FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE.1st Timothy 1:19 The essence of true faith is a transformed life that involves a new attitude toward God and His people. There will be a Christ-like nature in us, and our godly living will be evident to those who know us. Genuine faith and good deeds come naturally to a believer in Christ, in whom God's Spirit dwells, fostering lively faith. A mark of God's people is an awareness of sin and a hatred for it. There will be an inner compassion for the lost and a desire to see them saved. There will be a sense of justice and fairness within the community they belong to. They will recognize that faith and action go hand in hand. The words they speak and their manner of speaking will be respectful, not crude or embarrassing. They will speak with grace and sincerity, knowing that their testimony of faith relies on their good speech.
A believer understands the difference between worldly wisdom and wisdom that is from above. Children of God want to please their heavenly Father and will turn away from evil with a desire to obey their Lord. There is a sense of trust in the Lord and a rejection of reliance on one's plans, possessions, and final authority. Patience will follow times of difficulty because they have learned from their Master, "who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame."
A good conscience and faith go hand in hand. Maintaining a good conscience means keeping our faith in Christ as a treasure and doing what we know is right because of God's will now and His blessing in the future. When we exercise faith with a good conscience, we are aware of God working through us to benefit others. If we ignore our conscience, we tend to harden our hearts, and eventually, we will not be able to distinguish between right and wrong. God speaks to us through our conscience and His word to give us the standards of righteousness by which we live. Our conscience stays clear when we do what is right.
Some things go together like a hand and a glove. Each one is deeply affected by the other. For example, faith and works—one without the other is lifeless. If you had light without love, the light would be harsh and unrelenting. An interesting fact to consider is that faith crosses party lines. Faith truly doesn’t work well without conscience. Faith can understand many things, but if it is placed in the wrong person or context, it can be harmful.
So, conscience comes alongside and is trustworthy, though occasionally seared. When a good conscience tells faith, “That person is someone to fear, " faith often finds it hard to admit it has trusted in something weak, unstable, and based on the wrong premise. Until conscience comes awake, faith is liable to make a mistake. When these two work together, power and safety are good. Faith deals with a power issue—conscience checks to see if they should make some changes in an action that, over time, has been well-proven. Conscience ensures that any change produces a real and lasting improvement.
Faith can jump forward in an instant if something convincing is said, and that is okay if the conscience is there to check the results when faith acts on spoken words. Together, these two good friends form a team that can truly work. Conscience may hold back too much, but faith insists they can do what God wants. How gracious and wise of God to plant these two in us. Each has its role to play, making work possible. I am responsible for being ready to act with love, grace, and mercy. Then faith and conscience together turn that work into an achievable reality.
I must commit myself to avoid any action that could lead a fellow Christian to sin or compromise his or her conscience. I don't need to abandon my convictions, but because I love the Lord’s people, I should watch over them to prevent anything that could negatively affect them. I do not have the right to do what I know is acceptable if it will cause them to stumble. Conversely, just because others may do something my conscience warns me against, I should neither judge them nor do what I believe I should avoid.
God didn’t create us to be independent but interdependent. What one person does can have a positive or negative impact on others. Faith in Christ and living by faith must be free of pride or a patronizing attitude toward others. It is only right to show respect, love, and patience toward others, and to exercise self-restraint so as not to offend others needlessly.
Believers who are strong in faith must sometimes be willing to give up their freedom to show love to their brothers and sisters in Christ and keep unity. Each Christian’s conscience guides what is right or wrong when the word of God does not address a specific issue. We are people with free will, and children of God need to respond to the power of their convictions while enjoying their freedom in Christ.
Trials define our faith. The hardships associated with faith in Christ will occur because the god of this world knows that living faith is motivated by divine power. Trials inevitably come, but to "count it all joy" when they come makes true faith apparent to those who do not have it.
Trials develop our faith when we have a positive outlook during them. We learn perseverance during testing times. Our character is revealed under the pressure of trials. The depth of our character is revealed under pressure, and testing times help us grow beyond what was previously normal to become more Christ-like. God promises to be with us when we "pass through the waters," allowing us to ask Him for the wisdom we need and remain patient during testing. The outcome will be what He wants for our good.
Trials bring God-given wisdom to help us make the right decisions in tough situations. When we ask God for wisdom, we realize it isn't separate from the suffering we may face but is the tool we use to learn the necessary actions for our circumstances. The wisdom we seek isn't just practical; it's divine wisdom that goes beyond everyday common sense. That's when we understand that trials endured are blessings. The divine wisdom given to us enables us to believe without doubting. Trials bring rewards from the Lord Himself. During testing times, we fully commit ourselves to God, knowing that trials bring out the best in us.
Doubt leaves a person unsettled. Trust in God to reveal what is best. Then, your decisions will be confident and firm. We can be assured of God's plans during testing, even if we don't understand them ourselves while going through it. He is shaping the character of His children to develop patience, just as He did with Joseph in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament. Through prayer, our Father grants us the wisdom we need.