Paul looked at the Jewish council meeting and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God. I have always done what I thought was right.”
Acts 24:16 - Easy To Read Version This is why I always try to do what I believe is right before God and men. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. American Standard Version (1901) Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men always. Common English Bible On account of this, I have committed myself to maintaining a clear conscience before God and with all people. Catholic Public Domain Version And in this, I myself always strive to have a conscience that is lacking in any offence toward God and toward men. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version And herein do I endeavour to have always a conscience without offence toward God, and towards men. |
Paul looked at the Jewish council meeting and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God. I have always done what I thought was right.”
They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands. And those people also show this by the way they feel about right and wrong. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they did wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they did right, and this makes them not guilty.)
I am in Christ and I am telling you the truth. I don’t lie. My deepest feelings are ruled by the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [72]} And those feelings tell me that I am not lying:
I don’t know of any wrong that I have done. But that does not make me innocent (without guilt). The Lord is the One who judges me.
This is what we are proud of, and I can say with all my heart that it is true: In all the things we have done in the world, we have done everything with an honest and pure heart from God. And this is even more true in the things we have done with you. We did this by God’s grace (kindness), not by the kind of wisdom the world has.
But we have turned away from secret and shameful ways. We don’t use trickery, and we don’t change the teaching of God. No! We teach the truth plainly. This is how we show people who we are. And this is how they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are before God.
When we were with you believers, we lived in a holy and right way, without fault. You know that this is true, and God knows that this is true.
Continue to have faith and do what you know is right. Some people have not done this. Their faith has been destroyed.
The goal of this command is for people to have love. To have this love people must have a pure heart, they must do what they know is right, and they must have true faith.
They must follow the faith (truth) that God made known to us and always do what they know is right.
I always remember you in my prayers day and night. I thank God for you in those prayers. He is the God my ancestors {\cf2\super [2]} served. I have always served him, doing what I know is right.
To people that are pure, all things are pure. But to people who are full of sin and don’t believe, nothing is pure. Really, those people’s thinking has become evil and their knowledge of what is right has been ruined.
We have been cleansed and made free from feelings of guilt. And our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere (true) heart, feeling sure because of our faith.
Continue praying for us. We feel right about the things we do, because we always try to do the best thing.
So surely the blood of Christ can do much, much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit {\cf2\super [106]} as a perfect sacrifice {\cf2\super [107]} to God. His blood will make us fully clean from the evil things we have done. His blood will make us pure even in our hearts. We are made pure so that we can worship (serve) the living God.
A person might have to suffer even when he has done nothing wrong. If that person thinks of God and bears the pain, then this pleases God.
But answer those people in a gentle way with respect. Always be able to feel that you are doing right. When you do that, the people who say bad things about you will be made ashamed. They say these bad things about the good way you live in Christ. They will be made ashamed for the bad things they said about you.
That water is like baptism {\cf2\super [26]} that now saves you. Baptism is not the washing of dirt from the body. Baptism is asking God for a pure heart. It saves you because Jesus Christ was raised from death.