What does it mean to have a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5)?

Answer

In 1 Timothy 1:3–11, the apostle Paul instructs his protégé Timothy on how to handle false teachers in the church. After outlining their false teachings (verses 3–4), Paul clarifies why he urges Timothy to halt the spread of these harmful and divisive ideas: “The purpose of this command is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” «Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: », (1 Timothy 1:5).

The driving force behind Paul’s guidance to Timothy is love. Instead of displaying love for one another, the believers in Ephesus were engaging in “endless discussions” and “meaningless speculations,” debating about “myths and genealogies” that did not “promote God’s work” «neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. », (1 Timothy 1:4, NLT). They were so engrossed in disputes that they overlooked the greater calling—to love God first and then others (Matthew 22:35-40;1 John 3:11;1 John 4:7;1 Corinthians 13:13).

As crucial as doctrinal accuracy is, it is equally vital to have our heart attitudes and resulting behaviors aligned with God. Our goal is not to be right and prove others wrong. Love is the ultimate aim. The essence of love should characterize our lives and drive our actions above all else. In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul identifies three foundational qualities essential for nurturing love: a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.Science, and a sincere faith. These were virtues the false teachers had “turned away from” «from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; », (1 Timothy 1:6, NLT).

So, what does it mean to have a good conscience? The original Greek word (agathos) that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 1:5, rendered as “good” in English, refers to moral excellence. The “conscience” (syneidēsis in Greek) is the psychological faculty or internal capability that allows a person to distinguish between right and wrong. It is the inner judge written on the believer’s heart see Jeremiah 31:33 that accuses and convicts when we do wrong and approves when we do right (see Romans 2:14-15).

A person with a good conscience lives and behaves according to a God-given moral code of excellence; he or she possesses upright inner convictions and is able to discern between right and wrong. Paul charges Timothy, “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked” «holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: », (1 Timothy 1:19, NLT).

It is possible to have either a good conscience or a conscience that is “defiled” or “corrupted” through rebellion «Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. », (Titus 1:15). When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, His blood purifies “our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God” «how much more shall the blood of Christ, who

Through the eternal Spirit, He offered Himself without spot to God to purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”, (Hebrews 9:14, NLT). Our guilty consciences “have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean” “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, NLT).

Warren Wiersbe compares a good conscience, or a clean conscience, “to a window that lets in the light of God’s truth” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 414). The more we study God’s Word, the more light we let in, and the more sensitive we become to right and wrong. Paul informs Timothy that the false teachers, those who “abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons,” have persisted in their sin and rebellion against God to the point of having their consciences “seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The light of God’s truth is shut out from such hearts.

The concept of having a good conscience had a somewhat different meaning for the believers in Ephesus: “For first-century people, conscience dealt with a person’s conduct within the chosen group. A good conscience meant living according to the standards and practices which the group (in this case the church) deemed proper and acceptable. It meant living without shame among one’s peers or companions” (Larson, K., Holman New Testament Commentary, vol. 9, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000, pp. 146–147).

Nowadays, we view having a good conscience and the ability to discern right from wrong mainly from an individual perspective. But in ancient times, the word carried the weight of responsibility and answerability.The apostle Peter appears to have in mind this sense of accountability among peers when he instructs, “And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Peter 3:15-16;NLT).