A Good Conscience

“…since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience...”

There’s a line from a song that we sing often at The Town that always moves me. In David Crowder’s song How He Loves, he sings this during the bridge:

“So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way [that]
He loves us…”

The song then enters into its climax as the refrain repeats the truth “Oh, how he loves us.” But it’s that bolded line, “I don't have time to maintain these regrets,” that very often moves me to tears, especially singing it with the church assembled. Here’s why: I sin. As a new creation, in Christ, I still sin. And I hate it. And the fact that I hate it, that I wish I didn’t do it, means that the effects and consequences of those actions can crush me if I’m not careful. So Crowder’s song is a reminder that the work of salvation is one that is providing the gift of a good and clear conscience. I think this is especially important for those who have come to Christ as adults and may really struggle with the things they did before they were united to him by faith.

The writer of Hebrews wants their readers to know that Jesus’ priestly work of serving as our sacrifice on the cross (reconciling God to sinners) and his standing as our mediator (representing his brothers and sisters to the Father) has made us righteous and purifies us before the throne of grace. The apostle Paul is very concerned that believers worship and live as free people, under the bondage of nothing but righteousness. The reason why is that we have peace with God through our justification, a status unbelievers do not enjoy. Paul says that their consciences are seared and defiled.

None of this is to say that we do not have a responsibility to confess sin, be reconciled to others, or even to feel the weight of our sin to the point of contrition. But the confession of sin should always be met with the assurance of pardon, and that means we can obtain a true peace of conscience. Anything else is to beat ourselves up for things God wants us to let go of, because he’s covered them. And his word should be the final word on the matter.