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1 Timothy 1:5-7 - Can You Trust Your Conscience?

1 Timothy 1:5-7 (NIV) The goal of this 
command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a 
good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have 
wandered away from these and turned to meaningless 
talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but 
they do not know what they are talking about or 
what they so confidently affirm. 

1 Timothy 1:5-7 (NEB) The aim and object of 
this command is the love which springs from a 
clean heart, from a good conscience, and from 
faith that is genuine. Through falling short of 
these, some people have gone astray into a 
wilderness of words. They set out to be teachers of the 
moral law, without understanding either the words 
they use or the subjects about which they are so 
dogmatic. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Let your conscience be your guide. This 
bit of folk wisdom seems to make sense since our 
conscience is designed to help us discern right from 
wrong. However, people cannot always trust their 
internal radar to steer them correctly; this is the 
case particularly with unbelievers, who dont 
have the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and offer 
guidance for wise decisions. And while Christians do 
have Gods indwelling Spirit, they should be 
careful not to harbor sin in their lives, as that 
can interfere with the way their morality sensor 
functions. 
   A trustworthy conscience is programmed 
with scriptural teaching. Believers build a 
stable and sensitive spiritual radar system by 
applying Gods truth to their lives. They are 
committed to thinking and acting in ways that honor 
and please the Lord. Then, when sinful thoughts 
or choices come across that radar, it will 
deliver a sharp warning. 
   A person with a reliable conscience will 
have a strong desire to obey God. He wont 
settle for what feels right or looks good, but 
instead prayerfully seeks the Lords will. In 
other words, he does not rely solely on his 
conscience but incorporates all of the Holy Spirits 
tools into his daily life: Scripture, prayer, etc. 
Moreover, when his spiritual radar sounds the alarm, 
he is quick to draw back and reject unwise 
choices. 
   A conscience isnt designed to be our 
guide; it is a tool of the Guide. The Holy Spirit 
not only convicts us of sin, but He also brings 
to mind godly principles and leads us on a 
righteous path. He uses a variety of tools to conform 
us to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29). [In 
Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at 
www.intouch.org] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

The Scriptures weren't written to satisfy 
our curiosity, they were written to change our 
lives. Just knowing what the Bible teaches isn't 
enough. We must go beyond knowing it to living it, 
which means showing love that "comes from a pure 
heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" 
(1 Timothy 1:5). Our spiritual growth can't be 
measured in terms of sermons heard, services attended 
or activities performed. The issue is changed 
lives - ours and the lives of others. The 
character qualities of Jesus that are in our lives 
measure how much of what we know has become part of 
who we really are. [NIV Once A Day Bible re 1 
Ti. 1:3-7] 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs