Although we may not recognize it or feel ourselves moving towards destiny, we very definitely are. God has some place for us to be, and it is our greatest privilege and benefit to go wherever He leads. His original intention and Will for humans is found in Adam and Eve before they bowed to satan. God placed them in the Garden of Eden, a paradise so bountiful in its beauty and fruitfulness that nothing in our current world compares. Our Heavenly Father did not hide the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was in the garden. He simply commanded them in Genesis 2:17(ESV), “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Adam and Eve were packaged with everything they needed to make the right choice, but the reality is that they made the wrong choice, and it separated them from God’s holiness and all the blessings that came with it.
The choice that the only humans on earth made was a spiritual transgression that entered their physical bodies and caused death to their spirits. It disconnected them from God and made them mortal beings. Sin entered their blood and because of this, it is in our blood as well. Romans 5:19(ESV) tells us, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” The one man’s disobedience is Adam’s sin. The one man’s obedience that has made us righteous is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Our blessed Redeemer took away our sins. They were nailed to the cross and crucified with him over two thousand years ago. Through God’s grace, when we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are cleansed by his blood and receive right standing with God. John 3:16(ESV) says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Our Heavenly Father has given us the gift of eternal life, and He accomplished the work of our redemption and salvation through the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We should celebrate this every day of our lives.
God proved that death could not conquer love. He raised His Son from the dead, and 1Corinthians 15:23,42(NLT) says, “23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.” Christ got up from the dead with all power in his hands. He was victorious over death, and through him, so are we.
Doors were closed to us before the accomplishment of Christ, but it is impossible to enumerate all the blessings that were unlocked by his sacrifice and resurrection. One of those realities is that he wiped our slate clean and gave us a clear conscience. Hebrews 9:14(ESV) tells us, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Before we accepted the salvation that our Lord Jesus Christ offers, we had dead works because our sin wasn’t cleansed by his blood. Now the Spirit of Christ is in us, and he helps us to walk in the victory Christ won for us.
Through our Master Jesus, God has given us a clean slate, but it is totally our responsibility to keep it that way. Romans 2:14-16(NLT) informs us that, “14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim–that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.”
God has given every human being that has ever lived, and is living now, the gift of free-will. He will never overstep His Word or violate it in any way. God honors His Word and Romans 11:29(NLT) says, “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” When it comes to renewing our minds by changing the way we think and changing our hearts so that we treasure God and seek to please Him, God has made these our responsibility, and He will not do what He has told us to do. Most surely, He will judge us according to how we’ve measured up to the standard of Christ in our hearts and minds.
We must have a clear conscience according to the standard of Jesus Christ. God doesn’t have favorites. We are all alike in His eyes, and what matters most to God is that we have a heart to express our faith in Him through our love for Him and others. He’s given us a Savior, and He wants us to follow Christ in all that we do. On this we will be judged. Jesus Christ teaches us in Matthew 6:21(NLT), “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” It’s not enough to be a “good person”. Sincerity is no guarantee for the truth. God looks at our hearts, and this is why we must study and read His Word and meditate on it so that it sinks deep in our inner man. Only His Word is a lamp to our feet, and Galatians 5:16 tells us that when we are motivated and committed to follow it, we will walk in the Spirit and keep a clear conscience that is pleasing to the Lord.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“A Clear Conscience in Christ”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.