Don't Shipwreck Your Faith - Keep A Clean Conscience

July 2015

Dear Friend,

As I write this letter to you, I also take it as a reminder to myself that the contents of this letter has been written for my own benefit as well.

Paul; writing to his spiritual son Timothy: a young pastor of the church in Ephesus, encouraged him to stay firmly rooted in his calling, reminding him of prophecies made about him, and that the way he was to continue walking out that calling was through fighting the good fight according to those prophecies as we can read:

1 Tim 1:18 (NKJV)

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 

It is unknown as to what the exact content of those prophecies were, but what we do know is that Timothy was spurred on to continue being a pastor to the Ephesian Church and pursue the call until his martyrdom in approximately AD 97.

In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon described the value of a prophetic word where he stated that without it, the people would perish or cast off their restraints in some translations (Prov 29:18). The word used for 'vision' in this proverb literally meant to prophesy. When there is a genuine word of prophecy given, it would give the one who received it encouragement and boldness to pursue the plan that God placed on his or her life.

Notice however that Paul didn't stop there. He continued writing his instructions to Timothy and gave two things that Timothy was to have that (in my opinion) helped him hold fast to the prophecies and fight the good fight of faith. Continue reading verse 19 

1 Timothy 1:19 (NKJV)

having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

Paul wrote to Timothy that he needed faith and a good conscience if he wanted to continue fighting that fight of faith. We know Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome that faith comes by continually hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). We also know that God has given to each and every one of us a measure of faith (Rom 12:3). We understand faith to be the placing of our absolute trust and confidence in God, that what He promises, He is also able to perform (Rom 4:21).

Therefore it is interesting that Paul wrote of how other people had 'suffered shipwreck' concerning their faith. It is even more interesting when you read it in the Amplified version as to how they managed shipwrecked their faith:

1 Timothy 1:19 (AMP)

Holding fast to faith (that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) and having a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith. 

By reading the above statement, we can see that Paul made one thing clear: the secret to maintaining a strong vibrant faith in God was found in having a good (or clear) conscience.

Merriam Webster defines the word conscience as "the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong". 

If we want to look at the Bible definition for the word 'conscience', Strong's Concordance breaks the word into two root words; which when put together can be taken to literally mean 'see the resemblance'. For there to be a resemblance, we have to know what we're comparing our actions against, and there is no greater standard of comparison than the Word of God. 

The writer of the book of Hebrews describes the Word as sharper than a two-edged sword, able to divide between the soul and the spirit and discern the very thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12). THIS is the standard that we are to use in the examining of our conscience to determine whether it is clear.

Make no mistake about it, if you want to maintain a strong vibrant faith, you must have a clear conscience. And that can only come from being a doer of the Word (James 1:21).

Paul recognized the importance of a clear conscience and he always made a concerted effort to keep it clear. In his defence before the Jews, he stated:

Acts 24:16 (NKJV)

This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

The Amplified translation brings it out even more:

Acts 24:16 (AMP)

Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. 

A conscience that is clear, unshaken and blameless is a conscience that will not desire to sin against God or be offensive towards man. That is the kind of conscience that helps maintain a strong faith. A man whose conscience is not clear will live a life of insecurity and fear, never able to fully put his trust in God to deliver him when he needs it. Such a man has truly shipwrecked his faith because of his conscience. 

Paul wrote later in his letter to Timothy, warning him of what was to come in the later years. There is a prophetic significance in this as it also speaks of the times that we live in, the End Times. This was his warning:

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV)

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 

He also warned in his second letter to Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:2-3 (NKJV)

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

People who have had their consciences seared are people who cannot believe what the Word says. They cannot bring themselves to believe God at the time when they need him the most. And they will go about causing others to stumble in their faith walk.

It will be a disaster for you and I to override our conscience because of our own desires that run contrary to what the Living Word says. We'll go through life not fully confident in our faith towards God when we need Him the most.

I strongly urge you, whatever you do, don't go against your conscience. Keep it clear before God. Keep it clear towards men. Pursue the plan of God with fervor. Don't shipwreck your faith. Have a strong faith because you kept your conscience clear. 

Blessings

Ken