Conscience-Fellowship-Relationship

 

Conscience – Fellowship – Relationship

 

I John 1:4-6

 

 

 

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

 

Conscience is the God given moral compass of God’s rational creatures. However if the conscience is continually ignored, it may cease to function as it had, and become seared aswith a hot iron, for it is written: “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (I Timothy 4:2). If the conscience is continually overridden it may cease to accuse us of our sins and begin to excuse us in our sins to the destruction of the unregenerate, as it is written: “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans 2:15). Whether regenerate or unregenerate, evil thoughts, words, or deeds, by one whose conscience is functioning and not seared will trouble the thoughts and grieve the heart of the offender. Thank God for a functioning conscience.

 

The conscience of the regenerate may become defiled as he passes through this world. The child of God may think, say, or do things that will cause his conscience to grieve him. While conscience is defiled, worship is impossible, because worship requires fellowship, and “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (I John 1:6). Isaiah said: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). In this situation is the cross work of our Lord Jesus Christ of none effect? Nay God Forbid, for we are dealing with fellowship and worship. We are not dealing with relationship, that is, covenant interest in the death of Christ as the Propitiation of the children of God. God will discipline His dear children. But He will never disown them, for it is written: “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons” (Hebrews 12: 5-8).

 

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John1:8). Since the fall, all living mortal men have sin residing in them, as it is written: “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:17-23). Both regenerate and unregenerate persons have indwelling sin. Indwelling sin is the root of all thoughts, words, and deeds of sin, it is written: “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15: 18-19)

 

The legal imputation of sin to the children of God was taken out of the realm of possibility by the cross death of Jesus Christ, who died for all those the Father had given him in eternity past in the everlasting covenant of grace, which covenant was sealed and ratified by the blood of the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 13:20; Matthew 26:28). The guilt of sin and sins, (indwelling sin and actual deeds of sin) was put away by the cross death of our Lord Jesus Christ; “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1: 3): “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12): “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). This cross work of Jesus Christ was done and can never be undone. All for whom Christ Jesus died shall assuredly be brought to glory thereby. They shall be given a new heart of faith and love, by the effectual, and infallible operation of God the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-27). And it is written: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4: 7-8).  And: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:21).

 

 

Sin in the life of believers hinders fellowship and worship because of a defiled conscience. What then is to be done to remove defilement from those who are legally “justified from all things” (Acts 13:39) and every whit clean (John 13:10)? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Confession of sins committed necessitates open self judgement before God with whom we have to do, for it is written: “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (I Corinthians 11:30-32). Sin confessed before God will bring restoration of communion, fellowship, and worship: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. It is written:  “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). Therefore “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).

 

Defilement of the conscience, and separation from communion and fellowship, does not cancel relationship. Believers are Children of God by the eternal election of grace, being predestinated to the adoption of children, as it is written: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). This relationship cannot be altered: the elect are children by election, the choice of God, and children they shall ever be. As said the prophet: “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isaiah 54:13). “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). “And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:13-14).

 

God in His Trinity of Persons from His goodness and grace has voluntarily bound himself to the children of the covenant in Jesus Christ, who in His Person is the covenant (Isaiah 42:6; 49:8). The life of the children of the covenant is bound up in the life of Jesus Christ. God has sworn to the “promise of eternal inheritance” as it is written: “And for this cause he is the mediator (Jesus Christ is the Mediator, writer) of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). God in His Trinity of Persons has sworn to Christ Jesus and to the children of the covenant in Christ by the psalmist when He said: “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: with whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah” (Psalm 89:19-37).

 

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Timothy 1:8-9).  

 

AJ Ison

 

See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel of the Son of God preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.