Which would you rather go through life with, a conscience that is nearly always berating yourself because you do not believe you are reading enough, studying the Word of God enough, praying, contemplating, speaking on His behalf and for His glory enough? Or a life that realizes that He has called you to do you are doing to the best of the abilities that the Almighty has blessed you with?
“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” (Acts 24:16)
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Free of what?
Sin no longer has dominion over us for one thing, Satan must ask permission now anytime he desires to tempt or attack us beyond the boundaries the Most High has placed upon him towards those who are hid in Christ. So, really then, beyond those two incredible blessings, what have you been set free from?
You know what it means, what you should understand completely and without doubts, it is that guilty conscience, but our old nature will not let us forget who we once were, what at times we still desire, and perhaps worst of all, that we should never see ourselves as what we know ourselves to be, completely and totally forgiven.
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)
One of the greatest examples of this truth can be seen in our personal testimonies, more so towards those who profess to serve the Lord Jesus Christ than any of the wicked, especially if your past was what many might call exceptionally wicked. When speaking to them about your life before Christ their eyes will begin to widen, a look of almost amazing disgust will appear on their face, and generally they will either take a step back or excuse themselves from your presence.
But above all that if they do not hear great remorse in your voice, if tears of shame and hesitation are not present in your demeanor, if they do not believe you are sorry enough, repentant enough, if you speak of those things lightly, as if they hold no present value, they will not believe you are truly saved by grace through faith.
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1st Cor. 6:11)
There is no joy in the remembrance of those sinful acts, but there are no tears of shame either, they happened, they are a matter of fact, and they hold no power over us any longer, because the Lord Jesus Christ in His infinite mercy nailed them to His cross with Him.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1st John 2:2)
The old saying in this regard is a truth, “Until you have walked a mile in that person’s shoes.” And my friends, there are a lot of us who are the righteousness of God in Christ who committed sins far and above what many who sit in the pews of churches today would ever even imagine doing. And if you are not beyond remorseful when those past days happen to come up in a conversation, they will rarely if ever contemplate being in your presence ever again.
Because they do not know what it means to have a conscience cleared, to actually live life with the knowledge that they have been forgiven, they will never fully be free.
How do we who understand what has been written here live our lives, how do we approach each day and everything that arrives with it? Free. Free from the past, forgiven of every sin, with no chains of remorseful thoughts to keep us in bondage, with the reality of the truth of this verse.
“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” (Luke 7:47)
Living with a guilty conscience my friends, when you have been forgiven, is a sure-fire way to remove hope.
