Length: 5 minutes
As a believer, should you have a clean conscience if you tell a lie? Should you have a clean conscience if you steal something? Should you have a clean conscience if you hurt someone’s feelings? You can.
Now, I didn’t ask you if you thought those things were wrong. They certainly are. I didn’t ask you if you thought you SHOULD do those things. You shouldn’t. And I didn’t ask if you should apologize to anyone that you wrong. You should. But I asked if you that if you did one of those things, could you still maintain a clean conscience? All of those things I mentioned are wrong. All of those things I mentioned are sin. But if you have believed on Jesus, and you happen to do any of those things, you should absolutely still have a squeaky clean conscience. Let me explain.
Today in the church we suppose that if a Christian gets a bad feeling after they sin, that’s just a sign of repentance. Feeling rotten after you sin is a show that you have a healthy conscience, right? That grief is good and natural, right? After all, sin is bad (and it is).
If you believe these things, I think you’re missing something… or somebody. You’re talking about sin like nothing has been done about it. And sure, if nothing had been done about sin, go ahead and feel rotten. But maybe someone’s already felt rotten for your sin. And in that case, you’re wrong to feel rotten.
Hebrews 10:2 (NKJV) For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.
Hebrews 10:22 (NKJV) …let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…
I’m not saying that God wants us to sin, but I am saying that if you sin, you can do so with a clean conscience. Some of you are thinking, “Blasphemy! “But I would say that you’re blaspheming. You’re the one that’s trying to finish the work of Jesus, as if He didn’t do enough! And you would say, “How?“ Well, because Jesus came to bear the pain and grief that sin deserves. When you think you’re the one that has to bear grief or pain because of your sin, you’re just trying to finish up the work of Jesus as if it wasn’t enough!
Has there not been enough pain carried for your sin that you have to carry some more? Has there not been enough grief borne for your sin that you have to carry some more?
Your conscience can be good and clean even when you sin. If you can’t have a clean conscience even when you sin, then what’s the point in being righteous through Jesus at all? Jesus came to relieve our conscience (our consciousness of good and evil) from dead works.
Hebrews 9:14 (NKJV) …how much more shall the blood of Christ… CLEANSE your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Jesus didn’t just die for your sin so that you could continue carrying pain and grief for it. Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a clean conscience — free of guilt and condemnation. If you have to feel bad after you’ve sinned, then what did Jesus even do? I guess He didn’t feel bad enough for your sin. So, you have to repeat it.
Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him…
Having a clean conscience even when you do something wrong does not mean you agree with sin. Far from it! You simply agree that someone has already felt bad for it! You can still hold an opinion that sin is wrong and yet not have your conscience bothered by it, if you know what Jesus did for you at the cross.
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not a bothered conscience that keeps you from doing wrong (Judas hung himself in remorse and yet never repented – Mat. 27:4-5). It’s not your bothered conscience that causes to change your ways (Rom. 3:20). It’s the Holy Spirit that transforms you as you renew your mind to how perfectly clean you already are through Jesus.
2 Peter 1:9 (NKJV) For he who lacks these things (moral actions) is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
So am I saying that sinning should give you a good, clean feeling in your conscience? Nope! You shouldn’t have a clean conscience BECAUSE you sin, but you should have a clean conscience DESPITE your sin, BECAUSE of Jesus!
So, in summary, you go ahead and feel whatever grief for sin that you believe Jesus didn’t carry. For those of us that believe Jesus only carried partial grief for sin, you go ahead and bear the rest of it! For those of us that believe Jesus took ALL the grief and pain that sin deserves, we will live free of it!
So to answer my own question that I asked in the beginning: There’s a lot of things I don’t agree with, but yes, I can do anything with a good conscience, because my conscience has been purified by the blood of Jesus and by the punishment that He already took for me at the cross.
There’s been enough condemnation around here for one age. You can let it go now.
Share this with someone else today. Think about how much difference it could make in their life.
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