Tag Archives: good conscience

Secure In Christ

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SECURE IN CHRIST

In it, only a few, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism what now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who had gone into heaven and who is at God’s right hand, with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him. (1 Peter 3: 17b-20)

Is Peter really teaching that baptism saves? What does this obscure passage mean?

We cannot make a doctrine out of these verses alone. We have to read this passage in the context of other Scriptures.  When we put Paul’s teachings together with Peter’s, they are definitely not teaching that baptism is the way to salvation as some denominations insist.

Let’s look at the story of the flood since Peter used Noah and the ark to illustrate the meaning of baptism.

Noah and his family did not escape the flood. The deluge of rain fell on them as well as on all the wicked people God wanted to destroy. The difference was that Noah and his family were protected by the ark. It was the ark in the water that saved them from drowning. They were as much a part of the judgment that fell on the earth on all the people who perished as on them, but in the ark they were safe. They reappeared after the earth had been purged of all the wicked people as though they had risen from the dead.

How does this compare with salvation? Although Peter does not specifically mention that those who believe in Jesus are ‘in Christ’, this is the reality that has taken place. Just as Noah was ‘in’ the ark and safe from God’s judgement, so those who are ‘in’ Christ are safe from the judgment that fell on Him. He took the rap for our sins and ‘in Him’ we died to sin and to our old sinful lives and emerged from the judgment alive and cleansed just as He emerged from the grave alive and free from sin’s power to touch Him.

Jesus was God’s perfect Son and spotless Lamb, but as long as He was a human being before His death, He had the potential to sin because He had the nature of Adam before the Fall, innocent but not righteous. Through the course of His earthly life, He had to earn His righteous status before God by being perfectly submissive and obedient to the Father’s will. How did Jesus achieve righteousness? Through suffering.

Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. (Heb. 5: 8, 9)

He did not learn obedience through trial and error because any little thought or act of rebellion or independence against the Father would have plunged Him into the same condemnation as every other human being. He learned obedience by obeying the Father’s every desire. There is not another person who has ever lived who could have thrown out the challenge He did to His opponents:

Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? (John 8:46a)

Just as Noah and his family were secure within the ark, so those who are in Christ are secure in Him. Noah built the ark according to God’s instructions and God Himself shut them in. No one could open the door until God have the word. In the same way, God Himself made the plan and gave His Son the instructions on how to carry it out. Jesus became the ark of safety from all those who put their trust in and obey Him.

It was through the very water that destroyed unbelievers that Noah and his family were saved. The water buoyed the ark up against the wind and rain and carried them to safety when the water receded. Jesus carries us to the Father on the very waves of God’s judgment against sin on the earth.

We have a place of refuge in Jesus, through our faith in Him, and we have the reassurance that, when He comes again to judge the earth, those who have trusted Him will be safe forever because He ever lives to make intercession for us.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5: 9)

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

The Simple Truth

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THE SIMPLE TRUTH

“‘Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbours in everything I do. I’ve been out of the country for a number of years and now I’m back. I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at my prayers in the Temple. There was no crowd; there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around Ephesus who started all this trouble. And you’ll notice they’re not here today. They’re cowards, too cowardly to accuse me in front of you.

“‘So ask these others what crime they’ve caught me in. Don’t let them hide behind this smooth-talking Tertullius. The only thing they have on me is that one sentence I shouted out in the council: “‘It’s because I believe in the resurrection that I’ve been hauled into this court!'” Does that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?'” Acts 24:16-21 (The Message).

Paul was accused of being a rabble-rouser by teaching Jews to disregard Moses and the Law of God, by stirring up riots against Jews all over the world and by defiling the Temple. Tertullius made these accusations with no explanation, evidence or witnesses. He expected the governor to take his word for it without producing a single person to corroborate his story.

Paul knew exactly why he was on trial. The real reason was disguised by an accusation designed to get the attention of the Roman authorities. Rome had no interest in religious squabbles between rival factions. That was not their problem unless it sparked trouble and disturbed the peace. The Jews were well-known for being volatile over their religion. Any sign of trouble had to be nipped in the bud.

Tertullius and his clients had no interest in the real cause of the rioting, as long as it was about their arch-enemy, Paul. This was a golden opportunity to get rid of him once and for all. Get the governor on their side and his doom was sealed.

It was now up to Paul to show the governor how ridiculous and untrue their case against him was. His defence was clear and unembellished. He simply told the truth. This is what happened and this is how it happened. He was fully aware of the underlying cause of their hatred and antagonism — his belief in the resurrection which connected him to the Man who prophesied His own death and resurrection and fulfilled His prophecy to the letter!

Slowly but surely Paul built up his defence with far greater skill than the Jews’ lawyer had used to lay his case before the court. He had to because it was up to him to show Felix the real reason for these accusations against him. The Jews were hiding behind a smoke-screen of lies because their issue with Paul would never hold up in a court of law.

Paul began by defending his character; he could say with absolute honesty that his conscience was clear regarding their accusations because he lived by a good conscience, always. He explained the reason for his return to Jerusalem and his presence in the Temple, all verifiable facts if anyone cared to check them out.

Then, in one sentence he ripped open their hidden agenda — and he had the reaction of the high priest to prove it. Firstly, when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, he was slapped in the face for bearing witness to a good conscience. Secondly, it was his declaration concerning the resurrection that sparked the furore between Pharisees and Sadducees and the outburst from some of the religious boffins: ‘He is not guilty!’ So really, this trial was a farce and the quicker Felix recognised that, the better.

It was now up to the governor to decide whether he was going to follow his conscience or what was to his advantage. That’s always the choice, isn’t it?