Good Conscience

God's prophesies regarding Jesus Christ, His eternal kingdom, and the resurrection of the dead must be properly honored.

Paul told Timothy to "Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some" (2 Timothy 2:14-18).

The kingdom of God, in view of the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, calls for a pure heart not given to striving about unprofitable words. "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). The kingdom must be manifest among us in grace and peace "as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:3-4).

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

Like Hymenaeus and Philetus who strayed away from the truth, Alexander the coppersmith did much harm to the Apostle Paul and his ministry. Concerning Hymenaeus and Alexander, and as an example of how to deal with blasphemers, Paul refers to them as, "Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1:20). Then Paul goes on to say, "May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words" (2 Timothy 4:14-15).

In saying "May the Lord repay him," we see Paul did not avenge himself for the harm done to himself and to his ministry. Rather, Paul teaches saying, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). God has also spoken saying, "If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who hate Me" (Deuteronomy 32:41). We leave blasphemers to Satan for God's wrath, so they would learn to honor the Lord. Yet, we ourselves must honor God's truth with a pure heart and a good conscience. We must honor the Lord who has said, "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (Matthew 5:44-46).

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:28-29). We are to "strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men" (Acts 24:16), "by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God" (2 Corinthians 4:2), "holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience" (1 Timothy 3:9), allowing the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, to "cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:14).