A GOOD CONSCIENCE
[p. 198] A GOOD CONSCIENCE
We have examples of prophetic ministry in the Old Testament where it appears in relation to what is immediately current to correct some evil, as in the case of Rehoboam. The king of Egypt came up with a mighty army to attack him, and the prophet appeared to point out the cause of the attack; it was corrective. The king and his princes humbled themselves, and there was a certain relief granted, a measure of it. And then in the case of Asa, there was an attack with a great number, a million men from Ethiopia, and no prophet appeared to point out an evil; it was an attack to bring out what was of God. God may allow the enemy to attack us to correct an evil, and to point out the evil so that we might judge it. Then again, He may allow the enemy to attack us, as evident today in certain parts, to bring out what is of Himself, for He loves to bring it out to show how it stands. It is fragrant to Him, the work of God in His people standing up against an attack, maintaining what is of God in the presence of it. In the case of Asa, there was no prophetic word before the attack, but there was after, after a great victory granted over the attack of a million men. Asa knew what to say to God. He spoke to God of Himself, and God helped and gave a wonderful victory. And then the prophet appeared to him in view of another attack, to prepare, to buttress the position against it. So it is clear that prophetic ministry may have these two features.
We have to be guarded against the future, if God is pleased to leave us here, as well as in regard to the present, and I was thinking of conscience, a word that has come into great prominence; governments [p. 199] are taking account of it, taking account of it not only as they would have it in themselves, because I suppose so-called christian governments would profess to have a national conscience, more or less; but only in the saints can you get a good conscience; you cannot get it in an unconverted man, although men have a conscience to some extent of right and wrong. A good conscience, a conscience according to God, can only be found in a christian, in a converted man, and consciences of christians and their prayers, have far more to do with national matters then even the statesmen, men that are handling them. We can pray for them, but the ones who have consciences according to God are the deciding influence.
It is therefore a matter of thanksgiving that governments themselves are coming to recognise conscience in persons converted to God. Peter uses the word ‘Christian’ alluding to persons suffering as such. Conscience does not appear with Adam’s creation, but as Adam sinned. It was a great mercy of God that conscience came in with sin. The position would be hopeless without that, and it has come into prominence now in an international way: governments are recognising a conscience in christians; perhaps they do not understand it, but anyway they admit that it is there, and it is for christians to show what a good conscience is.
The apostle Paul said, “Herein do I exercise myself”. That word is a very good one, “Herein do I exercise myself”. So that it is a prime element in the testimony, because the leader, the great apostle Paul, had exercise as to it. He did it deliberately, he exercised himself, that he might have a conscience void of offence towards God and man. Peter takes it up and says, “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully”. It is a very striking way to put the truth. Such a man does not compromise to avoid the suffering,
[p. 200] or to modify it, he actually endures grief because of it, as suffering wrongfully. He knows that he is suffering what is wrongly imposed. The present situation offers a very fine opportunity for christians to enhance before men the idea of a conscience that is of God; it is a divinely given thing; it was given as evil came into the world in order that there should be that in man that God could employ, could use to combat evil, to expose the evil causing suffering, and yet the sufferer is not retaliating, he is suffering, and what our dear brother has been saying is very good as dealing with current matters. We are born of God, and so this is a heart matter, and this matter of a dead body may be extended to a society. It says, “Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together”. The latter days are marked by association in a very striking way, that is, bodies being brought together, but only for the eagles to attack them, and we do not want to be in that which the eagles attack, dead bodies. We read, too, of tares being gathered together in a bundle; ‘tares’, as many of us know, is a word denoting an imitation. They are composed of the sons of the devil. A terrible word, and Matthew deals with that, sons of the devil. The devil sows the tares, so there is a direct action against Christ. The Lord says, let it grow. We cannot reform the world, christians are not here for that. The Lord says, leave them growing until harvest, and then they will be gathered up to be burned, and the burning involves eternal punishment, the weeping and gnashing of teeth. So that the idea of the carcase extends to a constituted body of men where there is no life at all, actuated by death, actuated by lawlessness. Thus where the carcase is, there the eagles shall be gathered together. So any association with them must be unclean, and there is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness. I have said all that in order to bring out the [p. 201] bearing of prophecy, that it bears on current matters, and also on future matters. It is no question of history, save to bring history in as exemplifying what is current.
So Paul, writing to Timotheus, says, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned”. The end of the position regulated by divine injunction is love out of a pure heart. We may love each other because of a certain affinity, certain traits that are appealing to us, but here it is a question of love out of a pure heart. The word ‘pure’ is very extensive in this sense. There are those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. The apostle insisted on the full thing — love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and faith unfeigned. That is the point in this epistle to Timothy; that is the end of the matter, to bring in and maintain here amongst the brethren, love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and faith unfeigned.
Peter in confirming this, in asserting this truth says, “This is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief”. God has ordered it governmentally that conscience in christians is being observed and recognised by governments; some do not, but we thank God for those who do; they do it because it has been forced upon them, and they have come to observe it. If we do not force it upon them, how will they ever know it? The thing is so important that we should bring it before them in such a forcible way that they are bound to recognise it; and God is in that. How does this come into public evidence? It is not hard to tell when a man is suffering grief, when he comes into his business in the morning; from the point of view before us it is a testimony. Nehemiah came in before the king, and his face was sad; there was a good cause for it, and the king noticed it. Nehemiah says, I was afraid.
[p. 202] It is right to have fear in that way, but then the fear of God is the first thing. But he was afraid that something might come up against him because of the sad countenance. The king said, There is something wrong, and Nehemiah gives a reason for his sadness. That is the idea, that my conscience is brought before persons by my sadness. I say to an employer, I am suffering grief; you are discharging me because of my conscience, because I cannot join a trades union. I wish to serve God, observe His commandments, and to do this I cannot join a union. He may be affected by what I say. That is how the matter comes before the public. So Peter says, “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief”. If a man has any right feeling he will say, That man has the fear of God in his heart, why should I ill-treat him? I am not saying definitely that he will say this, but he may and I give him the opportunity of saying it, and God may use it to bring out a testimony that may help thousands, even if I have to suffer. That is the idea of martyrdom, not simply that one man suffers, but that in doing so he establishes a principle before God and man, that men cannot but see. It may lead to a great change in public affairs. So Peter says, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God”. Carrying on this way before my employers or my fellow-workers, or before the tribunals for military service. I am suffering thus and God is honoured. Some of the men sitting in the tribunal may have a conscience themselves, maybe something hidden in their hearts that respects God and it may be drawn out. So that it is worth our while to maintain a good conscience: to get up in the morning and exercise myself, take exercise deliberately for a purpose — to have a conscience void of [p. 203] offence before God and men. Peter says, “What glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”, 1 Peter 2: 20, 21.
I could say a great deal more, but what I have said is enough to show that martyrdom for the truth, however small, brings certain things to the public, and God uses it. If a man ignores it, God will have to say to him, either here or hereafter. You know how the apostle Paul referred to Stephen, “I also was ... consenting unto his death”. He remembered that, and so it is that God sees everything, and He is bringing out what christianity really is, and it is a great opportunity opened up to us now to be true christians. God is bringing out the real thing, and as having part in it we have this testimony, that we please God. This matter of suffering for conscience is pleasing to God, and He gives us that testimony, and what could be more precious than the sense that I am pleasing to God, even if I am suffering?