears that Felix had little conscience. What a portrait in contrasts of conscience between Felix the governor and Paul the prisoner!

BUT PERHAPS WE OUGHT TO STOP

and REMIND OURSELVES

WHAT A CONSCIENCE IS.

Conscience can be defined as a kind of inner, moral awareness in a person. One definition states that it is the “human capacity to reflect upon the degree to which one’s behavior has conformed to moral norms.”[iii] Because moral norms can differ from culture to culture, so it is that states of conscience can differ. But for the Christian believer, the ultimate standards or norms come not from culture, nor from peer pressure, but from those standards established by God. Adherence to those standards leads to a good conscience that is willing to examine one’s motives, as well as one’s behavior.

And this is what we see in the Apostle Paul, don’t we. Speaking in his own defense, Paul challenged the prosecuting lawyer’s accusations and countered the three accusations raised against him. In doing so, he spoke of his conformity to God’s standards: “I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Paul took pains and endeavored to maintain a good conscience, acting in such a way that his motives and conduct would not be displeasing to God or harmful to others.

So far as Paul was concerned regarding his conscience, he wanted to do all that God required by believing all that God had spoken, doing all that God required, and in offering to God the kind of service He approves. And Paul, taking great pains to do so, could thus stand before them in good conscience.

And at the end of his life a few years later, though never claiming perfection, he could yet reflect back upon his life and note that he had done in all good conscience what he had been called to do: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” [iv]

IF WE WANT TO FOLLOW

PAUL’S EXAMPLE

IN PURSUING A GOOD CONSCIENCE,

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

Based upon Paul’s life and that of others in the Bible, let me suggest at least three steps for us to take.

I

ANCHOR OUR CONSCIENCE

IN SCRIPTURE – IN THE BIBLE.

Again, our conscience can be guided externally by culture or peer pressure, or internally by our own self-interests and concerns. But for the Christian, for the follower and disciple of Christ, the standard for motive and conduct is the Bible.

As I considered Paul standing in trial before those holding his life in balance, I couldn’t help but think of another standing trial for his faith some 1500 years later. You probably know the story – of the courageous Reformer – an Augustinian monk, standing before the most powerful authorities in all the world. There was Emperor Charles V, heir to a 1,000-year-old Empire and all the power behind it. There were representatives of Rome, Spanish troops dressed in their parade best, German dignitaries, electors, bishops, princes, and representatives of great cities. Asked to renounce all the books he had written, Martin Luther knew what might happen if he didn’t. Luther wasn’t anxious to become a martyr, but he knew he had to take a stand, and so he did:

Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds and reasoning – and my conscience is captive to the Word of God – then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen. [v]

Luther had it right – his conscience was anchored to and held captive by God’s Word, God’s revealed truth. As such, it wasn’t “safe nor wise” to act against such a well-grounded conscience. And that’s true for us as well. We may not have to stand before Holy Roman Emperors, but we do have to take our stand several times a day: in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and places of work. So we had best find a means in having a good conscience, and that is in having a conscience anchored to and grounded in God’s Word.

II

LISTEN TO AND OBEY

OUR CONSCIENCE.

While a good conscience is one that is anchored to Scripture, that goes only so far as having an informed conscience. A sense of awareness of what is good and right must also be acted upon, listening to what is right in thought and motive, and then the final step of obedience; again, in one word – action!

As a Midwesterner now transplanted in New England (and gratefully so), I thoroughly enjoy the coast, including lighthouses and the attending seascape. Not only do lighthouses intrigue me in their different architecture, but also in their value of guiding ships to safety. Many a ship and crew have been saved because of the place of a lighthouse.

Dr. Clarence Macartney, a Presbyterian pastor of another generation, saw an even greater significance of the lighthouse, as he once wrote:

What would you think of a ship’s captain who, sailing off a dangerous coast, saw suddenly through the clouds and the mist a flash of a lighthouse but, instead of at once altering his course, decided to go on a little farther and wait for a second or third flash? He would be guilty, you say, of criminal folly and carelessness. Yet as captain and master of your own soul, do you not often act as foolishly as the captain of that ship? Do not tamper with your conscience. Do not lightly dismiss, as only an inherited prejudice, the distinction which it makes between good and evil. Muffle not that warning bell. If it kept you awake last night, thank God that even if you did sin, at least your conscience condemned you for your transgression – and the (Holy) Spirit has not departed from you!” [vi]

How we need to pay attention to that “lighthouse” and follow through with our conscience with action!

III

BUT REMEMBER, FINALLY,

THAT GOD IS THE ULTIMATE JUDGE

OF OUR CONSCIENCE and OUR LIVES.

When one reads Paul’s letters to the churches, it seems he was often on trial in one way or another. The Corinthians often gave Paul a hard time, with some in the church questioning his character and his position as an apostle. But he defended himself with integrity, seeking to maintain a good conscience and conduct.

On one occasion, Paul made his position clear: “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.” [vii] Yes, ultimately, the Lord is our Judge.

You may recall the wonderful story of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo’s novel. As the story unfolds, Jean Valjean, an escaped ex-convict, has assumed a new name and become a prosperous mayor in a provincial town. But he soon learns that an old man in a neighboring town has been arrested for stealing apples and has been identified as Jean Valjean. A crisis in his soul appears: should he keep quiet and enjoy his new life, or reveal his identity and be sent to the gallows?

That night brought with it a calamity of conscience. He first sought to destroy all evidence of his former life. But by the dawn of the next day, he would be found in that courtroom, identifying himself as the real Jean Valjean. Some thought him mad while others pitied him for such a sacrifice. But as Valjean was escorted from the courtroom, he said: “All of you consider me worthy of pity, do you not? When I think what I was on the point of doing, I consider that I am to be envied. God, who is on high, looks down on what I am doing at this moment, and that suffices.”

Oh, dear friends, a matter of conscience is of supreme importance. So anchor your conscience to the Word of God, Listen to your conscience and obey, and remember that God is the ultimate Judge of our conscience and our lives.